1 O blessed ever be the Lord,who is my strength and might,Who doth instruct my hands to war,my fingers teach to fight.
2 My goodness, fortress, my high tow'r,deliverer, and shield,In whom I trust: who under memy people makes to yield.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou of himdost so much knowledge take?Or son of man, that thou of himso great account dost make?
4 Man is like vanity; his days,as shadows, pass away.
5 Lord, bow thy heav'ns, come down, touch thouthe hills, and smoke shall they.
6 Cast forth thy lightning, scatter them;thine arrows shoot, them rout.
7 Thine hand send from above, me save;from great depths draw me out;And from the hand of children strange,
8 Whose mouth speaks vanity;And their right hand is a right handthat works deceitfully.
9 A new song I to thee will sing,Lord, on a psaltery;I on a ten-string'd instrumentwill praises sing to thee.
10 Ev'n he it is that unto kingssalvation doth send;Who his own servant David dothfrom hurtful sword defend.
11 O free me from strange children's hand,whose mouth speaks vanity;And their right hand a right hand isthat works deceitfully.
12 That, as the plants, our sons may bein youth grown up that are;Our daughters like to corner-stones,carv'd like a palace fair.
13 That to afford all kind of storeour garners may be fill'd;That our sheep thousands, in our streetsten thousands they may yield.
14 That strong our oxen be for work,that no in-breaking be,Nor going out; and that our streetsmay from complaints be free.
15 Those people blessed are who bein such a case as this;Yea, blessed all those people are,whose God JEHOVAH is.