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Psalm 127
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 127[a]

The Need of God’s Blessing

1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

I

Unless the Lord build the house,
    they labor in vain who build.
Unless the Lord guard the city,
    in vain does the guard keep watch.
2 It is vain for you to rise early
    and put off your rest at night,
To eat bread earned by hard toil—
    all this God gives to his beloved in sleep.(A)

II

3 Certainly sons are a gift from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb, a reward.(B)
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them.
He will never be shamed
    for he will destroy his foes at the gate.[b]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127 The Psalm puts together two proverbs (Ps 127:1–2, 3–5) on God establishing “houses” or families. The prosperity of human groups is not the work of human beings but the gift of God.
  2. 127:5 At the gate: the reference is not to enemies besieging the walls of a city but to adversaries in litigation. Law courts functioned in the open area near the main city gate. The more adult sons a man had, the more forceful he would appear in disputes, cf. Prv 31:23.
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Psalm 127
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Psalm 127

God’s Blessings in the Home

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

1 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.
2 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]

3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the sons of one’s youth.
5 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
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Psalm 127
Good News Translation

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.
2 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.

3 Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a real blessing.
4 The sons a man has when he is young
    are like arrows in a soldier's hand.
5 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.
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Psalm 127
New American Standard Bible

Prosperity Comes from the Lord.

A Song of Ascents, of Solomon.

127 Unless the Lord (A)builds a house,
They who build it labor in vain;
Unless the Lord (B)guards a city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is futile for you to rise up early,
To [a]stay up late,
To (C)eat the bread of painful labor;
This is how He gives to His (D)beloved (E)sleep.

3 Behold, (F)children are a [b]gift of the Lord,
The (G)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (H)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 (I)Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
(J)They will not be ashamed
When they (K)speak with their enemies (L)in the gate.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 127:2 Lit sit late
  2. Psalm 127:3 Or heritage
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Psalm 127
New International Version

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

1 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.
2 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)

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward(F) from him.
4 Like arrows(G) in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth.
5 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
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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Good News Translation (GNT)

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