129 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.
4 The Lord is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:
7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we bless you in the name of the Lord .
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 .”
[ a ] 129 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up,
Let Israel now say,
2 [ b ] Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up:
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
They made long their furrows.
4 Jehovah is righteous:
He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them be put to shame and turned backward,
All they that hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops,
Which withereth before it [ c ] groweth up;
7 Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand,
Nor he that bindeth sheaves, his bosom:
8 Neither do they that go by say,
The blessing of Jehovah be upon you;
We bless you in the name of Jehovah.
129 Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up.
Let Israel now say,
2 many times they have afflicted me from my youth up,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back.
They made their furrows long.
4 Yahweh is righteous.
He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them be disappointed and turned backward,
all those who hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand,
nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.
8 Neither do those who go by say,
“The blessing of Yahweh be on you.
We bless you in Yahweh’s name.”
129 A Song of the Ascents. Often they distressed me from my youth, Pray, let Israel say:
2 Often they distressed me from my youth, Yet they have not prevailed over me.
3 Over my back have ploughers ploughed, They have made long their furrows.
4 Jehovah [is] righteous, He hath cut asunder cords of the wicked.
5 Confounded and turn backward do all hating Zion.
6 They are as grass of the roofs, That before it was drawn out withereth,
7 That hath not filled the hand of a reaper, And the bosom of a binder of sheaves.
8 And the passers by have not said, `The blessing of Jehovah [is] on you, We blessed you in the Name of Jehovah!'
129 Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
3 If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
4 For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
5 My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
6 From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
7 Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
