Plea for Relief from Bitter Foes

A Song of Ascents.

120 In (A)my distress I cried to the Lord,
And He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.

What shall be given to you,
Or what shall be done to you,
You false tongue?
Sharp arrows of the [a]warrior,
With coals of the broom tree!

Woe is me, that I dwell in (B)Meshech,
(C)That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of Ascents.

121 I (D)will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
(E)My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

(F)He will not allow your foot to [b]be moved;
(G)He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your [c]keeper;
The Lord is (H)your shade (I)at your right hand.
(J)The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall [d]preserve you from all evil;
He shall (K)preserve your soul.
The Lord shall (L)preserve[e] your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

The Joy of Going to the House of the Lord

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

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

Jerusalem is built
As a city that is (N)compact together,
(O)Where the tribes go up,
The tribes of the Lord,
[f]To (P)the Testimony of Israel,
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
(Q)For thrones are set there for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.

(R)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will (S)seek your good.

Prayer for Relief from Contempt

A Song of Ascents.

123 Unto You (T)I lift up my eyes,
O You (U)who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
(V)So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.

The Lord the Defense of His People

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

124 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our (W)side,”
(X)Let Israel now say—
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have (Y)swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
The stream would have [g]gone over our soul;
Then the swollen waters
Would have [h]gone over our soul.”

Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
(Z)Our soul has escaped (AA)as a bird from the snare of the [i]fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
(AB)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
(AC)Who made heaven and earth.

The Lord the Strength of His People

A Song of Ascents.

125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.

For (AD)the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous,
Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

As for such as turn aside to their (AE)crooked ways,
The Lord shall lead them away
With the workers of iniquity.

(AF)Peace be upon Israel!

A Joyful Return to Zion

A Song of Ascents.

126 When (AG)the Lord brought back [j]the captivity of Zion,
(AH)We were like those who dream.
Then (AI)our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the [k]nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.

Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.

(AJ)Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes [l]forth weeping,
Bearing [m]seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again [n]with (AK)rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

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 (AL)the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To (AM)eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Behold, (AN)children are a heritage from the Lord,
(AO)The fruit of the womb is a (AP)reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
(AQ)Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
(AR)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 (AS)is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.

(AT)When you eat the [o]labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be (AU)well with you.
Your wife shall be (AV)like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your (AW)children (AX)like olive plants
All around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.

(AY)The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
Yes, may you (AZ)see your children’s children.

(BA)Peace be upon Israel!

Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies

A Song of Ascents.

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

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

Waiting for the Redemption of the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

130 Out (BG)of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.

(BH)If You, Lord, should [r]mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (BI)stand?
But there is (BJ)forgiveness with You,
That (BK)You may be feared.

(BL)I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
And (BM)in His word I do hope.
(BN)My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

(BO)O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For (BP)with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And (BQ)He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Simple Trust in the Lord

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

131 Lord, my heart is not [s]haughty,
Nor my eyes [t]lofty.
(BR)Neither do I [u]concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too [v]profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
(BS)Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

(BT)O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

A Song of Ascents.

132 Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
How he swore to the Lord,
(BU)And vowed to (BV)the Mighty One of Jacob:
“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
I will (BW)not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
Until I (BX)find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Behold, we heard of it (BY)in Ephrathah;
(BZ)We found it (CA)in the fields of [w]the woods.
Let us go into His tabernacle;
(CB)Let us worship at His footstool.
(CC)Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and (CD)the ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests (CE)be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your saints shout for joy.

10 For Your servant David’s sake,
Do not turn away the face of Your [x]Anointed.

11 (CF)The Lord has sworn in truth to David;
He will not turn from it:
“I will set upon your throne (CG)the [y]fruit of your body.
12 If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I shall teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.”

13 (CH)For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His [z]dwelling place:
14 “This(CI) is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 (CJ)I will abundantly bless her [aa]provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 (CK)I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
(CL)And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 (CM)There I will make the [ab]horn of David grow;
(CN)I will prepare a lamp for My [ac]Anointed.
18 His enemies I will (CO)clothe with shame,
But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”

Blessed Unity of the People of God

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For (CP)brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of (CQ)Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For (CR)there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.

Praising the Lord in His House at Night

A Song of Ascents.

134 Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
(CS)Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.

The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!

Praise to God in Creation and Redemption

135 Praise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord;
(CT)Praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!
(CU)You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In (CV)the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the Lord, for (CW)the Lord is good;
Sing praises to His name, (CX)for it is pleasant.
For (CY)the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His [ad]special treasure.

For I know that (CZ)the Lord is great,
And our Lord is above all gods.
(DA)Whatever the Lord pleases He does,
In heaven and in earth,
In the seas and in all deep places.
(DB)He causes the [ae]vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
(DC)He makes lightning for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His (DD)treasuries.

(DE)He [af]destroyed the firstborn of Egypt,
[ag]Both of man and beast.
(DF)He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt,
(DG)Upon Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 (DH)He defeated many nations
And slew mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
And (DI)all the kingdoms of Canaan—
12 (DJ)And gave their land as a [ah]heritage,
A heritage to Israel His people.

13 (DK)Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
Your fame, O Lord, throughout all generations.
14 (DL)For the Lord will judge His people,
And He will have compassion on His servants.

15 (DM)The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
17 They have ears, but they do not hear;
Nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.

19 (DN)Bless the Lord, O house of Israel!
Bless the Lord, O house of Aaron!
20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord (DO)out of Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 120:4 mighty one
  2. Psalm 121:3 slip
  3. Psalm 121:5 protector
  4. Psalm 121:7 keep
  5. Psalm 121:8 keep
  6. Psalm 122:4 Or As a testimony to
  7. Psalm 124:4 swept over
  8. Psalm 124:5 swept over
  9. Psalm 124:7 Persons who catch birds in a trap or snare
  10. Psalm 126:1 Those of the captivity
  11. Psalm 126:2 Gentiles
  12. Psalm 126:6 to and fro
  13. Psalm 126:6 Lit. a bag of seed for sowing
  14. Psalm 126:6 with shouts of joy
  15. Psalm 128:2 Fruit of the labor
  16. Psalm 129:1 persecuted
  17. Psalm 129:7 armsful, lit. bosom
  18. Psalm 130:3 take note of
  19. Psalm 131:1 Proud
  20. Psalm 131:1 Arrogant
  21. Psalm 131:1 Lit. walk in
  22. Psalm 131:1 difficult
  23. Psalm 132:6 Heb. Jaar, lit. Woods
  24. Psalm 132:10 Commissioned One, Heb. Messiah
  25. Psalm 132:11 offspring
  26. Psalm 132:13 home
  27. Psalm 132:15 supply of food
  28. Psalm 132:17 Government
  29. Psalm 132:17 Heb. Messiah
  30. Psalm 135:4 precious possession
  31. Psalm 135:7 Water vapor
  32. Psalm 135:8 Lit. struck down
  33. Psalm 135:8 Lit. From man to beast
  34. Psalm 135:12 inheritance

Bible Gateway Recommends