They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of (A)Ascents.

129 “Greatly[a] have they (B)afflicted me (C)from my youth”—
    (D)let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they (E)afflicted me (F)from my youth,
    (G)yet they have not prevailed against me.
(H)The plowers plowed (I)upon my back;
    they made long their furrows.”
The Lord is righteous;
    he has cut (J)the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion
    be (K)put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like (L)the grass on the housetops,
    which (M)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,
    (N)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
    We (O)bless you in the name of the Lord!”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

‘They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,’
    let Israel say;
‘they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
    but they have not gained the victory over me.
Ploughmen have ploughed my back
    and made their furrows long.
But the Lord is righteous;
    he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.’

May all who hate Zion
    be turned back in shame.
May they be like grass on the roof,
    which withers before it can grow;
a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.
May those who pass by not say to them,
    ‘The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you in the name of the Lord.’

Prayer for the overthrow of Zion’s enemies.

A Song of Ascents.

[a]129 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up,
Let Israel now say,
[b]Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up:
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made long their furrows.
Jehovah is righteous:
He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
Let them be put to shame and turned backward,
All they that hate Zion.
Let them be as the grass upon the housetops,
Which withereth before it [c]groweth up;
Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand,
Nor he that bindeth sheaves, his bosom:
Neither do they that go by say,
The blessing of Jehovah be upon you;
We bless you in the name of Jehovah.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 129:1 Or, Much
  2. Psalm 129:2 Or, Much
  3. Psalm 129:6 Or, is plucked up