Psalm 120-131
English Standard Version
Deliver Me, O Lord
A Song of (A)Ascents.
120 In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
2 Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you,
(B)and what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4 (C)A warrior's (D)sharp arrows,
with glowing (E)coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in (F)Meshech,
that I dwell among (G)the tents of (H)Kedar!
6 Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7 (I)I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
My Help Comes from the Lord
A Song of (J)Ascents.
121 I (K)lift up my eyes to (L)the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 (M)My help comes from the Lord,
who (N)made heaven and earth.
3 He will not (O)let your foot be moved;
he who (P)keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your (Q)shade on your (R)right hand.
6 (S)The sun shall not (T)strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will (U)keep you from all evil;
he will (V)keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your (W)going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Let Us Go to the House of the Lord
A Song of (X)Ascents. Of David.
122 I was glad when they said to me,
(Y)“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem—(Z)built as a city
that is (AA)bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes (AB)go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was (AC)decreed for[a] Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There (AD)thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 (AE)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your (AF)walls
and security within your (AG)towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions' sake
I will say, (AH)“Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will (AI)seek your good.
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of (AJ)Ascents.
123 To you I (AK)lift up my eyes,
O you who are (AL)enthroned in the heavens!
2 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.
3 (AM)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of (AN)contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of (AO)the scorn of (AP)those who are at ease,
of the contempt of (AQ)the proud.
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of (AR)Ascents. Of David.
124 (AS)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
(AT)let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have (AU)swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then (AV)the flood would have (AW)swept us away,
the torrent would have gone (AX)over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from (AY)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 (AZ)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The Lord Surrounds His People
A Song of (BA)Ascents.
125 Those who (BB)trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which (BC)cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so (BD)the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
3 For (BE)the scepter of wickedness shall not (BF)rest
on (BG)the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous (BH)stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4 (BI)Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are (BJ)upright in their hearts!
5 But those who (BK)turn aside to their (BL)crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with (BM)evildoers!
(BN)Peace be upon Israel!
Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord
A Song of (BO)Ascents.
126 When the Lord (BP)restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who (BQ)dream.
2 Then our (BR)mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
(BS)“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 (BT)Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of (BU)Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord (BV)watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious (BW)toil;
for he gives to his (BX)beloved (BY)sleep.
3 Behold, (BZ)children are a heritage from the Lord,
(CA)the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of (CB)a warrior
are the children[b] of one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies (CC)in the gate.[c]
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of (CD)Ascents.
128 (CE)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who (CF)walks in his ways!
2 You (CG)shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like (CH)a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like (CI)olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 (CJ)The Lord bless you (CK)from Zion!
May you see (CL)the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you see your (CM)children's children!
(CN)Peace be upon Israel!
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of (CO)Ascents.
129 “Greatly[d] have they (CP)afflicted me (CQ)from my youth”—
(CR)let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they (CS)afflicted me (CT)from my youth,
(CU)yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 (CV)The plowers plowed (CW)upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut (CX)the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be (CY)put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like (CZ)the grass on the housetops,
which (DA)withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
(DB)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We (DC)bless you in the name of the Lord!”
My Soul Waits for the Lord
A Song of (DD)Ascents.
130 Out of (DE)the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
(DF)Let your ears be attentive
to (DG)the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should (DH)mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (DI)stand?
4 But with you there is (DJ)forgiveness,
(DK)that you may be feared.
5 I (DL)wait for the Lord, (DM)my soul waits,
and (DN)in his word I hope;
6 my soul (DO)waits for the Lord
more than (DP)watchmen for (DQ)the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, (DR)hope in the Lord!
For (DS)with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will (DT)redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul
A Song of (DU)Ascents. Of David.
131 O Lord, my heart is not (DV)lifted up;
my eyes are not (DW)raised too high;
I do not (DX)occupy myself with things
too great and (DY)too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned (DZ)child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 (EA)O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Footnotes
- Psalm 122:4 Or as a testimony for
- Psalm 127:4 Or sons
- Psalm 127:5 Or They shall not be put to shame when they speak with their enemies in the gate
- Psalm 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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