Psalm 144-147

English Standard Version

³ O Lord, ^(H)what is man that you ^(I)regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
^4 (J)Man is like a breath;
    his days are like ^(K)a passing ^(L)shadow.

^5 (M)Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
    ^(N)Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
^6 (O)Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    ^(P)send out your arrows and rout them!
^7 (Q)Stretch out your hand from on high;
    ^(R)rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand ^(S)of foreigners,
⁸ whose mouths speak ^(T)lies
    and whose right hand is ^(U)a right hand of falsehood.

⁹ I will sing ^(V)a new song to you, O God;
    upon ^(W)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
¹⁰ who gives victory to kings,
    who ^(X)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
¹¹ Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand ^(Y)of foreigners,
whose mouths speak ^(Z)lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹² May our sons in their youth
    be like ^(AA)plants full grown,
our daughters like ^(AB)corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
^13 (AC)may our granaries be full,
    ^(AD)providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
¹⁴ may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;^[b]
may there be no ^(AE)cry of distress in our streets!
^15 (AF)Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
    ^(AG)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

^4 (AM)One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On ^(AN)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶ They shall speak of ^(AO)the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your ^(AP)abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is ^(AQ)gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ The Lord is ^(AR)good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

^10 (AS)All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your ^(AT)saints shall bless you!
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
¹² to ^(AU)make known to the children of man your^{[d] (AV)}mighty deeds,
    and ^(AW)the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
^13 (AX)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]^[e]
14 The Lord ^(AY)upholds all who are falling
    and ^(AZ)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all ^(BA)look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You ^(BB)open your hand;
    you ^(BC)satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is ^(BD)righteous in all his ways
    and ^(BE)kind in all his works.
¹⁸ The Lord is ^(BF)near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him ^(BG)in truth.
¹⁹ He ^(BH)fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also ^(BI)hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The Lord ^(BJ)preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and ^(BK)let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

^3 (BO)Put not your trust in princes,
    ^(BP)in a son of man, in whom there is ^(BQ)no salvation.
⁴ When ^(BR)his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

^5 (BS)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose ^(BT)hope is in the Lord his God,
^6 (BU)who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
^(BV)who keeps faith forever;
^{7     (BW)}who executes justice for the oppressed,
    ^(BX)who gives food to the hungry.

^(BY)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
^{8     (BZ)}the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
^(CA)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    ^(CB)the Lord loves the righteous.
^9 (CC)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    ^(CD)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but ^(CE)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

^10 (CF)The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
^(CG)Praise the Lord!

^7 (CV)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on ^(CW)the lyre!
⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares ^(CX)rain for the earth;
    he makes ^(CY)grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He ^(CZ)gives to the beasts their food,
    and to ^(DA)the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰ His delight is not in ^(DB)the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹ but the Lord ^(DC)takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who ^(DD)hope in his steadfast love.

¹² Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
¹³ For he strengthens ^(DE)the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
¹⁴ He ^(DF)makes peace in your borders;
    he ^(DG)fills you with the ^(DH)finest of the wheat.
¹⁵ He ^(DI)sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶ He gives ^(DJ)snow like wool;
    he scatters ^(DK)frost like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls down his crystals of ^(DL)ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his ^(DM)cold?
¹⁸ He ^(DN)sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
¹⁹ He declares his word to Jacob,
    his ^(DO)statutes and rules^[h] to Israel.
²⁰ He ^(DP)has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his rules.^[i]
(DQ)Praise the Lord!