Psalms 122:4-9

Context

122:4 The tribes go up¹ there,²

the tribes of the Lord,

where it is required that Israel

give thanks to the name of the Lord.³

122:5 Indeed,⁴ the leaders sit⁵ there on thrones and make legal decisions,

on the thrones of the house of David.⁶

122:6 Pray⁷ for the peace of Jerusalem!

May those who love her prosper!⁸

122:7 May there be peace inside your defenses,

and prosperity⁹ inside your fortresses!¹⁰

122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors

I will say, “May there be peace in you!”

122:9 For the sake of the temple of the Lord our God

I will pray for you to prosper.¹¹

[122:4] ¹tn Or “went up.”

[122:4] ²tn Heb “which is where the tribes go up.”

[122:4] ³tn Heb “[it is] a statute for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

[122:5] ⁴tn Or “for.”

[122:5] ⁵tn Or “sat.”

[122:5] ⁶tn Heb “Indeed, there they sit [on] thrones for judgment, [on] thrones [belonging] to the house of David.”

[122:6] ⁷tn Heb “ask [for].”

[122:6] ⁸tn Or “be secure.”

[122:7] ⁹tn or “security.”

[122:7] ¹⁰tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronominal forms to address personified Jerusalem.

[122:9] ¹¹tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer.