day 30 : mor ning pray er
144

Benedictus Dominus

1  Blessed be the Lord my strength, *
who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight,
2  My hope and my fortress, my stronghold and deliverer,
  my defender in whom I trust, *
who subdues the peoples under me.
3  O Lord, what is man, that you have shown such respect to him, *
or the son of man, that you so regard him?
4  Man is like a thing of nought; *
his time passes away like a shadow.
5  Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down; *
touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6  Cast forth your lightning and scatter them; *
shoot out your arrows and consume them.
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7  Send down your hand from above; *
deliver me, and take me out of the great waters, 
from the hand of strangers,
8  Whose mouth talks of vain things, *
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9  I will sing a new song unto you, O God, *
and sing praises unto you upon a ten-stringed lute.
10  You have given victory to kings, *
and have delivered David your servant from the peril 
of the sword.
11  Save me, and deliver me from the hand of strangers, *
whose mouth talks of vain things, and whose right hand 
is a right hand of falsehood;
12  That our sons may grow up as young plants, *
and that our daughters may be as the polished corners 
of the temple,
13  That our storehouses may be full and plenteous
  with all manner of grain, *
that our sheep may bring forth thousands 
and ten thousands in our fields,
14  That our oxen may be strong to labor, that there be no decay, *
no leading into captivity, and no outcry in our streets.
15  Happy are the people of whom this is so; *
indeed, blessed are the people who have the Lord
for their God.