Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of (A)Ascents.

120 In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
Deliver me, O Lord,
    from lying lips,
    from a deceitful tongue.

What shall be given to you,
    (B)and what more shall be done to you,
    you deceitful tongue?
(C)A warrior's (D)sharp arrows,
    with glowing (E)coals of the broom tree!

Woe to me, that I sojourn in (F)Meshech,
    that I dwell among (G)the tents of (H)Kedar!
Too long have I had my dwelling
    among those who hate peace.
(I)I am for peace,
    but when I speak, they are for war!

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of (J)Ascents.

121 I (K)lift up my eyes to (L)the hills.
    From where does my help come?
(M)My help comes from the Lord,
    who (N)made heaven and earth.

He will not (O)let your foot be moved;
    he who (P)keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your (Q)shade on your (R)right hand.
(S)The sun shall not (T)strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will (U)keep you from all evil;
    he will (V)keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your (W)going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of (X)Ascents. Of David.

122 I was glad when they said to me,
    (Y)“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet have been standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem!

Jerusalem—(Z)built as a city
    that is (AA)bound firmly together,
to which the tribes (AB)go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was (AC)decreed for[a] Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
There (AD)thrones for judgment were set,
    the thrones of the house of David.

(AE)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your (AF)walls
    and security within your (AG)towers!”
For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, (AH)“Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will (AI)seek your good.

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A Song of (AJ)Ascents.

123 To you I (AK)lift up my eyes,
    O you who are (AL)enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, 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.

(AM)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of (AN)contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
    of (AO)the scorn of (AP)those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of (AQ)the proud.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of (AR)Ascents. Of David.

124 (AS)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    (AT)let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
then they would have (AU)swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
then (AV)the flood would have (AW)swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone (AX)over us;
then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
We have escaped like a bird
    from (AY)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

(AZ)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of (BA)Ascents.

125 Those who (BB)trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
    which (BC)cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so (BD)the Lord surrounds his people,
    from this time forth and forevermore.
For (BE)the scepter of wickedness shall not (BF)rest
    on (BG)the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous (BH)stretch out
    their hands to do wrong.
(BI)Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
    and to those who are (BJ)upright in their hearts!
But those who (BK)turn aside to their (BL)crooked ways
    the Lord will lead away with (BM)evildoers!
    (BN)Peace be upon Israel!

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of (BO)Ascents.

126 When the Lord (BP)restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who (BQ)dream.
Then our (BR)mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    (BS)“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negeb!
(BT)Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
He 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

A Song of (BU)Ascents. Of Solomon.

127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
    those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord (BV)watches over the city,
    the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious (BW)toil;
    for he gives to his (BX)beloved (BY)sleep.

Behold, (BZ)children are a heritage from the Lord,
    (CA)the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of (CB)a warrior
    are the children[b] of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
    who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
    when he speaks with his enemies (CC)in the gate.[c]

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of (CD)Ascents.

128 (CE)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
    who (CF)walks in his ways!
You (CG)shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
    you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like (CH)a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like (CI)olive shoots
    around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
    who fears the Lord.

(CJ)The Lord bless you (CK)from Zion!
    May you see (CL)the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life!
May you see your (CM)children's children!
    (CN)Peace be upon Israel!

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of (CO)Ascents.

129 “Greatly[d] have they (CP)afflicted me (CQ)from my youth”—
    (CR)let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they (CS)afflicted me (CT)from my youth,
    (CU)yet they have not prevailed against me.
(CV)The plowers plowed (CW)upon my back;
    they made long their furrows.”
The Lord is righteous;
    he has cut (CX)the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion
    be (CY)put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like (CZ)the grass on the housetops,
    which (DA)withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand
    nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say,
    (DB)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
    We (DC)bless you in the name of the Lord!”

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of (DD)Ascents.

130 Out of (DE)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
    O Lord, hear my voice!
(DF)Let your ears be attentive
    to (DG)the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should (DH)mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could (DI)stand?
But with you there is (DJ)forgiveness,
    (DK)that you may be feared.

I (DL)wait for the Lord, (DM)my soul waits,
    and (DN)in his word I hope;
my soul (DO)waits for the Lord
    more than (DP)watchmen for (DQ)the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, (DR)hope in the Lord!
    For (DS)with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will (DT)redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of (DU)Ascents. Of David.

131 O Lord, my heart is not (DV)lifted up;
    my eyes are not (DW)raised too high;
I do not (DX)occupy myself with things
    too great and (DY)too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned (DZ)child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

(EA)O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of (EB)Ascents.

