Psalm 144

A King’s Prayer

Of David.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock(A)
who trains my hands for battle
and my fingers for warfare.(B)
He is my faithful love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer.
He is my shield,(C) and I take refuge in him;(D)
he subdues my people[a] under me.(E)

Lord, what is a human that you care for him,
a son of man[b] that you think of him?(F)
A human is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.(G)

Lord, part your heavens and come down.(H)
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.(I)
Flash your lightning and scatter the foe;[c]
shoot your arrows and rout them.(J)
Reach down[d] from on high;(K)
rescue me from deep water, and set me free
from the grasp of foreigners(L)
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(M)

God, I will sing a new song to you;
I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you(N)
10 the one who gives victory to kings,
who frees his servant David
from the deadly sword.(O)
11 Set me free and rescue me
from foreigners(P)
whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive.(Q)

12 Then our sons will be like plants
nurtured in their youth,
our daughters, like corner pillars
that are carved in the palace style.(R)
13 Our storehouses will be full,
supplying all kinds of produce;(S)
our flocks will increase by thousands
and tens of thousands in our open fields.(T)
14 Our cattle will be well fed.[e]
There will be no breach in the walls,
no going into captivity,[f]
and no cry of lament in our public squares.(U)
15 Happy are the people with such blessings.
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.(V)

Footnotes

  1. 144:2 Some Hb mss, DSS, Aq, Syr, Tg, Jer read subdues peoples; 2Sm 22:48; Ps 18:47
  2. 144:3 Or a mere mortal
  3. 144:6 Lit scatter them
  4. 144:7 Lit down your hands
  5. 144:14 Or will bear heavy loads, or will be pregnant
  6. 144:14 Or be no plague, no miscarriage

144 He praiseth the Lord with great affection and humility for his kingdom restored, and for his victories obtained. 5 Demanding help, and the destruction of the wicked, 9 Promising to acknowledge the same with songs of praises, 15 And declareth wherein the felicity of any people consisteth.

A Psalm of David.

Blessed be the Lord my strength, which [a]teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battle.

He is my goodness and my fortress, my tower and [b]my deliverer, my shield and in him I trust, [c]which subdueth my people under me.

Lord, what is man that thou [d]regardest him! or the son of man that thou thinkest upon him?

Man is like to vanity; his days are like a shadow that vanisheth.

[e]Bow thine heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

[f]Cast forth the lightning and scatter them; shoot out thine arrows and consume them.

Send thine hand from above: deliver me, and take me out of the great [g]waters, and from the hand of strangers,

Whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand [h]of falsehood.

I will sing a [i]new song unto thee, O God, and sing unto thee upon a viol, and an instrument of ten strings.

10 It is he that giveth deliverance unto kings, and rescueth David his [j]servant from the hurtful sword.

11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

12 [k]That our sons may be as the plants growing up in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, graven after the similitude of a palace:

13 That our [l]corners may be full and abounding with divers sorts, and that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streets.

14 That our [m]oxen may be strong to labor; that there be none invasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streets.

15 Blessed are the people, that be [n]so, yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 144:1 Who of a poor shepherd hath made me a valiant warrior and mighty conqueror.
  2. Psalm 144:2 Hebrew, my deliverer unto me: for the Prophet cannot satisfy himself with any words.
  3. Psalm 144:2 He confesseth that neither by his own authority, power or policy his kingdom was quiet, but by the secret grace of God.
  4. Psalm 144:3 To give unto God just praise, is to confess ourselves to be unworthy of so excellent benefits, and that he bestoweth them upon us of his free mercy.
  5. Psalm 144:5 He desireth God to continue his graces, and to send help for the present necessity.
  6. Psalm 144:6 By these manner of speeches he showeth that all the lets in the world cannot hinder God’s power, which he apprehended by faith.
  7. Psalm 144:7 That is, deliver me from the tumults of them that should be my people, but are corrupt in their judgment and enterprises, as though they were strangers.
  8. Psalm 144:8 For though they shake hands, yet they keep not promise.
  9. Psalm 144:9 That is, a rare and excellent song, as thy great benefits deserve.
  10. Psalm 144:10 Though wicked kings be called God’s servants, as Cyrus, Isa. 45:1, forasmuch as he useth them to execute his judgments: yet David because of God’s promise, and they that rule godly, are properly so called, because they serve not their own affections, but set forth God’s glory.
  11. Psalm 144:12 He desireth God to continue his benefits toward his people, counting the procreation of children and their good education among the chiefest of God’s benefits.
  12. Psalm 144:13 That the very corners of our houses may be full of store for the great abundance of thy blessings.
  13. Psalm 144:14 He attributeth not only the great commodities, but even the least also to God’s favor.
  14. Psalm 144:15 And if God give not to all his children all these blessings, yet he recompenseth them with better things.