Psalm 126-128

Good News Translation

A Prayer for Deliverance

126 When the Lord brought us back to Jerusalem,^[a]
    it was like a dream!
²How we laughed, how we sang for joy!
    Then the other nations said about us,
    “The Lord did great things for them.”
³Indeed he did great things for us;
    how happy we were!

⁴Lord, make us prosperous again,^[b]
just as the rain brings water back to dry riverbeds.
⁵Let those who wept as they planted their crops,
gather the harvest with joy!

⁶Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed
will come back singing for joy,
as they bring in the harvest.

In Praise of God's Goodness^[c]

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.
²It 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.

³Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a real blessing.
⁴The sons a man has when he is young
    are like arrows in a soldier's hand.
⁵Happy is the man who has many such arrows.
He will never be defeated
    when he meets his enemies in the place of judgment.

The Reward of Obedience to the Lord

128 Happy are those who obey the Lord,
who live by his commands.

²Your work will provide for your needs;
    you will be happy and prosperous.
³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home,
    and your children will be like young olive trees around your table.
⁴A man who obeys the Lord
    will surely be blessed like this.