Chronological
The Lord Our Protector
A song of ascents.
121 I lift my eyes towards the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(A)
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(B)
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(C)
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(D)
5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a](E)
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(F)
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
he will protect your life.(G)
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and for ever.(H)
Looking for God’s Favour
A song of ascents.
123 I lift my eyes to you,
the one enthroned in heaven.(A)
2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until he shows us favour.(B)
3 Show us favour, Lord, show us favour,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.(C)
4 We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.(D)
The Lord Is on Our Side
A song of ascents. Of David.
124 If the Lord had not been on our side –
let Israel say –
2 if the Lord had not been on our side(E)
when people attacked us,(F)
3 then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.(G)
4 Then the water would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
5 the raging water would have swept over us.(H)
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.(I)
7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.(J)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(K)
Israel’s Stability
A song of ascents.
125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains for ever.(L)
2 The mountains surround Jerusalem
and the Lord surrounds his people,
both now and for ever.(M)
3 The sceptre of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.(N)
4 Do what is good, Lord, to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.(O)
5 But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.(P)
Peace be with Israel.(Q)
Blessings for Those Who Fear God
A song of ascents.
128 How happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!(A)
2 You will surely eat
what your hands have worked for.(B)
You will be happy,
and it will go well for you.(C)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house,
your children, like young olive trees
round your table.(D)
4 In this very way
the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed.(E)
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life(F)
6 and will see your children’s children!
Peace be with Israel.(G)
Protection of the Oppressed
A song of ascents.
129 Since my youth they have often attacked me –
let Israel say –
2 since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.(H)
3 Ploughmen ploughed over my back;
they made their furrows long.(I)
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the ropes of the wicked.(J)
5 Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace.(K)
6 Let them be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it grows up[a](L)
7 and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.(M)
8 Then none who pass by will say,
‘May the Lord’s blessing be on you.
We bless you in the name of the Lord.’(N)
Awaiting Redemption
A song of ascents.
130 Out of the depths I call to you, Lord!(O)
2 Lord, listen to my voice;
let your ears be attentive
to my cry for help.(P)
3 Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?(Q)
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you may be revered.(R)
5 I wait for the Lord; I wait
and put my hope in his word.(S)
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning –
more than watchmen for the morning.(T)
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord.(U)
For there is faithful love with the Lord,
and with him is redemption in abundance.(V)
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.(W)
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