Psalm 127
Expanded Bible
All Good Things Come from God
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of Solomon.
127 If the Lord doesn’t build the house,
the builders are working ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
If the Lord doesn’t guard the city,
the guards are watching ·for nothing [in vain; without purpose].
2 It is ·no use [in vain; without purpose] for you to get up early
and stay up late,
·working for a living [L eating the bread of hardship/pain].
The Lord ·gives sleep to those he loves [or provides for those he loves while they sleep].
3 Children are ·a gift [an inheritance] from the Lord;
·babies [L the fruit of the womb] are a reward.
4 Children ·who are born to a young man [L of one’s youth]
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior [C they help in the challenges and conflicts of life].
5 ·Happy [Blessed] is the man
who has his ·bag [quiver] full of ·arrows [L them].
They will not be ·defeated [L humiliated]
when they ·fight [L speak to] their enemies at the city gate [C the central place of commerce and government].
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
- Psalm 127:2 Lit sit late
- Psalm 127:3 Or heritage
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
