PSALM 144

A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2 my rock* and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues the peoples under him.g

3 O Lord, what is man that thou dost regard him,

or the son of man that thou dost think of him?

4 Man is like a breath,

his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down!

Touch the mountains that they smoke!

6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them,

send out thy arrows and rout them!

7 Stretch forth thy hand from on high,

rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of aliens,

8 whose mouths speak lies,

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to thee, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to thee,

10 who givest victory to kings,

who rescuest David thyh servant.

11 Rescue me from the cruel sword,

and deliver me from the hand of aliens,

whose mouths speak lies,

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 May our sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13 may our garners be full,

providing all manner of store;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14 may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mischance or failure in bearing;

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

15 Happy the people to whom such blessings fall!

Happy the people whose God is the Lord!

PSALM 17

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2 From thee let my vindication come!

Let thy eyes see the right!

3 If thou triest my heart, if thou visitest me by night,

if thou testest me, thou wilt find no wickedness in me;

my mouth does not transgress.

4 With regard to the works of men, by the word of thy lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held fast to thy paths,

my feet have not slipped.

6 I call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God;

incline thy ear to me, hear my words.

7 Wondrously show thy steadfast love,

O savior of those who seek refuge

from their adversaries at thy right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye;

hide me in the shadow of thy wings,

9 from the wicked who despoil me,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

11 They track me down; now they surround me;

they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion eager to tear,

as a young lion lurking in ambush.

13 Arise, O Lord! confront them, overthrow them!

Deliver my life from the wicked by thy sword,

14 from men by thy hand, O Lord,

from men whose portion in life is of the world.

May their belly be filled with what thou hast stored up for them;

may their children have more than enough;

may they leave something over to their babes.

15 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness;

when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.

PSALM 18

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love thee, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me,

the torrents of perdition assailed me;

5 the cords of Sheol entangled me,

the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens, and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub, and flew;

he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering around him,

his canopy thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

there broke through his clouds

hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at thy rebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He reached from on high, he took me,

he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

and from those who hated me;

for they were too mighty for me.

18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity;

but the Lord was my stay.

19 He brought me forth into a broad place;

he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his ordinances were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23 I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from guilt.

24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal;

with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;

26 with the pure thou dost show thyself pure;

and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.

27 For thou dost deliver a humble people;

but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down.

28 Yea, thou dost light my lamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

29 Yea, by thee I can crush a troop;

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30 This God—his way is perfect;

the promise of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?—

32 the God who girded me with strength,

and made my way safe.

33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet,

and set me secure on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation,

and thy right hand supported me,

and thy helpi made me great.

36 …