Psalm 121

The Lord Our Protector

A song of ascents.

I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(A)
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(B)

He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(C)
Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(D)

The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a](E)
The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(F)

The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.(G)
The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.(H)

Footnotes

  1. 121:5 Lit is your shelter at your right hand

Psalm 123

Looking for God’s Favor

A song of ascents.

I lift my eyes to you,
the one enthroned in heaven.(A)
Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until he shows us favor.(B)

Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.(C)
We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.(D)

Psalm 126

Zion’s Restoration

A song of ascents.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.(A)
Our mouths were filled with laughter then,(B)
and our tongues with shouts of joy.(C)
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”(D)
The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.(E)

Restore our fortunes,[b] Lord,
like watercourses in the Negev.(F)
Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.(G)
Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.(H)

Psalm 127

The Blessing of the Lord

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;(I)
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.(J)
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.[c](K)

Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
offspring, a reward.(L)
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one’s youth.(M)
Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.(N)
They will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.(O)

Footnotes

  1. 126:1 Or Lord returned those of Zion who had been captives
  2. 126:4 Or Return our captives
  3. 127:2 Or yes, he gives such things to his loved ones while they sleep

Psalm 130

Awaiting Redemption

A song of ascents.

Out of the depths I call to you, Lord!(A)
Lord, listen to my voice;
let your ears be attentive
to my cry for help.(B)

Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?(C)
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you may be revered.(D)

I wait for the Lord; I wait
and put my hope in his word.(E)
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning—
more than watchmen for the morning.(F)

Israel, put your hope in the Lord.(G)
For there is faithful love with the Lord,
and with him is redemption in abundance.(H)
And he will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.(I)

Psalm 131

A Childlike Spirit

A song of ascents. Of David.

Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(J)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too wondrous for me.(K)
Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like a weaned child.(L)

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.(M)

Psalm 139

The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

Lord, you have searched me and known me.(A)
You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.(B)
You observe my travels and my rest;
you are aware of all my ways.(C)
Before a word is on my tongue,
you know all about it, Lord.(D)
You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me.(E)
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.(F)

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?(G)
If I go up to heaven, you are there;(H)
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.(I)
If I fly on the wings of the dawn
and settle down on the western horizon,[a]
10 even there your hand will lead me;
your right hand will hold on to me.(J)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”(K)
12 even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you.(L)

13 For it was you who created my inward parts;[b]
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.(M)
14 I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.[c][d]
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.(N)
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.(O)
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in your book and planned
before a single one of them began.(P)

17 God, how precious[e] your thoughts are to me;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;(Q)
when I wake up,[f] I am still with you.(R)

19 God, if only you would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me(S)
20 who invoke you deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by you falsely.(T)
21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate you,
and detest those who rebel against you?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.(U)

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.(V)
24 See if there is any offensive[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 139:9 Lit the end of the sea
  2. 139:13 Lit my kidneys
  3. 139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because you are remarkable and wonderful
  4. 139:14 Hb obscure
  5. 139:17 Or difficult
  6. 139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end
  7. 139:24 Or idolatrous

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