(By David.)
A Prayer for the Nation
1 I praise you, Lord!
You are my mighty rock,
and you teach me
how to fight my battles.
2 You are my friend, my fortress,
where I am safe.
You are my shield,
and you made me the ruler
of our people.
3 Why do we humans mean anything
to you, our Lord?
Why do you care about us?
4 We disappear like a breath;
we last no longer
than a faint shadow.
5 Open the heavens like a curtain
and come down, Lord.
Touch the mountains
and make them send up smoke.
6 Use your lightning as arrows
to scatter my enemies
and make them run away.
7 Reach down from heaven
and set me free.
Save me from the mighty flood
8 of those lying foreigners
who never tell the truth.
9 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.
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.
1 A Psalme of David. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battell. 2 He is my goodnes and my fortresse, my towre and my deliuerer, my shield, and in him I trust, which subdueth my people vnder me. 3 Lord, what is man that thou regardest him! or the sonne of man that thou thinkest vpon him! 4 Man is like to vanitie: his dayes are like a shadow, that vanisheth. 5 Bow thine heauens, O Lord, and come downe: touch the mountaines and they shall smoke. 6 Cast forth the lightning and scatter them: shoote out thine arrowes, and consume them. 7 Send thine hand from aboue: deliuer me, and take me out of the great waters, and from the hand of strangers, 8 Whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9 I wil sing a new song vnto thee, O God, and sing vnto thee vpon a viole, and an instrument of ten strings. 10 It is he that giueth deliuerance vnto Kings, and rescueth Dauid his seruant from the hurtfull sworde. 11 Rescue me, and deliuer me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falshood: 12 That our sonnes may be as the plantes growing vp in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, grauen after the similitude of a palace: 13 That our corners may be full, and abounding with diuers sorts, and that our sheepe may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streetes: 14 That our oxen may be strong to labour: that there be none inuasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streetes. 15 Blessed are the people, that be so, yea, blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord.