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. ^l

²“Lord, deliver me from lying lips

and a deceitful tongue.” ^m

³What will He give you,

and what will He do to you,

you deceitful tongue? ⁿ

⁴A warrior’s sharp arrows

with burning charcoal! ^op

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

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

⁶I have lived too long

with those who hate peace. ^u

⁷I am for peace; but when I speak,

they are for war. ^v

Psalm 121

The Lord Our Protector

A song of ascents.

¹I lift my eyes toward the mountains.

Where will my help come from? ^w

²My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth. ^x

³He will not allow your foot to slip;

your Protector will not slumber. ^y

⁴Indeed, the Protector of Israel

does not slumber or sleep. ^z

⁵The Lord protects you;

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

⁶The sun will not strike you by day

or the moon by night. ^c

⁷The Lord will protect you from all harm;

He will protect your life. ^d

⁸The Lord will protect your coming and going

both now and forever. ^e

Psalm 122

A Prayer for Jerusalem

A Davidic song of ascents.

¹I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ^f

²Our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem ^g—

³Jerusalem, built as a city should be,

solidly joined together, ^h

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

to give thanks to the name of Yahweh. ⁱ

(This is an ordinance for Israel. ^j)

⁵There, thrones for judgment are placed,

thrones of the house of David. ^k

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you prosper; ^l

⁷may there be peace within your walls,

prosperity within your fortresses.” ^m

⁸Because of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “Peace be with you.” ⁿ

⁹Because of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your good. ^o

Psalm 123

Looking for God’s Favor

A song of ascents.

¹I lift my eyes to You,

the One enthroned in heaven. ^p

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. ^q

³Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,

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

⁴We’ve had more than enough

scorn from the arrogant

and contempt from the proud. ^s

Psalm 124

The Lord Is on Our Side

A Davidic song of ascents.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

²If the Lord had not been on our side ^t

when men attacked us, ^u

³then they would have swallowed us alive

in their burning anger against us. ^v

⁴Then the waters would have engulfed us;

the torrent would have swept over us;

⁵the raging waters would have swept over us. ^w

⁶Praise the Lord,

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

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

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

⁸Our help is in the name of Yahweh,

the Maker of heaven and earth. ^z

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

²Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.

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, ^g

we were like those who dream. ^h

²Our mouths were filled with laughter then, ⁱ

and our tongues with shouts of joy. ^j

Then they said among the nations,

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

³The Lord had done great things for us;

we were joyful. ^l

⁴Restore our fortunes, ^mLord,

like watercourses in the Negev. ⁿ

⁵Those who sow in tears

will reap with shouts of joy. ^o

⁶Though one goes along weeping,

carrying the bag of seed,

he will surely come back with shouts of joy,

carrying his sheaves. ^p

Psalm 127

The Blessing of the Lord

A Solomonic song of ascents.

¹Unless the Lord builds a house,

its builders labor over it in vain; ^q

unless the Lord watches over a city,

the watchman stays alert in vain. ^r

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. ^st

³Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,

children, a reward. ^u

⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the sons born in one’s youth. ^v

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

Such men will never be put to shame

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

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! ^y

²You will surely eat

what your hands have worked for. ^z

You will be happy,

and it will go well for you. ^a

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

within your house,

your sons, like young olive trees

around your table. ^b

⁴In this very way

the man who fears the Lord

will be blessed. ^c

⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion,

so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life ^d

⁶and will see your children’s children!

Peace be with Israel. ^e

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. ^f

³Plowmen plowed over my back;

they made their furrows long. ^g

⁴The Lord is righteous;

He has cut the ropes of the wicked. ^h

⁵Let all who hate Zion

be driven back in disgrace. ⁱ

⁶Let them be like grass on the rooftops,

which withers before it grows up ^jk

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

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

⁸Then none who pass by will say,

“May the Lord’s blessing be on you.”

We bless you in the name of Yahweh. ^m

Psalm 130

Awaiting Redemption

A song of ascents.

¹Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh! ⁿ

²Lord, listen to my voice;

let Your ears be attentive

to my cry for help. ^o

³Yahweh, if You considered sins,

Lord, who could stand? ^p

⁴But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be revered. ^q

⁵I wait for Yahweh; I wait

and put my hope in His word. ^r

⁶I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning—

more than watchmen for the morning. ^s

⁷Israel, put your hope in the Lord. ^t

For there is faithful love with the Lord,

and with Him is redemption in abundance. ^u

⁸And He will redeem Israel

from all its sins. ^v

Psalm 131

A Childlike Spirit

A Davidic song of ascents.

¹Lord, my heart is not proud;

my eyes are not haughty. ^w

I do not get involved with things

too great or too difficult for me. ^x

²Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself

like a little weaned child with its mother;

I am like a little child. ^y

³Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

both now and forever. ^z

Psalm 132

David and Zion Chosen

A song of ascents.

¹Lord, remember David

and all the hardships he endured, ^a

²and how he swore an oath to the Lord,

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

³“I will not enter my house ^c

or get into my bed, ^d

⁴I will not allow my eyes to sleep

or my eyelids to slumber ^e

⁵until I find a place for the Lord,

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

⁶We heard of the ark in Ephrathah; ^gh

we found it in the fields of Jaar. ^ij

⁷Let us go to His dwelling place;

let us worship at His footstool. ^k

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

You and Your powerful ark. ^l

⁹May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and may Your godly people shout for joy. ^m

¹⁰Because of Your servant David,

do not reject Your anointed one. ^no

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David,

a promise He will not abandon:

“I will set one of your descendants ^p

on your throne. ^q

¹²If your sons keep My covenant

and My decrees that I will teach them,

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

¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His home: ^s

¹⁴“This is My resting place forever;

I will make My home here

because I have desired it. ^t

¹⁵I will abundantly bless its food;

I will satisfy its needy with bread. ^u

¹⁶I will clothe its priests with salvation,

and its godly people will shout for joy. ^v

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

I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one. ^x

¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame, ^y

but the crown he wears ^zwill be glorious.” ^a

Psalm 133

Living in Harmony

A Davidic song of ascents.

¹How good and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in harmony! ^b

²It is like fine oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down Aaron’s beard

onto his robes. ^c

³It is like the dew of Hermon ^d

falling on the mountains of Zion. ^e

For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—

life forevermore. ^f

Psalm 134

Call to Evening Worship

A song of ascents.

¹Now praise the Lord,

all you servants of the Lord

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

²Lift up your hands in the holy place

and praise the Lord! ^h

³May the Lord,

Maker of heaven and earth,

bless you from Zion. ⁱ