Category: Psalm

[124:1] What if the Lord had not been on our side? Answer, O Israel!

[124:2] “If the Lord had not been on our side when our enemies attacked us,

[124:3] then they would have swallowed us alive in their furious anger against us;

[124:4] then the flood would have carried us away, the water would have covered us,

[124:5] the raging torrent would have drowned us.”

[124:6] Let us thank the Lord, who has not let our enemies destroy us.

[124:7] We have escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap; the trap is broken, and we are free!

[124:8] Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

[125:1] Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which can never be shaken, never be moved.

[125:2] As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forever.

[125:3] The wicked will not always rule over the land of the righteous; if they did, the righteous themselves might do evil.

[125:4] Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who obey your commands.

[125:5] But when you punish the wicked, punish also those who abandon your ways. Peace be with Israel!

[126:1] When the Lord brought us back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!

[126:2] How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, “The Lord did great things for them.”

[126:3] Indeed he did great things for us; how happy we were!

[126:4] Lord, make us prosperous again, just as the rain brings water back to dry riverbeds.

[126:5] Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy!

[126:6] Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.

[127:1] If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless; if the Lord does not protect the city, it does no good for the sentries to stand guard.

[127:2] It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the Lord provides for those he loves, while they are asleep.

[127:3] Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing.

[127:4] The sons a man has when he is young are like arrows in a soldier's hand.

[127:5] Happy is the man who has many such arrows. He will never be defeated when he meets his enemies in the place of judgment.

[128:1] Happy are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands.

[128:2] Your work will provide for your needs; you will be happy and prosperous.

[128:3] Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home, and your children will be like young olive trees around your table.

[128:4] A man who obeys the Lord will surely be blessed like this.

[128:5] May the Lord bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life!

[128:6] May you live to see your grandchildren! Peace be with Israel!

[129:1] Israel, tell us how your enemies have persecuted you ever since you were young.

[129:2] “Ever since I was young, my enemies have persecuted me cruelly, but they have not overcome me.

[129:3] They cut deep wounds in my back and made it like a plowed field.

[129:4] But the Lord, the righteous one, has freed me from slavery.”

[129:5] May everyone who hates Zion be defeated and driven back.

[129:6] May they all be like grass growing on the housetops, which dries up before it can grow;

[129:7] no one gathers it up or carries it away in bundles.

[129:8] No one who passes by will say, “May the Lord bless you! We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

[130:1] From the depths of my despair I call to you, Lord.

[130:2] Hear my cry, O Lord; listen to my call for help!

[130:3] If you kept a record of our sins, who could escape being condemned?

[130:4] But you forgive us, so that we should stand in awe of you.

[130:5] I wait eagerly for the Lord's help, and in his word I trust.

[130:6] I wait for the Lord more eagerly than sentries wait for the dawn— than sentries wait for the dawn.

[130:7] Israel, trust in the Lord, because his love is constant and he is always willing to save.

[130:8] He will save his people Israel from all their sins.

[131:1] Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me.

[131:2] Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, so my heart is quiet within me.

[131:3] Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever!

[132:1] Lord, do not forget David and all the hardships he endured.

[132:2] Remember, Lord, what he promised, the vow he made to you, the Mighty God of Jacob:

[132:3] “I will not go home or go to bed;

[132:4] I will not rest or sleep,

[132:5] until I provide a place for the Lord, a home for the Mighty God of Jacob.”

[132:6] In Bethlehem we heard about the Covenant Box, and we found it in the fields of Jearim.

[132:7] We said, “Let us go to the Lord's house; let us worship before his throne.”

[132:8] Come to the Temple, Lord, with the Covenant Box, the symbol of your power, and stay here forever.

[132:9] May your priests do always what is right; may your people shout for joy!

[132:10] You made a promise to your servant David; do not reject your chosen king, Lord.

[132:11] You made a solemn promise to David— a promise you will not take back: “I will make one of your sons king, and he will rule after you.

[132:12] If your sons are true to my covenant and to the commands I give them, their sons, also, will succeed you for all time as kings.”

[132:13] The Lord has chosen Zion; he wants to make it his home:

[132:14] “This is where I will live forever; this is where I want to rule.

[132:15] I will richly provide Zion with all she needs; I will satisfy her poor with food.

[132:16] I will bless her priests in all they do, and her people will sing and shout for joy.

[132:17] Here I will make one of David's descendants a great king; here I will preserve the rule of my chosen king.

[132:18] I will cover his enemies with shame, but his kingdom will prosper and flourish.”

[133:1] How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony!

[133:2] It is like the precious anointing oil running down from Aaron's head and beard, down to the collar of his robes.

[133:3] It is like the dew on Mount Hermon, falling on the hills of Zion. That is where the Lord has promised his blessing— life that never ends.