Psalm 144

¹O blessed ever be the Lord,

who is my strength and might,

Who doth instruct my hands to war,

my fingers teach to fight.

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

deliverer, and shield,

In whom I trust: who under me

my people makes to yield.

³Lord, 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?

⁴Man is like vanity; his days,

as shadows, pass away.

⁵Lord, bow thy heav'ns, come down,

touch thou the hills, and smoke shall they.

⁶Cast forth thy lightning, scatter them;

thine arrows shoot, them rout.

⁷Thine hand send from above, me save;

from great depths draw me out;

And from the hand of children strange,

⁸Whose mouth speaks vanity;

And their right hand is a right hand

that works deceitfully.

⁹A new song I to thee will sing,

Lord, on a psaltery;

I on a ten-string'd instrument

will praises sing to thee.

¹⁰Ev'n he it is that unto kings

salvation doth send;

Who his own servant David doth

from hurtful sword defend.

¹¹O free me from strange children's hand,

whose mouth speaks vanity;

And their right hand a right hand is

that works deceitfully.

¹²That, 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.

¹³That to afford all kind of store

our garners may be fill'd;

That our sheep thousands, in our streets

ten thousands they may yield.

¹⁴That strong our oxen be for work,

that no in-breaking be,

Nor going out; and that our streets

may from complaints be free.

¹⁵Those people blessed are who be

in such a case as this;

Yea, blessed all those people are,

whose God Jehovah is.

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