Psalm 144

¹ O blessed ever be the Lord,

who is my strength and might,

Who doth instruct my hands to war,

my fingers teach to fight.

² My goodness, fortress, my high tow’r,

deliverer, and shield,

In whom I trust: who under me

my people makes to yield.

³ Lord, what is man, that thou of him

dost so much knowledge take?

Or son of man, that thou of him

so great account dost make?

⁴ Man is like vanity; his days,

as shadows, pass away.

⁵ Lord, bow thy heav’ns, come down, touch thou

the hills, and smoke shall they.

⁶ Cast forth thy lightning, scatter them;

thine arrows shoot, them rout.

⁷ Thine hand send from above, me save;

from great depths draw me out;

And from the hand of children strange,

⁸ Whose mouth speaks vanity;

And their right hand is a right hand

that works deceitfully.

⁹ A new song I to thee will sing,

Lord, on a psaltery;

I on a ten-string’d instrument

will praises sing to thee.

¹⁰ Ev’n he it is that unto kings

salvation doth send;

Who his own servant David doth

from hurtful sword defend.

¹¹ O free me from strange children’s hand,

whose mouth speaks vanity;

And their right hand a right hand is

that works deceitfully.

¹² That, as the plants, our sons may be

in youth grown up that are;

Our daughters like to corner-stones,

carv’d like a palace fair.

¹³ That to afford all kind of store

our garners may be fill’d;

That our sheep thousands, in our streets

ten thousands they may yield.

¹⁴ That strong our oxen be for work,

that no in-breaking be,

Nor going out; and that our streets

may from complaints be free.

¹⁵ Those people blessed are who be

in such a case as this;

Yea, blessed all those people are,

whose God Jehovah is.