Psalm 144:1-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 144[a]
A Prayer for Victory and Prosperity
1 Of David.
I
[b]Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;
2 My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
II
3 [c]Lord, what is man that you take notice of him;
the son of man, that you think of him?(A)
4 [d]Man is but a breath,
his days are like a passing shadow.(B)
5 [e]Lord, incline your heavens and come down;
touch the mountains and make them smoke.(C)
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter my foes;
shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach out your hand from on high;
deliver me from the many waters;
rescue me from the hands of foreign foes.
8 Their mouths speak untruth;
their right hands are raised in lying oaths.[f]
Footnotes
- Psalm 144 The Psalm may reflect a ceremony in which the king, as leader of the army, asked God’s help (Ps 144:1–8). In Ps 144:9 the poem shifts abruptly from pleading to thanksgiving, and (except for Ps 144:11) shifts again to prayer for the people. The first section (Ps 144:1–2) is a prayer of thanks for victory; the second (Ps 144:3–7a), a humble acknowledgment of human nothingness and a supplication that God show forth saving power; the third (Ps 144:9–11), a promise of future thanksgiving; the fourth (Ps 144:12–15), a wish for prosperity and peace. A prayer for deliverance from treacherous foes serves as a refrain after the second and third sections (Ps 144:7b–8, 11). Except for its final section, the Psalm is made up almost entirely of verses from other Psalms.
- 144:1–2 Composed of phrases from Ps 18:3, 35, 47–48.
- 144:3 Similar to Ps 8:4.
- 144:4 Composed of phrases from Ps 39:6; 102:12.
- 144:5–7 Adapted in large part from Ps 18:10, 15, 17; 104:32.
- 144:8b, 11b Their right hands are raised in lying oaths: the psalmist’s enemies give false testimony.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.