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Psalm 129
Easy-to-Read Version
Psalm 129
Easy-to-Read Version
A song for going up to the Temple.
129 All my life enemies have attacked me.
Say it again, Israel.
2 All my life enemies have attacked me,
but they have never defeated me.
3 They beat me until I had deep cuts.
My back looked like a freshly plowed field.
4 But the Lord does what is right;
he cut the ropes and set me free from those wicked people.
5 May those who hate Zion be put to shame.
May they be stopped and chased away.
6 They will be like grass on a flat roof
that dies before it has time to grow.
7 The one who goes to harvest it
will not find enough to cut and stack.
8 May no one walking by those wicked people ever say,
“May the Lord bless you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 129
New International Version
Psalm 129
New International Version
Psalm 129
A song of ascents.
1 “They have greatly oppressed(A) me from my youth,”(B)
let Israel say;(C)
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory(D) over me.
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4 But the Lord is righteous;(E)
he has cut me free(F) from the cords of the wicked.”(G)
5 May all who hate Zion(H)
be turned back in shame.(I)
6 May they be like grass on the roof,(J)
which withers(K) before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,(L)
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you(M) in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 129
English Standard Version
Psalm 129
English Standard Version
They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth
A Song of (A)Ascents.
129 “Greatly[a] have they (B)afflicted me (C)from my youth”—
(D)let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they (E)afflicted me (F)from my youth,
(G)yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 (H)The plowers plowed (I)upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut (J)the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be (K)put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like (L)the grass on the housetops,
which (M)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,
(N)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We (O)bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Footnotes
- Psalm 129:1 Or Often; also verse 2
Psalm 129
New English Translation
Psalm 129
New English Translation
Psalm 129[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
129 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
3 The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.”[c]
5 May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back.
6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops,
which withers before one can even pull it up,[d]
7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain.
8 Those who pass by will not say,[e]
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 129:1 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
- Psalm 129:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
- Psalm 129:4 tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
- Psalm 129:6 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
- Psalm 129:8 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New English Translation (NET)
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