Psalms 115:9-12

115:9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:10 O family of Aaron, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:11 You loyal followers of the Lord, trust in the Lord!

He is their deliverer and protector.

115:12 The Lord takes notice of us, he will bless 10 

he will bless the family 11  of Israel,

he will bless the family of Aaron.

Psalms 144:1-2

Psalm 144 12 

By David.

144:1 The Lord, my protector, 13  deserves praise 14 

the one who trains my hands for battle, 15 

and my fingers for war,

144:2 who loves me 16  and is my stronghold,

my refuge 17  and my deliverer,

my shield and the one in whom I take shelter,

who makes nations submit to me. 18 

Psalms 144:1

Psalm 144 19 

By David.

144:1 The Lord, my protector, 20  deserves praise 21 

the one who trains my hands for battle, 22 

and my fingers for war,

Psalms 5:1

Psalm 5 23 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; 24  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, 25  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! 26 


tn Or “[source of] help.”

tn Heb “and their shield.”

tn Heb “house.”

tn Or “[source of] help.”

tn Heb “and their shield.”

tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

tn Or “[source of] help.”

tn Heb “and their shield.”

tn Or “remembers us.”

10 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed form of the verb “bless” in vv. 12-13 as a jussive, “may he bless” (see v. 14).

11 tn Heb “house.”

12 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.

13 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

14 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord, my rocky summit.”

15 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

16 tn Heb “my loyal love,” which is probably an abbreviated form of “the God of my loyal love” (see Ps 59:10, 17).

17 tn Or “my elevated place.”

18 tn Heb “the one who subdues nations beneath me.”

19 sn Psalm 144. The psalmist expresses his confidence in God, asks for a mighty display of divine intervention in an upcoming battle, and anticipates God’s rich blessings on the nation in the aftermath of military victory.

20 tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

21 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord, my rocky summit.”

22 sn The one who trains my hands for battle. The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enablement (see Ps 18:34). Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.

23 sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

24 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

25 tn Heb “my words.”

26 tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.