Psalm 144:1-15

God makes his people strong

1 Lord, I praise you!

You are my great Rock!

You teach me how to fight well.

You show me how to use my weapons.

2 You always love me.

You are the strong place where I am safe.

You rescue me from the power of my enemies.

You are like a shield for me.

I know that I am safe with you.

You give me power over nations.

3 Lord, why do you even think about men and women?

Why do you take care of humans?

4 People soon pass away, just like a breath.

Their life is like a shadow that soon disappears.

5 Lord, open up the heavens!

Leave your home and come down to earth!

Touch the mountains so that they burn with smoke.

6 Send bright lightning to frighten your enemies.

Shoot your arrows at them

so that they run away.

7 Put your hand down from heaven,

and lift me up from the deep water.

Save me from the power of foreign people.

8 Their mouths speak lies.

Even when they make a promise,

they are deceiving people.

9 I will sing to you a new song, God.

I will make music to you on my harp.

10 You help kings to win against their enemies.

You also save me, your servant David, from my enemies,

when they try to kill me with their dangerous swords.

11 Keep me safe from the power of foreign people.

They speak lies.

Even when they make a promise, it is false.

12 When our sons are young,

may they grow quickly, like strong plants.

May our daughters become tall and beautiful,

like the beautiful pillars in a king's house.

13 May our homes have plenty of different kinds of food.

May our sheep have thousands of lambs,

so that there is no space in our fields.

14 May our cows give birth to many babies.

May our enemies never knock down our city's walls.

May none of us become their prisoners.

May nobody cry in our city's streets because they are afraid.

15 When God does that for a nation,

the people are truly happy!

If people know that the Lord is their God,

they are truly happy!