Psalm 123

A Prayer for Mercy

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1I lift my eyes to you,

O God, enthroned in heaven.

2We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

just as servants keep their eyes on their master,

as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.

3Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,

for we have had our fill of contempt.

4We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud

and the contempt of the arrogant.

Psalm 124

Praise for Escape from Enemies

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1What if the Lord had not been on our side?

Let all Israel repeat:

2What if the Lord had not been on our side

when people attacked us?

3They would have swallowed us alive

in their burning anger.

4The waters would have engulfed us;

a torrent would have overwhelmed us.

5Yes, the raging waters of their fury

would have overwhelmed our very lives.

6Praise the Lord,

who did not let their teeth tear us apart!

7We escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap.

The trap is broken, and we are free!

8Our help is from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

The Lord Surrounds His People

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;

they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

2Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.

3The wicked will not rule the land of the godly,

for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong.

4O Lord, do good to those who are good,

whose hearts are in tune with you.

5But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord.

Take them away with those who do evil.

May Israel have peace!