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A Prayer for Victory

Of David.

144 Praise the Lord, my Rock,
    who trains me for war,
    who trains me for battle.
He protects me like a strong, walled city, and he loves me.
    He is my defender and my Savior,
my shield and my protection.
    He helps me keep my people under control.

Lord, why are people important to you?
    Why do you even think about human beings?
People are like a breath;
    their lives are like passing shadows.

Lord, tear open the sky and come down.
    Touch the mountains so they will smoke.
Send the lightning and scatter my enemies.
    Shoot your arrows and force them away.
Reach down from above.
    Save me and rescue me out of this sea of enemies,
    from these foreigners.
They are liars;
    they are dishonest.

God, I will sing a new song to you;
    I will play to you on the ten-stringed harp.
10 You give victory to kings.
    You save your servant David from cruel swords.
11 Save me, rescue me from these foreigners.
    They are liars; they are dishonest.

12 Let our sons in their youth
    grow like plants.
Let our daughters be
    like the decorated stones in the Temple.
13 Let our barns be filled
    with crops of all kinds.
Let our sheep in the fields have
    thousands and tens of thousands of lambs.
14 Let our cattle be strong.
Let no one break in.
    Let there be no war,
    no screams in our streets.

15 Happy are those who are like this;
    happy are the people whose God is the Lord.

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