Psalms 124 WEB

Summary: A Song of Ascents attributed to David, structured around the repeated conditional "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side" (v. 1-2), imagining what would have happened without divine rescue: enemies would have swallowed the people alive, and the waters would have overwhelmed them like a raging flood. It shifts to gratitude that "our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped" (v. 7). It closes affirming that help comes "in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth" (v. 8).

1If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say,

2if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, when men rose up against us;

3then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;

4then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;

5then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.

6Blessed be Yahweh, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8Our help is in Yahweh’s name, who made heaven and earth.

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