144 Lord , I praise you!
You are my strong Rock!
You teach me how to fight well.
You show me how to use my weapons.
2 You always love me.
You are the strong place where I am safe.
You save me from the power of my enemies.
You are like a shield for me.
I know that I am safe with you.
You give me power over nations. [ a ]
3 Lord , why do you even think about men and women?
Why do you take care of humans?
4 People soon pass away, just like a breath.
Their life is like a shadow that soon goes.
5 Lord , open up the heavens!
Leave your home and come down to earth!
Touch the mountains so that they burn with smoke.
6 Send bright lightning to frighten your enemies.
Shoot your arrows at them
so that they run away. [ b ]
7 Put your hand down from heaven,
and pick me out from the deep water. [ c ]
Save me from the power of foreign people.
8 Their mouths speak lies.
Even when they make a promise,
they are deceiving people.
9 I will sing to you a new song, God.
I will make music to you on my harp. [ d ]
10 You help kings to win against their enemies.
You also save me, your servant David, from my enemies,
when they try to kill me with their dangerous swords.
11 Keep me safe from the power of foreign people.
They speak lies.
Even when they make a promise, it is false.
12 When our sons are young,
may they grow quickly, like strong plants.
May our daughters become tall and beautiful,
like the beautiful pillars in a king's house.
13 May our homes have plenty of different kinds of food.
May our sheep have thousands of lambs,
so that there is no space in our fields.
14 May our cows become fat. [ e ]
I pray that our enemies will never knock down our city's walls.
I pray that none of us will become their prisoners.
I pray that nobody will cry in our city's streets because they are afraid.
15 When God does that for a nation,
he has surely blessed those people!
If people know that the Lord is their God,
then God has blessed them!
144 Praise the Lord !
He is my Rock.
He prepares me for war.
He trains me for battle.
2 He loves me and protects me.
He is my safe place high on the mountain.
He rescues me.
He is my shield.
I trust in him.
He helps me rule my people.
3 Lord , why are people important to you?
Why do you even notice us?
4 Our life is like a puff of air.
It is like a passing shadow.
5 Lord , tear open the skies and come down.
Touch the mountains, and smoke will rise from them.
6 Send the lightning and make my enemies run away.
Shoot your “arrows” and make them run away.
7 Reach down from heaven and save me!
Don’t let me drown in this sea of enemies.
Save me from these foreigners.
8 They are all liars,
even when they swear to tell the truth.
9 God, I will sing a new song [ a ] for you.
I will play a ten-stringed harp and sing praise to you.
10 You are the one who gives victory to kings.
You saved your servant David from the sword of his enemy.
11 Save me from these foreigners.
They are all liars,
even when they swear to tell the truth.
12 May our sons be as strong as trees
and our daughters as beautiful as the carved columns of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled
with crops of all kinds.
May our sheep produce so many lambs,
that thousands of sheep will fill our fields.
14 And may our cows be heavy with calves.
May no enemy break through our walls
or carry away any of our people.
May there be no cries of pain in our streets.
15 How wonderful to have such blessings!
Yes, great blessings belong to those who have the Lord as their God.
144 Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
2 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord , what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord , and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord .
144 Blessed be the Lord , ( A ) my rock,
Who ( B ) trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My faithfulness and ( C ) my fortress,
My ( D ) stronghold and my savior,
My ( E ) shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who ( F ) subdues [ a ] my people under me.
3 Lord , ( G ) what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
4 ( H ) Man is like the breath;
His ( I ) days are like a passing shadow.
5 ( J ) Bend down Your heavens, Lord , and ( K ) come down;
( L ) Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth ( M ) lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your ( N ) arrows and confuse them.
7 Reach out with Your hand ( O ) from on high;
Rescue me and ( P ) save me from great waters,
From the hand of ( Q ) foreigners
8 Whose mouths ( R ) speak deceit,
And whose ( S ) right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 God, I will sing a ( T ) new song to You;
On a ( U ) harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who ( V ) gives salvation to kings,
Who ( W ) rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hand of ( X ) foreigners,
Whose mouth ( Y ) speaks deceit
And whose ( Z ) right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 When our sons in their youth are like ( AA ) growing plants,
And our daughters like ( AB ) corner pillars [ b ] fashioned for a palace,
13 Our ( AC ) granaries are full, providing every kind of produce ,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our [ c ] fields;
14 May our ( AD ) cattle [ d ] be bred
Without [ e ] ( AE ) mishap and without [ f ] ( AF ) loss,
May there be no ( AG ) outcry in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people who are so situated;
( AH ) Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord !
1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock, ( A )
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 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.
3 Lord , what are human beings ( F ) that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath; ( G )
their days are like a fleeting shadow. ( H )
5 Part your heavens, ( I ) Lord , and come down; ( J )
touch the mountains, so that they smoke. ( K )
6 Send forth lightning ( L ) and scatter ( M ) the enemy;
shoot your arrows ( N ) and rout them.
7 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 )
8 whose mouths are full of lies, ( S )
whose right hands ( T ) are deceitful. ( U )
9 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 .
