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144
(By David.)
A Prayer for the Nation
1 I praise you, Lord!
You are my mighty rock,  a 144.1 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
and you teach me
how to fight my battles.
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144
  Chapter recording
List of all recordings of KJV A Psalm of David.
1 Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: strength: Heb. rock to war...: Heb. to the war, etc
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2 You are my friend,
and you are my fortress
where I am safe.
You are my shield,
and you made me the ruler
of our people. b 144.2 of our people: Some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient translations have “of the nations.”
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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. My goodness: or, My mercy
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3 Why do we humans mean anything 
to you, our Lord?
Why do you care about us?
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3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
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4 We disappear like a breath;
we last no longer
than a faint shadow.
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4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
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5 Open the heavens like a curtain
and come down, Lord.
Touch the mountains
and make them send up smoke.
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5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
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6 Use your lightning as arrows
to scatter my enemies
and make them run away.
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6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
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7 Reach down from heaven
and set me free.
Save me from the mighty flood
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7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; hand from: Heb. hands from
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8 of those lying foreigners
who can't tell the truth.
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8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
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9 In praise of you, our God,
I will sing a new song,
while playing my harp.
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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.
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10 By your power, kings win wars,
and your servant David is saved
from deadly swords.
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10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. salvation: or, victory
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11 Won't you keep me safe
from those lying foreigners
who can't tell the truth?
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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:
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12 Let's pray that our young sons
will grow like strong plants
and that our daughters
will be as lovely
as columns
in the corner of a palace.
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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: polished: Heb. cut
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13 May our barns be filled
with all kinds of crops.
May our fields be covered
with sheep by the thousands,
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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: all...: Heb. from kind to kind
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14 and every cow have calves. c 144.14 have calves: Or “grow fat.”
Don't let our city be captured
or any of us be taken away,
and don't let cries of sorrow
be heard in our streets.
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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. strong...: Heb. able to bear burdens, or, loaden with flesh
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15 Our Lord and our God,
you give these blessings
to all who worship you.
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15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
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© 1999 American Bible Society |
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