132 Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
    all (EC)the hardships he endured,
how he swore to the Lord
    and (ED)vowed to (EE)the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed,
I will not (EF)give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
until I (EG)find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling place for (EH)the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Behold, we heard of it in (EI)Ephrathah;
    we found it in (EJ)the fields of Jaar.
“Let us go to his dwelling place;
    let us (EK)worship at his (EL)footstool!”

(EM)Arise, O Lord, and go to your (EN)resting place,
    you and the ark of your (EO)might.
Let your (EP)priests be (EQ)clothed with righteousness,
    and let your (ER)saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
    (ES)do not turn away the face of (ET)your anointed one.

11 (EU)The Lord swore to David a sure oath
    (EV)from which he will not turn back:
(EW)“One of the sons of your body[e]
    I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
    shall (EX)sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has (EY)chosen Zion;
    he has (EZ)desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my (FA)resting place forever;
    here I will (FB)dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly (FC)bless her provisions;
    I will (FD)satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her (FE)priests I will clothe with salvation,
    and her (FF)saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make (FG)a horn to sprout for David;
    I have prepared (FH)a lamp for (FI)my anointed.
18 His enemies I will (FJ)clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown will shine.”

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of (FK)Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when (FL)brothers dwell in unity![f]
It is like the precious (FM)oil on (FN)the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on (FO)the collar of his robes!
It is like (FP)the dew of (FQ)Hermon,
    which falls on (FR)the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord (FS)has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore.

Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of (FT)Ascents.

134 Come, bless the Lord, all you (FU)servants of the Lord,
    who (FV)stand (FW)by night in the house of the Lord!
(FX)Lift up your hands to (FY)the holy place
    and bless the Lord!

May the Lord (FZ)bless you (GA)from Zion,
    he who (GB)made heaven and earth!

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

135 (GC)Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O (GD)servants of the Lord,
who (GE)stand in the house of the Lord,
    in (GF)the courts of the house of our God!
Praise the Lord, for (GG)the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, (GH)for it is pleasant![g]
For the Lord has (GI)chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel as his (GJ)own possession.

For I know that (GK)the Lord is great,
    and that our Lord is above all gods.
(GL)Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
    in heaven and on earth,
    in the seas and all deeps.
(GM)He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
    who (GN)makes lightnings for the rain
    and brings forth the wind from his (GO)storehouses.

He it was who (GP)struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    both of man and of beast;
who in your midst, O Egypt,
    sent (GQ)signs and wonders
    against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 (GR)who struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings,
11 (GS)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    and (GT)Og, king of Bashan,
    and (GU)all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and (GV)gave their land as a heritage,
    a heritage to his people Israel.

13 (GW)Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
    (GX)your renown,[h] O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 (GY)For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and (GZ)have compassion on his servants.

15 (HA)The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
    they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
    nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
    so do all who trust in them.

19 (HB)O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
    O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
    You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord (HC)from Zion,
    he who (HD)dwells in Jerusalem!
(HE)Praise the Lord!

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

136 (HF)Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    (HG)for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to (HH)the God of gods,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to (HI)the Lord of lords,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who alone (HJ)does great wonders,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who (HK)by understanding (HL)made the heavens,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who (HM)spread out the earth (HN)above the waters,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who (HO)made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who (HP)struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and (HQ)brought Israel out from among them,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with (HR)a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who (HS)divided the Red Sea in two,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 (HT)and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but (HU)overthrew[i] Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who (HV)led his people through the wilderness,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him (HW)who struck down great kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his (HX)servant,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who (HY)remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and (HZ)rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who (IA)gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to (IB)the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

How Shall We Sing the Lord's Song?

137 By the waters of Babylon,
    there we sat down and wept,
    when we remembered Zion.
On the willows[j] there
    we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors
    required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

(IC)How shall we sing the Lord's song
    in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    (ID)let my right hand forget its skill!
Let my (IE)tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy!

Remember, O Lord, against the (IF)Edomites
    (IG)the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, (IH)“Lay it bare, lay it bare,
    down to its foundations!”
O daughter of Babylon, (II)doomed to be destroyed,
    blessed shall he be who (IJ)repays you
    with what you have done to us!
Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
    and (IK)dashes them against the rock!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 122:4 Or as a testimony for
  2. Psalm 127:4 Or sons
  3. Psalm 127:5 Or They shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate
  4. Psalm 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2
  5. Psalm 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb
  6. Psalm 133:1 Or dwell together
  7. Psalm 135:3 Or for he is beautiful
  8. Psalm 135:13 Or remembrance
  9. Psalm 136:15 Hebrew shook off
  10. Psalm 137:2 Or poplars

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