Beginning
Prayer for Deliverance from the Treacherous.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
120 (A)In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from (B)lying lips,
From a (C)deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You (D)deceitful tongue?
4 (E)Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With the burning (F)coals of the broom tree.
5 Woe is me, for I sojourn in (G)Meshech,
For I dwell among the (H)tents of (I)Kedar!
6 Too long has my soul had its dwelling
With those who (J)hate peace.
7 I (K)am for peace, but when I speak,
They are (L)for war.
The Lord the Keeper of Israel.
A Song of Ascents.
121 I will (M)lift up my eyes to (N)the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My (O)help comes from the Lord,
Who (P)made heaven and earth.
3 He will not (Q)allow your foot to slip;
He who (R)keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your (S)keeper;
The Lord is your (T)shade on your right hand.
6 The (U)sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will [b](V)protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will [c](W)guard your going out and your coming in
(X)From this time forth and forever.
Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
122 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us (Y)go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing
Within your (Z)gates, O Jerusalem,
3 Jerusalem, that is (AA)built
As a city that is (AB)compact together;
4 To which the tribes (AC)go up, even the tribes of [d]the Lord—
[e]An ordinance for Israel—
To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 For there (AD)thrones were set for judgment,
The thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the (AE)peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who (AF)love you.
7 “May peace be within your (AG)walls,
And prosperity within your (AH)palaces.”
8 For the sake of my (AI)brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “(AJ)May peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will (AK)seek your good.
Prayer for the Lord’s Help.
A Song of Ascents.
123 To You I (AL)lift up my eyes,
O You who (AM)are enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of (AN)servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our (AO)eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.
3 (AP)Be gracious to us, O Lord, be gracious to us,
For we are greatly filled (AQ)with contempt.
4 Our soul is greatly filled
With the (AR)scoffing of (AS)those who are at ease,
And with the (AT)contempt of the proud.
Praise for Rescue from Enemies.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
124 “(AU)Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,”
(AV)Let Israel now say,
2 “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
When men rose up against us,
3 Then they would have (AW)swallowed us alive,
When their (AX)anger was kindled against us;
4 Then the (AY)waters would have engulfed us,
The stream would have [f]swept over our soul;
5 Then the (AZ)raging waters would have [g]swept over our soul.”
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us [h]to be (BA)torn by their teeth.
7 Our soul has (BB)escaped (BC)as a bird out of the (BD)snare of the trapper;
The snare is broken and we have escaped.
8 Our (BE)help is in the name of the Lord,
Who (BF)made heaven and earth.
The Lord Surrounds His People.
A Song of Ascents.
125 Those who trust in the Lord
Are as Mount Zion, which (BG)cannot be moved but (BH)abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So (BI)the Lord surrounds His people
(BJ)From this time forth and forever.
3 For the (BK)scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the [i]land of the righteous,
So that the righteous (BL)will not put forth their hands to do wrong.
4 (BM)Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
And to those who are (BN)upright in their hearts.
5 But as for those who (BO)turn aside to their (BP)crooked ways,
The Lord will lead them away with the (BQ)doers of iniquity.
(BR)Peace be upon Israel.
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of Ascents.
126 When the Lord (BS)brought back [j]the captive ones of Zion,
We were (BT)like those who dream.
2 Then our (BU)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (BV)tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has (BW)done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
We are (BX)glad.
4 Restore our captivity, O Lord,
As the [k](BY)streams in the [l]South.
5 Those who sow in (BZ)tears shall reap with (CA)joyful shouting.
6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Prosperity Comes from the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord (CB)builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord (CC)guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To [m]retire late,
To (CD)eat the bread of [n]painful labors;
For He gives to His (CE)beloved (CF)even in his sleep.
3 Behold, (CG)children are a [o]gift of the Lord,
The (CH)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (CI)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How (CJ)blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
(CK)They will not be ashamed
When they (CL)speak with their enemies (CM)in the gate.
Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.
A Song of Ascents.
128 (CN)How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who (CO)walks in His ways.
2 When you shall (CP)eat of the [p](CQ)fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and (CR)it will be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a (CS)fruitful vine
[q]Within your house,
Your children like (CT)olive plants
Around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
5 (CU)The Lord bless you (CV)from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 Indeed, may you see your (CW)children’s children.
(CX)Peace be upon Israel!
Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.
A Song of Ascents.
129 “[r]Many times they have [s](CY)persecuted me from my (CZ)youth up,”
(DA)Let Israel now say,
2 “[t]Many times they have [u]persecuted me from my youth up;
Yet they have (DB)not prevailed against me.
3 “The plowers plowed upon my back;
They lengthened their furrows.”
4 The Lord (DC)is righteous;
He has cut in two the (DD)cords of the wicked.
5 May all who (DE)hate Zion
Be (DF)put to shame and turned backward;
6 Let them be like (DG)grass upon the housetops,
Which withers before it [v]grows up;
7 With which the reaper does not fill his [w]hand,
Or the binder of sheaves his (DH)bosom;
8 Nor do those who pass by say,
“The (DI)blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.
A Song of Ascents.
130 Out of the (DJ)depths I have cried to You, O Lord.
2 Lord, (DK)hear my voice!
Let (DL)Your ears be attentive
To the (DM)voice of my supplications.
3 If You, [x]Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (DN)stand?
4 But there is (DO)forgiveness with You,
That You may be (DP)feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my (DQ)soul does wait,
And [y](DR)in His word do I hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen (DS)for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, (DT)hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is (DU)lovingkindness,
And with Him is (DV)abundant redemption.
8 And He will (DW)redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.
Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of David.
131 O Lord, my heart is not (DX)proud, nor my eyes [z](DY)haughty;
Nor do I [aa]involve myself in (DZ)great matters,
Or in things (EA)too [ab]difficult for me.
2 Surely I have (EB)composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned (EC)child rests [ac]against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child [ad]within me.
3 O Israel, (ED)hope in the Lord
(EE)From this time forth and forever.
Prayer for the Lord’s Blessing upon the Sanctuary.
A Song of Ascents.
132 Remember, O Lord, on David’s behalf,
All (EF)his affliction;
2 How he swore to the Lord
And vowed to (EG)the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “Surely I will not [ae]enter (EH)my house,
Nor [af]lie on my bed;
4 I will not (EI)give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a (EJ)place for the Lord,
[ag]A dwelling place for (EK)the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in (EL)Ephrathah,
We found it in the (EM)field of [ah]Jaar.
7 Let us go into His [ai](EN)dwelling place;
Let us (EO)worship at His (EP)footstool.
8 (EQ)Arise, O Lord, to Your (ER)resting place,
You and the ark of Your (ES)strength.
9 Let Your priests be (ET)clothed with righteousness,
And let Your (EU)godly ones sing for joy.
10 For the sake of David Your servant,
Do not turn away the face of Your (EV)anointed.
11 The Lord has (EW)sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“(EX)Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
12 “If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall (EY)sit upon your throne forever.”
13 For the Lord has (EZ)chosen Zion;
He has (FA)desired it for His habitation.
14 “This is My (FB)resting place forever;
Here I will (FC)dwell, for I have desired it.
15 “I will abundantly (FD)bless her provision;
I will (FE)satisfy her needy with bread.
16 “Her (FF)priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her (FG)godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
17 “There I will cause the (FH)horn of David to spring forth;
I have prepared a (FI)lamp for Mine anointed.
18 “His enemies I will (FJ)clothe with shame,
But upon himself his (FK)crown shall shine.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.