Psalm 126:title–127:5

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

¹Our enemies took us away from Zion.

But when the Lord brought us home,

it seemed like a dream to us.

²Our mouths were filled with laughter.

Our tongues sang with joy.

Then the people of other nations said,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

³The Lord has done great things for us.

And we are filled with joy.

⁴Lord, bless us with great success again,

as rain makes streams flow in the Negev Desert.

⁵Those who cry as they plant their crops

will sing with joy when they gather them in.

⁶Those who go out sobbing

as they carry seeds to plant

will come back singing with joy.

They will bring the new crop back with them.

Psalm 127

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of Solomon.

¹If the Lord doesn’t build a house,

the work of its builders is useless.

If the Lord doesn’t watch over a city,

it’s useless for those on guard duty to stand watch over it.

²It’s useless for you to work from early morning

until late at night

just to get food to eat.

God provides for those he loves even while they sleep.

³Children are a gift from the Lord.

They are a reward from him.

⁴Children who are born to people when they are young

are like arrows in the hands of a soldier.

⁵Blessed are those

who have many children.

They won’t be put to shame

when they go up against their enemies in court.