Psalm 124-125

English Standard Version

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

124 ^(B)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    ^(C)let Israel now say—
²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
³then they would have ^(D)swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
⁴then ^(E)the flood would have ^(F)swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone ^(G)over us;
⁵then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

⁶Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
⁷We have escaped like a bird
    from ^(H)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

⁸^(I)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of ^(J)Ascents.

125 Those who ^(K)trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
    which ^(L)cannot be moved, but abides forever.
²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so ^(M)the Lord surrounds his people,
    from this time forth and forevermore.
³For ^(N)the scepter of wickedness shall not ^(O)rest
    on ^(P)the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous ^(Q)stretch out
    their hands to do wrong.
⁴^(R)Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
    and to those who are ^(S)upright in their hearts!
⁵But those who ^(T)turn aside to their ^(U)crooked ways
    the Lord will lead away with ^(V)evildoers!
    ^(W)Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 128-130

English Standard Version

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

128 ^(B)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who ^(C)walks in his ways!
²You ^(D)shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³Your wife will be like ^(E)a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like ^(F)olive shoots
    around your table.
⁴Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
    who fears the Lord.

⁵^(G)The Lord bless you ^(H)from Zion!
    May you see ^(I)the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life!
⁶May you see your ^(J)children's children!
    ^(K)Peace be upon Israel!

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of ^(L)Ascents.

129 “Greatly^[a] have they ^(M)afflicted me ^(N)from my youth”—
    ^(O)let Israel now say—
²“Greatly have they ^(P)afflicted me ^(Q)from my youth,
    ^(R)yet they have not prevailed against me.
³^(S)The plowers plowed ^(T)upon my back;
    they made long their furrows.”
⁴The Lord is righteous;
    he has cut ^(U)the cords of the wicked.
⁵May all who hate Zion
    be ^(V)put to shame and turned backward!
⁶Let them be like ^(W)the grass on the housetops,
    which ^(X)withers before it grows up,
⁷with which the reaper does not fill his hand
    nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
⁸nor do those who pass by say,
    ^(Y)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
    We ^(Z)bless you in the name of the Lord!”

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of ^(AA)Ascents.

130 Out of ^(AB)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
² O Lord, hear my voice!
^(AC)Let your ears be attentive
to ^(AD)the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³If you, O Lord, should ^(AE)mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could ^(AF)stand?
⁴But with you there is ^(AG)forgiveness,
^(AH)that you may be feared.

⁵I ^(AI)wait for the Lord, ^(AJ)my soul waits,
    and ^(AK)in his word I hope;
⁶my soul ^(AL)waits for the Lord
    more than ^(AM)watchmen for ^(AN)the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷O Israel, ^(AO)hope in the Lord!
    For ^(AP)with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸And he will ^(AQ)redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

Footnotes

Psalm 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2

2 Samuel 1

English Standard Version

David Hears of Saul's Death

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned ^(A)from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. ²And on the third day, behold, ^(B)a man came from Saul's camp, ^(C)with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, ^(D)he fell to the ground and paid homage. ³David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴And David said to him, ^(E)“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” ⁵Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶And the young man who told him said, ^(F)“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. ⁷And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹And he said to me, ^(G)‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ ¹⁰So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. ^(H)And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David took hold of his clothes and ^(I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹²And they mourned and wept ^(J)and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴David said to him, “How is it you were not ^(K)afraid to put out your hand to destroy ^(L)the Lord's anointed?” ¹⁵Then ^(M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. ¹⁶And David said to him, ^(N)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed ^(O)the Lord's anointed.’”

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷And David ^(P)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸and he said it^[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in ^(Q)the Book of Jashar.^[b] He said:

¹⁹“Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
    ^(R)How the mighty have fallen!
²⁰^(S)Tell it not in Gath,
    ^(T)publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
^(U)lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
    lest the daughters of ^(V)the uncircumcised exult.

²¹^(W)“You mountains of Gilboa,
    let there be no dew or rain upon you,
    nor fields of offerings!^[c]
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
    the shield of Saul, not ^(X)anointed with oil.

²²“From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
^(Y)the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were ^(Z)swifter than eagles;
they were ^(AA)stronger than lions.

²⁴“You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
^(AB)who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵^(AC)“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!

“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
²⁶    I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
    ^(AD)your love to me was extraordinary,
    surpassing the love of women.

²⁷^(AE)“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”

Footnotes

2 Samuel 1:18 Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament's tune
2 Samuel 1:18 Or of the upright
2 Samuel 1:21 Septuagint firstfruits