Davidic
A Song for God’s Provision
144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle
and my fingers for warfare,
2 he is my gracious love and my fortress,
my strong tower and my deliverer,
my shield and the one in whom I find refuge,
who subdues[a] peoples[b] under me.
3 Lord, what are human beings,
that you should care about them,
or mortal man,
that you should think about him?
4 The human person is a mere empty breath;
his days are like a fading shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, Lord, and descend;[c]
touch the mountains, and they will smolder.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy,[d]
shoot your arrows and confuse them.
7 Reach down your hand from your high place;
rescue me and deliver me from mighty waters,
from the control of foreigners.[e]
8 Their mouths speak lies,
and their right hand deceives,[f]
9 God, I will sing a new song to you.
On a harp of ten strings I will play to you—
10 to you who gives victory to kings,
rescuing his servant David from cruel swords.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the control of foreigners,[g]
whose mouths speak lies,
and whose right hand deceives.[h]
12 May our sons in their youth be like full-grown plants,
and our daughters like pillars
destined to decorate a palace.
13 May our granaries be filled,
storing produce in abundance;
may our sheep bring forth thousands,
even tens of thousands in our fields.
14 May our cattle grow heavy with young,
with no damage or loss.
May there be no cry of anguish in our streets!
15 Happy are the people to whom these things come;
happy are the people whose God is the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:2 So LXX; the Heb. lacks subdues
- Psalm 144:2 So DSS 11QPsa Sebir Aquila Syr Targ Hieronymus; cf. Psa 18:48; 2 Sam 22:48; LXX reads subdues my people
- Psalm 144:5 So MT (imperfect verb); LXX, DSS 11QPsa read and descend!; i.e. a verb of command
- Psalm 144:6 Lit. scatter them
- Psalm 144:7 Lit. the hand of the sons of strangers
- Psalm 144:8 I.e. they swear to false oaths
- Psalm 144:11 Lit. the hand of the sons of strangers
- Psalm 144:11 I.e. they swear to false oaths