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Psalm 127

God’s Blessings in the Home

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
    the guard keeps watch in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives sleep to his beloved.[a]

Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has
    his quiver full of them.
He shall not be put to shame
    when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127:2 Or for he provides for his beloved during sleep

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.

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