Chronological
Psalm 121
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.(A)
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.(B)
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 123
Supplication for Mercy
A Song of Ascents.
1 To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!(A)
2 As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.(B)
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.(C)
4 Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.(D)
Psalm 124
Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—(E)
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;(F)
4 then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;(G)
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.(H)
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.(I)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.(J)
Psalm 125
The Security of God’s People
A Song of Ascents.
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved but abides forever.(K)
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
from this time on and forevermore.(L)
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands to do wrong.(M)
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in their hearts.(N)
5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
the Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel!(O)
Psalm 128
The Happy Home of the Faithful
A Song of Ascents.
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.(A)
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.(B)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.(C)
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.(D)
6 May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!(E)
Psalm 129
Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
1 Often have they attacked me from my youth
—let Israel now say—(F)
2 often have they attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.(G)
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.(H)
5 May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.(I)
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,(J)
7 with which reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8 while those who pass by do not say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”(K)
Psalm 130
Waiting for Divine Redemption
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.(L)
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!(M)
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?(N)
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.(O)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.