The Lord, the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will (A)raise my eyes to (B)the mountains;
From where will my help come?
My (C)help comes from the Lord,
Who (D)made heaven and earth.
He will not (E)allow your foot to slip;
He who (F)watches over you will not slumber.
Behold, He who watches over Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your [a](G)protector;
The Lord is your (H)shade on your right hand.
The (I)sun will not [b]beat down on you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will [c](J)protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will [d](K)guard your going out and your coming in
(L)From this time and forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 121:5 Or keeper
  2. Psalm 121:6 Lit strike you
  3. Psalm 121:7 Or keep
  4. Psalm 121:8 Or keep

Psalm 121

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
    both now and forever.

Prayer for the Lords Help.

A Song of Ascents.

123 To You I have (A)raised my eyes,
You who (B)are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of (C)servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a female servant to the hand of her mistress,
So our (D)eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.

(E)Be gracious to us, Lord, be gracious to us,
For we have had much more than enough of (F)contempt.
Our soul has had much more than enough
Of the (G)scoffing of (H)those who are at ease,
And with the (I)contempt of the proud.

Praise for Rescue from Enemies.

A Song of Ascents, of David.

124 (J)Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,”
(K)Let Israel say,
“Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
When people rose up against us,
Then they would have (L)swallowed us alive,
When their (M)anger was kindled against us;
Then the (N)waters would have flooded over us,
The stream would have [a]swept over our souls;
Then the (O)raging waters would have [b]swept over our souls.”

Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us [c]to be (P)torn by their teeth.
Our souls have (Q)escaped (R)like a bird from the trapper’s (S)snare;
The snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our (T)help is in the name of the Lord,
Who (U)made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People.

A Song of Ascents.

125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are like Mount Zion, which (V)cannot be moved but (W)remains forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So (X)the Lord surrounds His people
(Y)From this time and forever.
For the (Z)scepter of wickedness will not rest upon the [d]land of the righteous,
So that the righteous (AA)will not extend their hands to do wrong.

(AB)Do good, Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are (AC)upright in their hearts.
But as for those who (AD)turn aside to their (AE)crooked ways,
The Lord will lead them away with those who (AF)practice injustice.
(AG)Peace be upon Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 124:4 Or passed over
  2. Psalm 124:5 Or passed over
  3. Psalm 124:6 Lit as a prey to
  4. Psalm 125:3 Lit lot

Psalm 123

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

I lift my eyes to you,
    O God, enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,
    just as servants keep their eyes on their master,
    as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,
    for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud
    and the contempt of the arrogant.

Psalm 124

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

What if the Lord had not been on our side?
    Let all Israel repeat:
What if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us?
They would have swallowed us alive
    in their burning anger.
The waters would have engulfed us;
    a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, the raging waters of their fury
    would have overwhelmed our very lives.

Praise the Lord,
    who did not let their teeth tear us apart!
We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap.
    The trap is broken, and we are free!
Our help is from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;
    they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly,
    for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.
O Lord, do good to those who are good,
    whose hearts are in tune with you.
But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord.
    Take them away with those who do evil.

May Israel have peace!

Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.

A Song of Ascents.

128 (A)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who (B)walks in His ways.
When you (C)eat the (D)fruit of the labor of your hands,
You will be happy and (E)it will go well for you.
Your wife will be like a (F)fruitful vine
[a]Within your house,
Your children like (G)olive plants
Around your table.
Behold, for so shall a man
Who fears the Lord be blessed.

(H)The Lord bless you (I)from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your (J)children’s children.
(K)Peace be upon Israel!

Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.

A Song of Ascents.

129 [b]Many times they have (L)attacked me from my (M)youth up,”
(N)Let Israel say,
[c]Many times they have attacked me from my youth up;
Yet they have (O)not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
They lengthened their furrows.”
The Lord (P)is righteous;
He has cut up the (Q)ropes of the wicked.

May all who (R)hate Zion
Be (S)put to shame and turned backward;
May they be like (T)grass upon the housetops,
Which withers before it [d]grows up;
With which the harvester does not fill his [e]hand,
Or the binder of sheaves his [f](U)arms;
Nor do those who pass by say,
“The (V)blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

Hope in the Lords Forgiving Love.

A Song of Ascents.

130 Out of the (W)depths I have cried to You, Lord.
Lord, (X)hear my voice!
Let (Y)Your ears be attentive
To the (Z)sound of my pleadings.
If You, [g]Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds,
Lord, who could (AA)stand?
But there is (AB)forgiveness with You,
So that You may be [h](AC)revered.

I wait for the Lord, my (AD)soul waits,
And I [i]wait (AE)for His word.
My soul waits in hope for the Lord
More than the watchmen (AF)for the morning;
Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning.
Israel, (AG)wait for the Lord;
For with the Lord there is (AH)mercy,
And with Him is (AI)abundant redemption.
And He will (AJ)redeem Israel
From all his guilty deeds.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 128:3 Lit In the innermost parts of
  2. Psalm 129:1 Lit Much
  3. Psalm 129:2 Lit Much
  4. Psalm 129:6 Lit draws out
  5. Psalm 129:7 Lit palm
  6. Psalm 129:7 Lit the fold of his robe
  7. Psalm 130:3 Heb Yah
  8. Psalm 130:4 Or feared
  9. Psalm 130:5 Or hope in

Psalm 128

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
    all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
    How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
    flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
    as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing
    for those who fear him.

May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.
    May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.
May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
    May Israel have peace!

Psalm 129

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me.
    Let all Israel repeat this:
From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me,
    but they have never defeated me.
My back is covered with cuts,
    as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
But the Lord is good;
    he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.

May all who hate Jerusalem[a]
    be turned back in shameful defeat.
May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
    turning yellow when only half grown,
ignored by the harvester,
    despised by the binder.
And may those who pass by
    refuse to give them this blessing:
“The Lord bless you;
    we bless you in the Lord’s name.”

Psalm 130

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

From the depths of despair, O Lord,
    I call for your help.
Hear my cry, O Lord.
    Pay attention to my prayer.

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
    who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
    that we might learn to fear you.

I am counting on the Lord;
    yes, I am counting on him.
    I have put my hope in his word.
I long for the Lord
    more than sentries long for the dawn,
    yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
    for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
    His redemption overflows.
He himself will redeem Israel
    from every kind of sin.

Footnotes

  1. 129:5 Hebrew Zion.