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Psalm 132[a]

The Covenant Between David and God

A song of ascents.

I

Remember, O Lord, for David
    all his hardships;
How he swore an oath to the Lord,
    vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:[b]
“I will not enter the house where I live,(A)
    nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
    my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
“We have heard of it in Ephrathah;[c]
    we have found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling;
    let us worship at his footstool.”(B)
“Arise, Lord, come to your resting place,(C)
    you and your mighty ark.
Your priests will be clothed with justice;
    your devout will shout for joy.”
10 For the sake of David your servant,
    do not reject your anointed.

II

11 The Lord swore an oath to David in truth,
    he will never turn back from it:(D)
“Your own offspring(E) I will set upon your throne.
12 If your sons observe my covenant,
    and my decrees I shall teach them,
Their sons, in turn,
    shall sit forever on your throne.”
13 Yes, the Lord has chosen Zion,
    desired it for a dwelling:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
    here I will dwell, for I desire it.
15 I will bless Zion with provisions;
    its poor I will fill with bread.
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation;
    its devout shall shout for joy.(F)
17 There I will make a horn sprout for David;[d](G)
    I will set a lamp for my anointed.
18 His foes I will clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown shall shine.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 132 A song for a liturgical ceremony in which the ark, the throne of Israel’s God, was carried in procession to the Temple. The singer asks that David’s care for the proper housing of the ark be regarded with favor (Ps 132:1–5), and tells how it was brought to Jerusalem (Ps 132:6–10). There follows God’s promise of favor to the Davidic dynasty (Ps 132:11–12) and to Zion (Ps 132:13–17). The transfer of the ark to the tent in Jerusalem is described in 2 Sm 6.
  2. 132:2, 132:5 Mighty One of Jacob: one of the titles of Israel’s God, cf. Gn 49:24; Is 49:26; 60:16.
  3. 132:6 Ephrathah: the homeland of David, cf. Ru 4:11. The fields of Jaar: poetic for Kiriath-jearim, a town west of Jerusalem, where the ark remained for several generations, cf. 1 Sm 7:1–2; 2 Sm 6:2; 1 Chr 13:5–6.
  4. 132:17 A horn sprout for David: the image of the horn, a symbol of strength, is combined with that of a “sprout,” a term used for the Davidic descendant (cf. Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zec 3:8; 6:12). Early Christians referred the latter designation to Christ as son of David (Lk 1:69).

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

A Song of Ascents.

132 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
    all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the Lord
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Lo, we heard of it in Eph′rathah,
    we found it in the fields of Ja′ar.
“Let us go to his dwelling place;
    let us worship at his footstool!”

Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place,
    thou and the ark of thy might.
Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness,
    and let thy saints shout for joy.
10 For thy servant David’s sake
    do not turn away the face of thy anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
    from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
    I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies which I shall teach them,
their sons also for ever
    shall sit upon your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
    he has desired it for his habitation:
14 “This is my resting place for ever;
    here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
    I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
    and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
    I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
    but upon himself his crown will shed its luster.”

In Praise of the Temple

132 Lord, do not forget David
    and all the hardships he endured.
Remember, Lord, what he promised,
    the vow he made to you, the Mighty God of Jacob:
“I will not go home or go to bed;
    I will not rest or sleep,
    until I provide a place for the Lord,
    a home for the Mighty God of Jacob.”

(A)In Bethlehem we heard about the Covenant Box,
    and we found it in the fields of Jearim.
We said, “Let us go to the Lord's house;
    let us worship before his throne.”

Come to the Temple, Lord, with the Covenant Box,
    the symbol of your power,
    and stay here forever.
May your priests do always what is right;
    may your people shout for joy!

10 You made a promise to your servant David;
    do not reject your chosen king, Lord.
11 (B)You made a solemn promise to David—
    a promise you will not take back:
“I will make one of your sons king,
    and he will rule after you.
12 If your sons are true to my covenant
    and to the commands I give them,
    their sons, also, will succeed you for all time as kings.”

13 The Lord has chosen Zion;
    he wants to make it his home:
14 “This is where I will live forever;
    this is where I want to rule.
15 I will richly provide Zion with all she needs;
    I will satisfy her poor with food.
16 I will bless her priests in all they do,
    and her people will sing and shout for joy.
17 (C)Here I will make one of David's descendants a great king;
    here I will preserve the rule of my chosen king.
18 I will cover his enemies with shame,
    but his kingdom will prosper and flourish.”

Psalm 132(A)

A song of ascents.

Lord, remember David
    and all his self-denial.(B)

He swore an oath to the Lord,
    he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(C)
“I will not enter my house(D)
    or go to my bed,
I will allow no sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place(E) for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard it in Ephrathah,(F)
    we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:[a](G)
“Let us go to his dwelling place,(H)
    let us worship at his footstool,(I) saying,
‘Arise, Lord,(J) and come to your resting place,
    you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;(K)
    may your faithful people(L) sing for joy.’”

10 For the sake of your servant David,
    do not reject your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore an oath to David,(M)
    a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants(N)
    I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant(O)
    and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
    on your throne(P) for ever and ever.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,(Q)
    he has desired it for his dwelling,(R) saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;(S)
    here I will sit enthroned,(T) for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
    her poor I will satisfy with food.(U)
16 I will clothe her priests(V) with salvation,
    and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.(W)

17 “Here I will make a horn[b] grow(X) for David
    and set up a lamp(Y) for my anointed one.(Z)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(AA)
    but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 132:6 Or heard of it in Ephrathah, / we found it in the fields of Jearim. (See 1 Chron. 13:5,6) (And no quotation marks around verses 7-9)
  2. Psalm 132:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one, that is, king.