Psalm 123–124

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to you,

to you who sit enthroned^m in heaven.

²As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lordⁿ our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

³Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,

for we have endured no end of contempt.

⁴We have endured no end

of ridicule from the arrogant,

of contempt from the proud.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say^o—

²if the Lord had not been on our side

when people attacked us,

³they would have swallowed us alive

when their anger flared against us;

⁴the flood^p would have engulfed us,

the torrent^q would have swept over us,

⁵the raging waters

would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷We have escaped like a bird

from the fowler’s snare;^r

the snare has been broken,^s

and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name^t of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven^u and earth.