Psalm 127

P S A L M S — 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137

General Information

Liturgical use: Fourth psalm of Vespers on feasts of the Virgin Mary. The doxology (Gloria Patri, etc.) is not part of the psalm proper, but is a normal addition to the psalm in the liturgy.

Settings by composers

In Latin, unless otherwise specified.

Giovanni Giacomo Arrigoni SSB or SSSABB Giovanni Matteo Asola AATB.ATBB Alois Bauer SATB Francesco Cavalli SATB Marc-Antoine Charpentier SATB Johann Joseph Fux SATB Alessandro Grandi SATT.SATB George Frideric Handel SSATB Hans Leo Hassler SATTB Orlando di Lasso SAATB Martin Luther SATB (German)

Claudio Monteverdi a 3 STB (2 violins & bc) a 6 SSATTB a 8 SATTB.SATTB or STTTB.STTTB Leonhard Schröter (German) SSAT.ATBB or SSAT.ATTB Heinrich Schütz SSB.SATB (German, 2 violins, or violin and cornettino, with SATB instruments and bc) Ludwig Senfl in German, STTB Tomás Luis de Victoria a 3 SAT a 8 SSAB.SATB

Text and translations

Latin text Clementine Vulgate (Psalm 126) Canticum graduum Salomonis 1 Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum, in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, frustra vigilat qui custodit eam. 2 Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere: surgite postquam sederitis, qui manducatis panem doloris. Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum, 3 ecce haereditas Domini, filii; merces, fructus ventris. 4 Sicut sagittae in manu potentis, ita filii excussorum. 5 Beatus vir qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis: non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta.

English translation Word-for-word 1 Lest the Lord build the house, in vain shall work those who build it. Lest the Lord keep the city, in vain shall work [he] who keeps watch over it. 2 Vain is for you before the light to wake: wake up after you have rested, [you] who eat the bread of pain. For he gave, to the beloved of his, rest, 3 here [are] the inheritance of the Lord, the children; rewards, the fruit of the womb. 4 As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them [that have been] shaken. 5 Blessed [is] the man who filled the quiver of his with them; not shall he be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies at the gate. Translation by Campelli

English text Church of England 1662 Book of Common Prayer 1 Except the Lord build the house: their labour is but lost that build it. Except the Lord keep the city: the watchman waketh but in vain. 2 It is but lost labour that ye haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. 3 Lo, children and the fruit of the womb: are an heritage and gift that cometh of the Lord. 4 Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant: even so are the young children. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

English translation Douay-Rheims Bible 1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. 2 It is vain for you to rise before light, rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved, 3 behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb. 4 As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. 5 Blessed is the man that hath filled the desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.

Hungarian translation Salamon éneke a fölmenetekre. 1 Ha az Úr nem építi a házat, hiába munkálkodnak, kik azt építik; ha az Úr nem őrzi a várost, hiába vigyáz, ki azt őrzi. 2 Hiába keltek föl viradat előtt; hiába keltek föl pihenés után, kik a fájdalom kenyerét eszitek. Mig ellenben az Úr íme álmot ad az ő kedveltjeinek, 3 örökséget a fiakban: mert az ő ajándéka a méh gyümölcse. 4 Mint a nyilak a hatalmas kezében, olyanok a száműzöttek fiai. 5 Boldog a férfiú, kinek ilyenek után kivánsága betelt; nem szégyenűl meg, midőn ellenségeivel szól a kapuban.

German text 1 Wo der Herr nicht das Haus bauet, so arbeiten umsonst, die daran bauen. Wo der Herr nicht die Stadt behütet, so wachet der Wächter umsonst. 2 Es ist umsonst, dass ihr früh aufstehet: und hernach lange sitzet, und esset euer Brod mit Sorgen. 3 Denn seinen Freunden giebet ers schlafend. Siehe, Kinder sind eine Gabe des Herrn, und Leibesfrucht ist ein Geschenk. 4 Wie die Pfeile in der Hand eines Starken, also gerathen die jungen Knabe. 5 Wohl demn, der seine Köcher derselben voll hat, sie werden nicht zu Schanden, wenn sie mit ihren Feinden handeln im Thor.

French text 1 Si le Seigneur ne bâtit pas la maison, ceux qui la bâtissent travaillent en vain. Si le Seigneur ne garde pas la ville, celui qui la garde veille en vain. 2 En vain vous levez-vous le matin, tardez-vous à vous reposer, et mangez-vous le pain des douleurs. 3 Comme il en donne à ses amis pendant leur sommeil, voici ses fils, héritage du Seigneur, et le fruit de son sein, sa récompense. 4 Comme les flèches dans la main d'un guerrier, ainsi sont les fils des exclus. 5 Heureux l'homme qui en remplit son carquois : il ne sera pas confus quand il parlera à ses ennemis à la porte.

Serbian text 1 Ако Господ неће градити дом, узалуд се муче који га граде; ако неће Господ чувати град, узалуд не спава стражар. 2 Узалуд раните, касно лежете, једете хлеб уморни; милом свом Он даје сан. 3 Ево наследства од Господа: деца, пород је дар од Њега. 4 Шта су стреле у руци јакоме, то су синови млади. 5 Благо човеку који је њима напунио тул свој! Неће се осрамотити кад се стану разговарати с непријатељима на вратима.