_David blesseth God for his mercy both to him and to man.—He prayeth that God would powerfully deliver him from his enemies.—He promiseth to praise God.—He prayeth for the happy state of the kingdom._ A Psalm of David. Blessed _be_ the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, _and_ my fingers to fight: 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. LORD, what _is_ man, that thou takest knowledge of him! _or_ the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days _are_ as a shadow that passeth away. Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows and destroy them. Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand _is_ a right hand of falsehood. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltry _and_ an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. _It is he_ that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. 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: That our sons _may be_ as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters _may be_ as cornerstones, polished _after_ the similitude of a palace: _That_ our garners _may be_ full, affording all manner of store: _that_ our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: _That_ our oxen _may be_ strong to labour; _that there be_ no breaking in, nor going out; that _there be_ no complaining in our streets. Happy _is that_ people that is in such a case: _yea_, happy _is that_ people whose God _is_ the LORD. This is a blessed Psalm of thanksgiving for kings, princes, and all magistrates. David here, as a king and a magistrate himself, who had to govern the state and carry on wars, confesses that all prosperous and happy government, all success at home and abroad, all the arts of peace, and all victory in war, are the good gifts of God; and that a man can no more effect these things by human wisdom or strength, or by any ability of his own, than he can hold the millions of minds of nations bound unto himself, and make their multitudes obey him alone: for what could any mortal man do towards preserving whole kingdoms, and cities, and provinces in quiet from sedition and commotions amid all the infinite malice of the devil and the world? Every mortal man would fail, like a vanishing shadow, before the thought of such an undertaking.