¹ A Psalm of David. *

Blessed be the LORD my strength,
which teacheth my hands to war,
and my fingers to fight:
² My goodness,
and my fortress;
my high tower,
and my deliverer;
my shield,
and he in whom I trust;
who subdueth my people under me.
³ LORD, what is man,
that thou takest knowledge of him!
or the son of man,
that thou makest account of him!
⁴ Man is like to vanity:
his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

⁵ Bow thy heavens, O LORD,
and come down:
touch the mountains,
and they shall smoke.
⁶ Cast forth lightning,
and scatter them:
shoot out thine arrows,
and destroy them.
⁷ Send thine hand from above;
rid me,
and deliver me
out of great waters,
from the hand of strange children;
⁸ Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

⁹ I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings
will I sing praises unto thee.
¹⁰ It is he that giveth salvation unto kings:
who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

¹¹ Rid me,
and deliver me
from the hand of strange children,
whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
¹² That our sons may be as plants
grown up in their youth;
that our daughters may be as corner stones,
polished after the similitude of a palace:
¹³ That our garners may be full,
affording all manner of store [issuing from nourishment unto nourishment]:
that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:
¹⁴ That our oxen may be strong to labour;
that there be no breaking in,
nor going out;
that there be no complaining [screeching] in our streets.
¹⁵ Happy is that people,
that is in such a case:
yea, happy is that people,
whose God is the LORD.

* NOTE: On Opening and Closing Comments in the Psalms.
[Some commentators take the Psalm in Habakkuk 3 to be a standard model for the Psalms.
Habakkuk's Psalm begins with the name of the composer (Habakkuk) and a musical notation ("upon Shigionoth").
It closes with a dedication or a "send to" notice ("To the chief singer on my stringed instruments").
I have arranged similar material, where it is found in the Psalter, in accord with the model in Habakkuk.]