Psalm 128–130

The Reward of Obedience to the

128Happy are those who obey the Lord,

who live by his commands.

²Your work will provide for your needs;

you will be happy and prosperous.

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home,

and your children will be like young olive trees round your table.

⁴A man who obeys the Lord

will surely be blessed like this.

⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion!

May you see Jerusalem prosper

all the days of your life!

⁶May you live to see your grandchildren!

Peace be with Israel!

A Prayer against Israel’s Enemies

129Israel, tell us how your enemies have persecuted you

ever since you were young.

²“Ever since I was young,

my enemies have persecuted me cruelly,

but they have not overcome me.

³They cut deep wounds in my back

and made it like a ploughed field.

⁴But the Lord, the righteous one,

has freed me from slavery.”

⁵May everyone who hates Zion

be defeated and driven back.

⁶May they all be like grass growing on the housetops,

which dries up before it can grow;

⁷no one gathers it up

or carries it away in bundles.

⁸No one who passes by will say,

“May the Lord bless you!

We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

A Prayer for Help

130From the depths of my despair I call to you, Lord.

²Hear my cry, O Lord;

listen to my call for help!

³If you kept a record of our sins,

who could escape being condemned?

⁴But you forgive us,

so that we should stand in awe of you.

⁵I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help,

and in his word I trust.

⁶I wait for the Lord

more eagerly than watchmen wait for the dawn—

than watchmen wait for the dawn.

⁷Israel, trust in the Lord,

because his love is constant

and he is always willing to save.

^8*He will save his people Israel

from all their sins.