Psalm 120–134

Psalm 120

A CRY FOR TRUTH AND PEACE

A song of ascents.

¹In my distress I called to the Lord,

and he answered me.^as

²“Lord, rescue me from lying lips

and a deceitful tongue.”^at

³What will he give you,

and what will he do to you,

you deceitful tongue?^au

⁴A warrior’s sharp arrows

with burning charcoal!^Aav

⁵What misery that I have stayed in Meshech,^Baw

that I have lived among the tents of Kedar!^Cax

⁶I have dwelt too long

with those who hate peace.^a

⁷I am for peace; but when I speak,

they are for war.^b

Psalm 121

THE LORD OUR PROTECTOR

A song of ascents.

¹I lift my eyes toward the mountains.

Where will my help come from?^c

²My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.^d

³He will not allow your foot to slip;

your Protector will not slumber.^e

⁴Indeed, the Protector of Israel

does not slumber or sleep.^f

⁵The Lord protects you;

the Lord is a shelter right by your side.^Dg

⁶The sun will not strike you by day

or the moon by night.^h

⁷The Lord will protect you from all harm;

he will protect your life.ⁱ

⁸The Lord will protect your coming and going

both now and forever.^j

Psalm 122

A PRAYER FOR JERUSALEM

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let’s go to the house of the Lord.”^k

²Our feet were standing

within your gates, Jerusalem^l—

³Jerusalem, built as a city should be,

solidly united,^m

⁴where the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, go up

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.ⁿ

(This is an ordinance for Israel.^o)

⁵There, thrones for judgment are placed,

thrones of the house of David.^p

⁶Pray for the well-being^A of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure;^q

⁷may there be peace within your walls,

security within your fortresses.”^r

⁸Because of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “May peace be in you.”^Bs

⁹Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will pursue your prosperity.^t

Psalm 123

LOOKING FOR GOD’S FAVOR

A song of ascents.

¹I lift my eyes to you,

the one enthroned in heaven.^u

²Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,

like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,

so our eyes are on the Lord our God

until he shows us favor.^v

³Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,

for we’ve had more than enough contempt.^w

⁴We’ve had more than enough

scorn from the arrogant

and contempt from the proud.^x

Psalm 124

THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

²if the Lord had not been on our side^y

when people attacked us,^z

³then they would have swallowed us alive

in their burning anger against us.^aa

⁴Then the water would have engulfed us;

the torrent would have swept over us;

⁵the raging water would have swept over us.^ab

⁶Blessed be the Lord,

who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.^ac

⁷We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net;

the net is torn, and we have escaped.^ad

⁸Our help is in the name of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.^ae

Psalm 125

ISRAEL’S STABILITY

A song of ascents.

¹Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.

It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.^a

²The mountains surround Jerusalem

and the Lord surrounds his people,

both now and forever.^b

³The scepter of the wicked will not remain

over the land allotted to the righteous,

so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.^c

⁴Do what is good, Lord, to the good,

to those whose hearts are upright.^d

⁵But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,

the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.^e

Peace be with Israel.^f

Psalm 126

ZION’S RESTORATION

A song of ascents.

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,^A

we were like those who dream.^g

²Our mouths were filled with laughter then,^h

and our tongues with shouts of joy.ⁱ

Then they said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”^j

³The Lord had done great things for us;

we were joyful.^k

⁴Restore our fortunes,^B Lord,

like watercourses in the Negev.^l

⁵Those who sow in tears

will reap with shouts of joy.^m

⁶Though one goes along weeping,

carrying the bag of seed,

he will surely come back with shouts of joy,

carrying his sheaves.ⁿ

Psalm 127

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the Lord builds a house,

its builders labor over it in vain;^o

unless the Lord watches over a city,

the watchman stays alert in vain.^p

²In vain you get up early and stay up late,

working hard to have enough food—

yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.^Cq

³Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,

offspring, a reward.^r

⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the sons born in one’s youth.^s

⁵Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.^t

They will never be put to shame

when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.^u

Psalm 128

BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR GOD

A song of ascents.

