Psalms 129

1 A SONG OF THE ASCENTS. Often they distressed me from my youth, Pray, let Israel say:

A Song of Ascents. Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say:

2 Often they distressed me from my youth, Yet they have not prevailed over me.

many times they have afflicted me from my youth up, yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 Plowers have plowed over my back, They have made their furrows long.

The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long.

4 YHWH [is] righteous, He has cut apart cords of the wicked.

Yahweh is righteous. He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.

5 All hating Zion [are] confounded and turn backward.

Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.

6 They are as grass of the roofs, That withers before it was drawn out,

Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,

7 That has not filled the hand of a reaper, And the bosom of a binder of sheaves.

with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.

8 And the passers by have not said, “The blessing of YHWH [is] on you, We blessed you in the Name of YHWH!”

Neither do those who go by say, “The blessing of Yahweh be on you. We bless you in Yahweh’s name.”