Psalm 127-129

New King James Version

Laboring and Prospering with the Lord

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless ^(A)the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
²It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To ^(B)eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

³Behold, ^(C)children are a heritage from the Lord,
^(D)The fruit of the womb is a ^(E)reward.
⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵^(F)Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
^(G)They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Blessings of Those Who Fear the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

128 Blessed ^(H)is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.

²^(I)When you eat the ^[a]labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be ^(J)well with you.
³Your wife shall be ^(K)like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your ^(L)children ^(M)like olive plants
All around your table.
⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.

⁵^(N)The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
⁶Yes, may you ^(O)see your children’s children.

^(P)Peace be upon Israel!

Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies

A Song of Ascents.

129 “Many a time they have ^(Q)afflicted^[b] me from ^(R)my youth,”
^(S)Let Israel now say—
²“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
³The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
⁴The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.

⁵Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
⁶Let them be as the ^(T)grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
⁷With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his ^[c]arms.
⁸Neither let those who pass by them say,
^(U)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”