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A Song of Ascents.

129 Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up.
    Let Israel now say,
many times they have afflicted me from my youth up,
    yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed on my back.
    They made their furrows long.
Yahweh is righteous.
    He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.
Let them be disappointed and turned backward,
    all those who hate Zion.
Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
    which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand,
    nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.
Neither do those who go by say,
    “The blessing of Yahweh be on you.
    We bless you in Yahweh’s name.”

Victory Over the Enemies of Zion

A song of ascents.[a]

129 “Too often[b] they have attacked me from my youth.”
Let Israel say,
“Too often[c] they have attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
On my back plowmen have plowed.
They have made their furrows[d] long.”
Yahweh is righteous.
He has cut the ropes[e] of the wicked.
Let all be put to shame and repulsed
who hate Zion.
Let them be like grass on the housetops,
that withers before it grows up,
with which a reaper cannot fill his hand,
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,[f]
so that passersby do not say,
“The blessing of Yahweh be upon you.
We bless you in the name of Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 129:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 129:1 Or “Greatly”
  3. Psalm 129:2 Or “Greatly”
  4. Psalm 129:3 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
  5. Psalm 129:4 That is, the yoke and tackle on a beast of burden
  6. Psalm 129:7 Literally “bosom”