Psalm 121–134

My Help Comes from the Lord

121A Song of ^mAscents.

¹I ^vlift up my eyes to ^wthe hills.

From where does my help come?

^2xMy help comes from the Lord,

who ^ymade heaven and earth.

³He will not ^zlet your foot be moved;

he who ^akeeps you will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your ^bshade on your ^cright hand.

^6dThe sun shall not ^estrike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will ^akeep you from all evil;

he will ^akeep your life.

⁸The Lord will keep

your ^fgoing out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

122A Song of ^mAscents. Of David.

¹I was glad when they said to me,

^g“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

²Our feet have been standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem!

³Jerusalem—^hbuilt as a city

that is ⁱbound firmly together,

⁴to which the tribes ^jgo up,

the tribes of the Lord,

as was ^kdecreed for¹ Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

⁵There ^lthrones for judgment were set,

the thrones of the house of David.

^6mPray for the peace of Jerusalem!

“May they be secure who love you!

⁷Peace be within your ⁿwalls

and security within your ⁿtowers!”

⁸For my brothers and companions’ sake

I will say, ^o“Peace be within you!”

⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will ^pseek your good.

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

123A Song of ^mAscents.

¹To you I ^qlift up my eyes,

O you who are ^renthroned in the heavens!

²Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant

to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

till he has mercy upon us.

^3sHave mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

for we have had more than enough of ^tcontempt.

⁴Our soul has had more than enough

of ^uthe scorn of ^vthose who are at ease,

of the contempt of ^wthe proud.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

124A Song of ^mAscents. Of David.

^1xIf it had not been the Lord who was on our side—

^ylet Israel now say—

²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side

when people rose up against us,

³then they would have ^zswallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

⁴then ^athe flood would have ^bswept us away,

the torrent would have gone ^cover us;

⁵then over us would have gone

the raging waters.

⁶Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth!

⁷We have escaped like a bird

from ^dthe snare of the fowlers;

the snare is broken,

and we have escaped!

^8eOur help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People

125A Song of ^mAscents.

¹Those who ^ftrust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

which ^gcannot be moved, but abides forever.

²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so ^hthe Lord surrounds his people,

from this time forth and forevermore.

³For ⁱthe scepter of wickedness shall not ^jrest

on ^kthe land allotted to the righteous,

lest the righteous ^lstretch out

their hands to do wrong.

^4mDo good, O Lord, to those who are good,

and to those who are ⁿupright in their hearts!

⁵But those who ^oturn aside to their ^pcrooked ways

the Lord will lead away with ^qevildoers!

^rPeace be upon Israel!

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

126A Song of ^mAscents.

¹When the Lord ^srestored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who ^tdream.

²Then our ^umouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

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

³The Lord has done great things for us;

we are glad.

⁴Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like streams in the Negeb!

^5wThose who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

⁶He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

Unless the Lord Builds the House

127A Song of ^mAscents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord ^xwatches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

²It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious ^ytoil;

for he gives to his ^zbeloved ^asleep.

³Behold, ^bchildren are a heritage from the Lord,

^cthe fruit of the womb a reward.

⁴Like arrows in the hand of ^da warrior

are the children¹ of one’s youth.

⁵Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies ^ein the gate.²

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

128A Song of ^mAscents.

^1fBlessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

who ^gwalks in his ways!

²You ^hshall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;

you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³Your wife will be like ⁱa fruitful vine

within your house;

your children will be like ^jolive shoots

around your table.

⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

who fears the Lord.

^5kThe Lord bless you ^lfrom Zion!

May you see ^mthe prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life!

⁶May you see your ⁿchildren’s children!

^oPeace be upon Israel!

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

129A Song of ^mAscents.

¹“Greatly¹ have they ^pafflicted me ^qfrom my youth”—

^rlet Israel now say—

²“Greatly have they ^pafflicted me ^qfrom my youth,

^syet they have not prevailed against me.

^3tThe plowers plowed ^uupon my back;

they made long their furrows.”

⁴The Lord is righteous;

he has cut ^vthe cords of the wicked.

⁵May all who hate Zion

be ^wput to shame and turned backward!

⁶Let them be like ^xthe grass on the housetops,

which ^ywithers before it grows up,

⁷with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

⁸nor do those who pass by say,

^a“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!

We ^bbless you in the name of the Lord!”

My Soul Waits for the Lord

130A Song of ^mAscents.

¹Out of ^cthe depths I cry to you, O Lord!

²O Lord, hear my voice!

^dLet your ears be attentive

to ^ethe voice of my pleas for mercy!

³If you, O Lord, should ^fmark iniquities,

O Lord, who could ^gstand?

⁴But with you there is ^hforgiveness,

ⁱthat you may be feared.

⁵I ^jwait for the Lord, ^kmy soul waits,

and ^lin his word I hope;

⁶my soul ^mwaits for the Lord

more than ⁿwatchmen for ^othe morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷O Israel, ^phope in the Lord!

For ^qwith the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

⁸And he will ^rredeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

131A Song of ^mAscents. Of David.

¹O Lord, my heart is not ^slifted up;

my eyes are not ^traised too high;

I do not ^uoccupy myself with things

too great and ^vtoo marvelous for me.

²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned ^wchild with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

^3xO Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

132A Song of ^mAscents.

¹Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,

all ^ythe hardships he endured,

²how he swore to the Lord

and ^zvowed to ^athe Mighty One of Jacob,

³“I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

⁴I will not ^bgive sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵until I ^cfind a place for the Lord,

a dwelling place for ^athe Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶Behold, we heard of it in ^dEphrathah;

we found it in ^ethe fields of Jaar.

⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us ^fworship at his ^gfootstool!”

^8hArise, O Lord, and go to your ⁱresting place,

you and the ark of your ^jmight.

⁹Let your ^kpriests be ^lclothed with righteousness,

and let your ^msaints shout for joy.

¹⁰For the sake of your servant David,

ⁿdo not turn away the face of ^oyour anointed one.

^11pThe Lord swore to David a sure oath

^qfrom which he will not turn back:

^r“One of the sons of your body¹

I will set on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep my covenant

and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever

shall ^ssit on your throne.”

¹³For the Lord has ^tchosen Zion;

he has ^udesired it for his dwelling place:

¹⁴“This is my ^vresting place forever;

here I will ^wdwell, for I have desired it.

¹⁵I will abundantly ^xbless her provisions;

I will ^ysatisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶Her ^zpriests I will clothe with salvation,

and her ^zsaints will shout for joy.

¹⁷There I will make ^aa horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared ^ba lamp for ^cmy anointed.

¹⁸His enemies I will ^dclothe with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.”

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

133A Song of ^mAscents. Of David.

¹Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when ^ebrothers dwell in unity!¹

²It is like the precious ^foil on ^gthe head,

running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

running down on ^hthe collar of his robes!

³It is like ⁱthe dew of ^jHermon,

which falls on ^kthe mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord ^lhas commanded the blessing,

life forevermore.

Come, Bless the Lord

134A Song of ^mAscents.

¹Come, bless the Lord, all you ^mservants of the Lord,

who ⁿstand ^oby night in the house of the Lord!

^2pLift up your hands to ^qthe holy place

and bless the Lord!

³May the Lord ^rbless you ^sfrom Zion,

he who ^tmade heaven and earth!