Psalm 127-129
Easy-to-Read Version
A song from Solomon for going up to the Temple.
127 If it is not the Lord who builds a house,
the builders are wasting their time.
If it is not the Lord who watches over the city,
the guards are wasting their time.
2 It is a waste of time to get up early and stay up late,
trying to make a living.
The Lord provides for those he loves,
even while they are sleeping.
3 Children are a gift[a] from the Lord,
a reward from a mother’s womb.
4 A young man’s sons
are like the arrows in a soldier’s hand.
5 The man who fills his quiver with sons
will be very blessed.
He will never be defeated
when he opposes his enemy at the city gates.[b]
A song for going up to the Temple.
128 Great blessings belong to those who fear and respect the Lord
and live the way he wants.
2 You will get what you work for.
You will enjoy the Lord’s blessings, and all will go well for you.
3 At home, your wife will have many children, like a vine full of grapes.
The children around your table will be like an orchard full of olive trees.
4 Yes, the Lord will really bless those who respect him.
5 May the Lord bless you from Mount Zion.
May you enjoy the blessings of Jerusalem all your life.
6 And may you live to see your grandchildren.
Let Israel always enjoy peace!
A song for going up to the Temple.
129 All my life enemies have attacked me.
Say it again, Israel.
2 All my life enemies have attacked me,
but they have never defeated me.
3 They beat me until I had deep cuts.
My back looked like a freshly plowed field.
4 But the Lord does what is right;
he cut the ropes and set me free from those wicked people.
5 May those who hate Zion be put to shame.
May they be stopped and chased away.
6 They will be like grass on a flat roof
that dies before it has time to grow.
7 The one who goes to harvest it
will not find enough to cut and stack.
8 May no one walking by those wicked people ever say,
“May the Lord bless you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 127:3 gift Literally, “inheritance.” This usually means the land God gave to each family in Israel.
- Psalm 127:5 city gates This can refer to either a battle to protect the city or to a court case held in this public place.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International