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(By David.)

A Prayer for the Nation

I praise you, Lord!
    You are my mighty rock,[a]
and you teach me
    how to fight my battles.
You are my friend, my fortress,
    where I am safe.
You are my shield,
and you made me the ruler
    of our people.[b]

(A) Why do we humans mean anything
to you, our Lord?
    Why do you care about us?
We disappear like a breath;
we last no longer
    than a faint shadow.

Open the heavens like a curtain
    and come down, Lord.
Touch the mountains
    and make them send up smoke.
Use your lightning as arrows
to scatter my enemies
    and make them run away.
Reach down from heaven
    and set me free.
Save me from the mighty flood
of those lying foreigners
    who never tell the truth.

In praise of you, our God,
I will sing a new song,
    while playing my harp.
10 By your power, kings win wars,
and your servant David is saved
    from deadly swords.
11 Won't you keep me safe
from those lying foreigners
    who never tell the truth?

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.
13 May our barns be filled
    with all kinds of crops.
May our fields be covered
with sheep by the thousands,
14     and every cow have calves.[c]
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.

15 Our Lord and our God,
you give these blessings
    to all who worship you.

Footnotes

  1. 144.1 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
  2. 144.2 of our people: Some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient translations have “of the nations.”
  3. 144.14 have calves: Or “grow fat.”

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