Psalms, 143
The prophet praiseth God, and prayeth to be delivered from his enemies. No worldly happiness is to be compared with that of serving God.
Benedictus Dominus.
[1] Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war. •
[2] My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me. •
[3] Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him? •
[4] Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow. •
[5] Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. •
[6] Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.
[7] Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children: •
[8] Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity. •
[9] To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee. •
[10] Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword: •
[11] Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity: •
[12] Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple: •
[13] Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth: •
[14] Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets. •
[15] They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord. •