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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”

Psalm 129

A pilgrimage song.

129 From youth, people have constantly attacked me—
    let Israel now repeat!—
    from youth people have constantly attacked me—
    but they haven’t beaten me!
They plowed my back like farmers;
    they made their furrows deep.
But the Lord is righteous—
    God cut me free from the ropes of the wicked!

Let everyone who hates Zion be ashamed, thoroughly frustrated.
    Let them be like grass on a roof
    that dies before it can be pulled up,
    which won’t fill the reaper’s hand
        or fill the harvester’s arms.
Let no one who passes by say to them:
    “May the Lord’s blessing be on you!
        We bless you in the Lord’s name!”