Book of Common Prayer

120 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents:

⁽¹⁾ I called to Adonai in my distress,
and he answered me.
² Rescue me, Adonai, from lips that tell lies,
from a tongue full of deceit.

³ What has he in store for you, deceitful tongue?
What more will he do to you?
⁴ A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with red-hot coals from a broom tree.

⁵ How wretched I am, that I’m an alien in Meshekh,
that I must live among the tents of Keidar!
⁶ I have had to live far too long
with those who hate peace.
⁷ I am all for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.

121 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents:

⁽¹⁾ If I raise my eyes to the hills,
from where will my help come?
² My help comes from Adonai,
the maker of heaven and earth.
³ He will not let your foot slip —
your guardian is not asleep.
⁴ No, the guardian of Isra’el
never slumbers or sleeps.

⁵ Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand
Adonai provides you with shade —
⁶ the sun can’t strike you during the day
or even the moon at night.

⁷ Adonai will guard you against all harm;
he will guard your life.
⁸ Adonai will guard your coming and going
from now on and forever.

122 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents. By David:

⁽¹⁾ I was glad when they said to me,
“The house of Adonai! Let’s go!”
² Our feet were already standing
at your gates, Yerushalayim.

³ Yerushalayim, built as a city
fostering friendship and unity.

⁴ The tribes have gone up there, the tribes of Adonai,
as a witness to Isra’el,
to give thanks to the name of Adonai.
⁵ For there the thrones of justice were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim;
may those who love you prosper.
⁷ May shalom be within your ramparts,
prosperity in your palaces.

⁸ For the sake of my family and friends, I say,
“Shalom be within you!”
⁹ For the sake of the house of Adonai our God,
I will seek your well-being.

123 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents:

⁽¹⁾ I raise my eyes to you,
whose throne is in heaven.
² As a servant looks to the hand of his master,
or a slave-girl to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes turn to Adonai our God,
until he has mercy on us.

³ Have mercy on us, Adonai, have mercy;
for we have had our fill of contempt,
⁴ more than our fill of scorn from the complacent
and contempt from the arrogant.

124 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents. By David:

⁽¹⁾ If Adonai hadn’t been for us —
let Isra’el repeat it —
² If Adonai hadn’t been for us
when people rose to attack us,
³ then, when their anger blazed against us,
they would have swallowed us alive!
⁴ Then the water would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us.
⁵ Yes, the raging water
would have swept right over us.

⁶ Blessed be Adonai, who did not leave us
to be a prey for their teeth!
⁷ We escaped like a bird from the hunter’s trap;
the trap is broken, and we have escaped.

⁸ Our help is in the name of Adonai,
the maker of heaven and earth.

125 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents:

⁽¹⁾ Those who trust in Adonai
are like Mount Tziyon,
which cannot be moved
but remains forever.

² Yerushalayim!
Mountains all around it!
Thus Adonai is around his people
henceforth and forever.

³ For the scepter of wickedness
will not rule the inheritance of the righteous,
so that the righteous will not themselves
turn their hands to evil.
⁴ Do good, Adonai, to the good,
to those upright in their hearts.
⁵ But as for those who turn aside
to their own crooked ways,
may Adonai turn them away,
along with those who do evil.

Shalom on Isra’el!

126 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents:

⁽¹⁾ When Adonai restored Tziyon’s fortunes,
we thought we were dreaming.
² Our mouths were full of laughter,
and our tongues shouted for joy.

Among the nations it was said,
“Adonai has done great things for them!”
³ Adonai did do great things with us;
and we are overjoyed.

⁴ Return our people from exile, Adonai,
as streams fill vadis in the Negev.

⁵ Those who sow in tears
will reap with cries of joy.
⁶ He who goes out weeping
as he carries his sack of seed
will come home with cries of joy
as he carries his sheaves of grain.

127 ⁽⁰⁾ A song of ascents. By Shlomo:

⁽¹⁾ Unless Adonai builds the house,
its builders work in vain.
Unless Adonai guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.

² In vain do you get up early
and put off going to bed,
working hard to earn a living;
for he provides for his beloved,
even when they sleep.
³ Children too are a gift from Adonai;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ The children born when one is young.
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
⁵ How blessed is the man
who has filled his quiver with them;
he will not have to be embarrassed
when contending with foes at the city gate.

4 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention, in order to gain insight;
² for I am giving you good advice;
so don’t abandon my teaching.
³ For I too was once a child to my father;
and my mother, too, thought of me as her special darling.
⁴ He too taught me; he said to me,
“Let your heart treasure my words;
keep my commands, and live;
⁵ gain wisdom, gain insight;
don’t forget or turn from the words I am saying.
⁶ Don’t abandon [wisdom]; then she will preserve you;
love her, and she will protect you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!
And along with all your getting, get insight!
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will bring you honor;
⁹ she will give your head a garland of grace,
bestow on you a crown of glory.”

¹⁰ Listen, my son, receive what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
¹¹ I’m directing you on the way of wisdom,
guiding you in paths of uprightness;
¹² when you walk, your step won’t be hindered;
and if you run, you won’t stumble.
¹³ Hold fast to discipline, don’t let it go;
guard it, for it is your life.

¹⁴ Don’t follow the path of the wicked
or walk on the way of evildoers.
¹⁵ Avoid it, don’t go on it,
turn away from it, and pass on.
¹⁶ For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil,
they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall.
¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
shining ever brighter until full daylight.
¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like darkness;
they don’t even know what makes them stumble.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I am saying;
incline your ear to my words.
²¹ Don’t let them out of your sight,
keep them deep in your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
and health to their whole being.

²³ Above everything else, guard your heart;
for it is the source of life’s consequences.
²⁴ Keep crooked speech out of your mouth,
banish deceit from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze on what lies in front of you.
²⁶ Level the path for your feet,
let all your ways be properly prepared;
²⁷ then deviate neither right nor left;
and keep your foot far from evil.