Psalm 144
1599 Geneva Bible
144 He praiseth the Lord with great affection and humility for his kingdom restored, and for his victories obtained. 5 Demanding help, and the destruction of the wicked, 9 Promising to acknowledge the same with songs of praises, 15 And declareth wherein the felicity of any people consisteth.
A Psalm of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord my strength, which [a]teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battle.
2 He is my goodness and my fortress, my tower and [b]my deliverer, my shield and in him I trust, [c]which subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man that thou [d]regardest him! or the son of man that thou thinkest upon him?
4 Man is like to vanity; his days are like a shadow that vanisheth.
5 [e]Bow thine heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 [f]Cast forth the lightning and scatter them; shoot out thine arrows and consume them.
7 Send thine hand from above: deliver me, and take me out of the great [g]waters, and from the hand of strangers,
8 Whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand [h]of falsehood.
9 I will sing a [i]new song unto thee, O God, and sing unto thee upon a viol, and an instrument of ten strings.
10 It is he that giveth deliverance unto kings, and rescueth David his [j]servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 [k]That our sons may be as the plants growing up in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, graven after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our [l]corners may be full and abounding with divers sorts, and that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streets.
14 That our [m]oxen may be strong to labor; that there be none invasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people, that be [n]so, yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:1 Who of a poor shepherd hath made me a valiant warrior and mighty conqueror.
- Psalm 144:2 Hebrew, my deliverer unto me: for the Prophet cannot satisfy himself with any words.
- Psalm 144:2 He confesseth that neither by his own authority, power or policy his kingdom was quiet, but by the secret grace of God.
- Psalm 144:3 To give unto God just praise, is to confess ourselves to be unworthy of so excellent benefits, and that he bestoweth them upon us of his free mercy.
- Psalm 144:5 He desireth God to continue his graces, and to send help for the present necessity.
- Psalm 144:6 By these manner of speeches he showeth that all the lets in the world cannot hinder God’s power, which he apprehended by faith.
- Psalm 144:7 That is, deliver me from the tumults of them that should be my people, but are corrupt in their judgment and enterprises, as though they were strangers.
- Psalm 144:8 For though they shake hands, yet they keep not promise.
- Psalm 144:9 That is, a rare and excellent song, as thy great benefits deserve.
- Psalm 144:10 Though wicked kings be called God’s servants, as Cyrus, Isa. 45:1, forasmuch as he useth them to execute his judgments: yet David because of God’s promise, and they that rule godly, are properly so called, because they serve not their own affections, but set forth God’s glory.
- Psalm 144:12 He desireth God to continue his benefits toward his people, counting the procreation of children and their good education among the chiefest of God’s benefits.
- Psalm 144:13 That the very corners of our houses may be full of store for the great abundance of thy blessings.
- Psalm 144:14 He attributeth not only the great commodities, but even the least also to God’s favor.
- Psalm 144:15 And if God give not to all his children all these blessings, yet he recompenseth them with better things.
Psalm 144
New King James Version
A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
(A)Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues [a]my people under me.
3 (B)Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 (C)Man is like a breath;
(D)His days are like a passing shadow.
5 (E)Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
(F)Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 (G)Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
7 Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
8 Whose mouth (H)speaks [b]lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will (I)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [c]salvation to kings,
(J)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (K)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [d]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [e]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (L)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:2 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Syr., Tg. the peoples (cf. 18:47)
- Psalm 144:8 empty or worthless
- Psalm 144:10 deliverance
- Psalm 144:12 corner pillars
- Psalm 144:14 Lit. breach
Psalm 144
English Standard Version
My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, my (A)rock,
(B)who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my (C)steadfast love and my (D)fortress,
my (E)stronghold and my deliverer,
my (F)shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who (G)subdues peoples[a] under me.
3 O Lord, (H)what is man that you (I)regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 (J)Man is like a breath;
his days are like (K)a passing (L)shadow.
5 (M)Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
(N)Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
6 (O)Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
(P)send out your arrows and rout them!
7 (Q)Stretch out your hand from on high;
(R)rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand (S)of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak (T)lies
and whose right hand is (U)a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing (V)a new song to you, O God;
upon (W)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who (X)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand (Y)of foreigners,
whose mouths speak (Z)lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like (AA)plants full grown,
our daughters like (AB)corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 (AC)may our granaries be full,
(AD)providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;[b]
may there be no (AE)cry of distress in our streets!
15 (AF)Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
(AG)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
- Psalm 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
