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Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to you,
    to you who sit enthroned(A) in heaven.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord(B) our God,
    till he shows us his mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
    for we have endured no end of contempt.
We have endured no end
    of ridicule from the arrogant,
    of contempt from the proud.

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A Song of (A)Ascents.

123 To you I (B)lift up my eyes,
    O you who are (C)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.

(D)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of (E)contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
    of (F)the scorn of (G)those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of (H)the proud.

Psalm 123

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

I lift my eyes to you,
    O God, enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,
    just as servants keep their eyes on their master,
    as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,
    for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud
    and the contempt of the arrogant.

Prayer for the Lord’s Help.

A Song of [a]Ascents.

123 Unto you I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens!

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
And as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious and favorable toward us.


Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious and favorable toward us,
For we are greatly filled with contempt.

Our soul is greatly filled
With the scoffing of those who are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud [who disregard God’s law].

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 123:1 See Psalm 120 title note.

123 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.