¹How happy is everyone who fears the Lord,

who walks in his ways!^v

²You will surely eat

what your hands have worked for.^w

You will be happy,

and it will go well for you.^x

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

within your house,

your children, like young olive trees

around your table.^y

⁴In this very way

the man who fears the Lord

will be blessed.^z

⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion,

so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life^aa

⁶and will see your children’s children!

Peace be with Israel.^ab

Psalm 129

PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED

A song of ascents.

¹Since my youth they have often attacked me—

let Israel say—

²since my youth they have often attacked me,

but they have not prevailed against me.^ac

³Plowmen plowed over my back;

they made their furrows long.^ad

⁴The Lord is righteous;

he has cut the ropes of the wicked.^a

⁵Let all who hate Zion

be driven back in disgrace.^b

⁶Let them be like grass on the rooftops,

which withers before it grows up^Ac

⁷and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper

or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.^d

⁸Then none who pass by will say,

“May the Lord’s blessing be on you.

We bless you in the name of the Lord.”^e

Psalm 130

AWAITING REDEMPTION

A song of ascents.

¹Out of the depths I call to you, Lord!^f

²Lord, listen to my voice;

let your ears be attentive

to my cry for help.^g

³Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities,

Lord, who could stand?^h

⁴But with you there is forgiveness,

so that you may be revered.ⁱ

⁵I wait for the Lord; I wait

and put my hope in his word.^j

⁶I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning—

more than watchmen for the morning.^k

⁷Israel, put your hope in the Lord.^l

For there is faithful love with the Lord,

and with him is redemption in abundance.^m

⁸And he will redeem Israel

from all its iniquities.ⁿ

Psalm 131

A CHILDLIKE SPIRIT

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹Lord, my heart is not proud;

my eyes are not haughty.^o

I do not get involved with things

too great or too wondrous for me.^p

²Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul

like a weaned child with its mother;

my soul is like a weaned child.^q

³Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

both now and forever.^r

Psalm 132

DAVID AND ZION CHOSEN

A song of ascents.

¹Lord, remember David

and all the hardships he endured,^s

²and how he swore an oath to the Lord,

making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:^t

³“I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

⁴I will not allow my eyes to sleep

or my eyelids to slumber^u

⁵until I find a place for the Lord,

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”^v

⁶We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;^Aw

we found it in the fields of Jaar.^Bx

⁷Let’s go to his dwelling place;

let’s worship at his footstool.^y

⁸Rise up, Lord, come to your resting place,

you and your powerful ark.^z

⁹May your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and may your faithful people shout for joy.^aa

¹⁰For the sake of your servant David,

do not reject your anointed one.^Cab

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David,

a promise he will not abandon:

“I will set one of your offspring^D

on your throne.^ac

¹²If your sons keep my covenant

and my decrees that I will teach them,

their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”^ad

¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion;

he has desired it for his home:^ae

¹⁴“This is my resting place forever;

I will make my home here

because I have desired it.^af

¹⁵I will abundantly bless its food;

I will satisfy its needy with bread.^ag

¹⁶I will clothe its priests with salvation,

and its faithful people will shout for joy.^a

¹⁷There I will make a horn grow for David;^b

I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.^Ac

¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame,^d

but the crown he wears^B will be glorious.”^e

Psalm 133

LIVING IN HARMONY

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹How delightfully good

when brothers live together in harmony!^f

²It is like fine oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down Aaron’s beard

onto his robes.^g

³It is like the dew of Hermon^C

falling on the mountains of Zion.^h

For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—

life forevermore.ⁱ

Psalm 134

CALL TO EVENING WORSHIP

A song of ascents.

¹Now bless the Lord,

all you servants of the Lord

who stand in the Lord’s house at night!^j

²Lift up your hands in the holy place

and bless the Lord!^k

³May the Lord,

Maker of heaven and earth,

bless you from Zion.^l