Print Page Options Listen to Psalm 127

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds(A) the house,
    the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches(B) over the city,
    the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
    and stay up late,
toiling for food(C) to eat—
    for he grants sleep(D) to[a] those he loves.(E)

Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward(F) from him.
Like arrows(G) in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.(H)
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents(I) in court.(J)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127:2 Or eat— / for while they sleep he provides for

Psalm 127

The Blessing of the Lord

A Solomonic song of ascents.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;(A)
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.(B)
In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food—
yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.[a](C)

Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
children, a reward.(D)
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one’s youth.(E)
Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.(F)
Such men will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.(G)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127:2 Or yes, He gives such things to His loved ones while [they] sleep

Psalm 127

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
    the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
    guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard
    from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
    for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
    are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
    He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

In Praise of God's Goodness[a]

127 If the Lord does not build the house,
    the work of the builders is useless;
if the Lord does not protect the city,
    it does no good for the sentries to stand guard.
It is useless to work so hard for a living,
    getting up early and going to bed late.
For the Lord provides for those he loves,
    while they are asleep.

Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a real blessing.
The sons a man has when he is young
    are like arrows in a soldier's hand.
Happy is the man who has many such arrows.
He will never be defeated
    when he meets his enemies in the place of judgment.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127:1 HEBREW TITLE: By Solomon.

127 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.