אֶל יְהוָה בַּצָּרָתָה לִּי | 120:1 | To יהוה when I am trouble bound |
אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל הֶהָרִים | 121:1 | I will lift up my eyes to the hills |
שָׂמַחְתִּי בְּאֹמְרִים לִי | 122:1 | I was glad when they said to me |
אֵלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי אֶת עֵינַי | 123:1 | To you I lift up my eyes |
לוּלֵי יְהוָה שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ יֹאמַר | 124:1 | Unless יהוה had been for us |
הַבֹּטְחִים בַּיהוָה כְּהַר צִיּוֹן | 125:1 | Those trusting in יהוה are like mount Zion |
בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה אֶת שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן | 126:1 | When יהוה turned the captivity of Zion |
אִם יְהוָה לֹא יִבְנֶה בַיִת | 127:1 | If יהוה does not build a house |
אַשְׁרֵי כָּל יְרֵא יְהוָה | 128:1 | Happy all who fear יהוה |
רַבַּת צְרָרוּנִי מִנְּעוּרַי יֹאמַר | 129:1 | Exceedingly they troubled me from my youth |
מִמַּעֲמַקִּים קְרָאתִיךָ יְהוָה | 130:1 | From the valleys I call to you יהוה |
יְהוָה לֹא גָבַהּ לִבִּי | 131:1 | Of David יהוה my heart is not haughty |
זְכוֹר יְהוָה לְדָוִד אֵת כָּל עֻנּוֹתוֹ | 132:1 | יהוה Remember David and all his afflictions |
הִנֵּה מַה טּוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים | 133:1 | Here! How fine and how pleasant |
הִנֵּה בָּרְכוּ אֶת יְהוָה כָּל עַבְדֵי יְהוָה | 134:1 | Here! bless יהוה all servants of יהוה |
הַלְלוּ יָהּ הַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם יְהוָה | 135:1 | Hallelu Yah Praise the name of יהוה |
הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי טוֹב | 136:1 | Give thanks to יהוה because it is good |
The fifth book of the Psalter contains an additional sequence of Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent, Psalms 120-134. The last two above, 135 and 136, share a large number of words and are of nearly identical length.
- Psalm 120, the first of the 15 Songs of Ascents, begins with darkness and charade.
- Psalm 121 promises a God who does not snooze and who keeps Israel.
- Psalm 122 is the prayer for Jerusalem.
- Psalm 123 is about contempt.
- Psalm 124 is a recognition of dependence on .יהוה
- Psalm 125 is an image of security symbolized by the mountains around Jerusalem.
- Psalm 126 is a joyful hope expecting trouble and release.
- Psalm 127 is the middle song, inscribed of Solomon, a second recognition of dependence and a celebration of children.
- Psalm 128 continues the blessing of the family.
- Psalm 129 is a second request to Israel to confess the memory of exceeding trouble. It ends with a non-blessing.
- Psalm 130 includes watching for the morning and the need for ransom from iniquities.
- Psalm 131 notes the value of being mute, as the nursing child on its mother’s back.
- Psalm 132 is the bringing of the ark to the temple, with the priests clothed with righteousness.
- Psalm 133 celebrates the unity of kin, with images of the oil and the dew descending.
- With Psalm 134, the blessing in the courts, we complete the Songs of Ascent, and then we begin to close the brackets that were opened in earlier Psalms.
- Psalm 135 is the culmination of the prior 15 psalms where the worshipers now stand in the courts of the house of God.
- Psalm 136 the fourth psalm with this invitation, identifies the formative event of the Sea of Reeds and the decisive parting as the new frame. This closes the Creation-Redemption themes in the Psalter.
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