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Psalm 144

By David.

Thank Yahweh, my Tsur,
    who trained my hands to fight
        and my fingers to do battle,
my merciful one, my Metsuda,
    my stronghold, and my savior,
    my Magen, the one in whom I take refuge,
        and the one who brings people under my authority.

O Yahweh, what are humans that you should care about them?
    What are mere mortals that you should think about them?
        Humans are like a breath of air.
        Their life span is like a fleeting shadow.

O Yahweh, bend your heaven low, and come down.
    Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
Hurl bolts of lightning, and scatter them.
    Shoot your arrows, and throw them into confusion.
Stretch out your hands from above.
    Snatch me, and rescue me from raging waters
        and from foreigners’ hands.
            Their mouths speak lies.
            Their right hands take false pledges.

O Elohim, I will sing a new song to you.
    I will sing a psalm to you on a ten-stringed harp.
10 You are the one who gives victory to kings.
    You are the one who snatches your servant David
    away from a deadly sword.
11 Snatch me, and rescue me from foreigners’ hands.
    Their mouths speak lies.
        Their right hands take false pledges.

12 May our sons be like full-grown, young plants.
    May our daughters be like stately columns
    that adorn the corners of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops.
    May our sheep give birth to thousands of lambs,
    tens of thousands in our fields.
14 May our cattle have many calves.[a]

May no one break in, and may no one be dragged out.
    May there be no cries of distress in our streets.

15 Blessed are the people who have these blessings!
    Blessed are the people whose Elohim is Yahweh!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 144:14 Hebrew meaning of this verse uncertain.

(By David.)

A Prayer for the Nation

I praise you, Lord!
    You are my mighty rock,[a]
and you teach me
    how to fight my battles.
You are my friend, my fortress,
    where I am safe.
You are my shield,
and you made me the ruler
    of our people.[b]

(A) Why do we humans mean anything
to you, our Lord?
    Why do you care about us?
We disappear like a breath;
we last no longer
    than a faint shadow.

Open the heavens like a curtain
    and come down, Lord.
Touch the mountains
    and make them send up smoke.
Use your lightning as arrows
to scatter my enemies
    and make them run away.
Reach down from heaven
    and set me free.
Save me from the mighty flood
of those lying foreigners
    who never tell the truth.

In praise of you, our God,
I will sing a new song,
    while playing my harp.
10 By your power, kings win wars,
and your servant David is saved
    from deadly swords.
11 Won't you keep me safe
from those lying foreigners
    who never tell the truth?

12 Let's pray that our young sons
    will grow like strong plants
and that our daughters
will be as lovely as columns
    in the corner of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled
    with all kinds of crops.
May our fields be covered
with sheep by the thousands,
14     and every cow have calves.[c]
Don't let our city be captured
    or any of us be taken away,
and don't let cries of sorrow
    be heard in our streets.

15 Our Lord and our God,
you give these blessings
    to all who worship you.

Footnotes

  1. 144.1 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
  2. 144.2 of our people: Some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient translations have “of the nations.”
  3. 144.14 have calves: Or “grow fat.”

Psalm 144

Of David.

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,(A)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,(B)
    my stronghold(C) and my deliverer,
my shield,(D) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples[a](E) under me.

Lord, what are human beings(F) that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;(G)
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.(H)

Part your heavens,(I) Lord, and come down;(J)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.(K)
Send forth lightning(L) and scatter(M) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows(N) and rout them.
Reach down your hand from on high;(O)
    deliver me and rescue me(P)
from the mighty waters,(Q)
    from the hands of foreigners(R)
whose mouths are full of lies,(S)
    whose right hands(T) are deceitful.(U)

I will sing a new song(V) to you, my God;
    on the ten-stringed lyre(W) I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,(X)
    who delivers his servant David.(Y)

From the deadly sword(Z) 11 deliver me;
    rescue me(AA) from the hands of foreigners(AB)
whose mouths are full of lies,(AC)
    whose right hands are deceitful.(AD)

12 Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,(AE)
and our daughters will be like pillars(AF)
    carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled(AG)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
14     our oxen(AH) will draw heavy loads.[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,(AI)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.(AJ)
15 Blessed is the people(AK) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
  2. Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established