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Psalm 132[a]

The Covenant Between David and God

A song of ascents.

I

Remember, O Lord, for David
    all his hardships;
How he swore an oath to the Lord,
    vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:[b]
“I will not enter the house where I live,(A)
    nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
    my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
“We have heard of it in Ephrathah;[c]
    we have found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling;
    let us worship at his footstool.”(B)
“Arise, Lord, come to your resting place,(C)
    you and your mighty ark.
Your priests will be clothed with justice;
    your devout will shout for joy.”
10 For the sake of David your servant,
    do not reject your anointed.

II

11 The Lord swore an oath to David in truth,
    he will never turn back from it:(D)
“Your own offspring(E) I will set upon your throne.
12 If your sons observe my covenant,
    and my decrees I shall teach them,
Their sons, in turn,
    shall sit forever on your throne.”
13 Yes, the Lord has chosen Zion,
    desired it for a dwelling:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
    here I will dwell, for I desire it.
15 I will bless Zion with provisions;
    its poor I will fill with bread.
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation;
    its devout shall shout for joy.(F)
17 There I will make a horn sprout for David;[d](G)
    I will set a lamp for my anointed.
18 His foes I will clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown shall shine.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 132 A song for a liturgical ceremony in which the ark, the throne of Israel’s God, was carried in procession to the Temple. The singer asks that David’s care for the proper housing of the ark be regarded with favor (Ps 132:1–5), and tells how it was brought to Jerusalem (Ps 132:6–10). There follows God’s promise of favor to the Davidic dynasty (Ps 132:11–12) and to Zion (Ps 132:13–17). The transfer of the ark to the tent in Jerusalem is described in 2 Sm 6.
  2. 132:2, 132:5 Mighty One of Jacob: one of the titles of Israel’s God, cf. Gn 49:24; Is 49:26; 60:16.
  3. 132:6 Ephrathah: the homeland of David, cf. Ru 4:11. The fields of Jaar: poetic for Kiriath-jearim, a town west of Jerusalem, where the ark remained for several generations, cf. 1 Sm 7:1–2; 2 Sm 6:2; 1 Chr 13:5–6.
  4. 132:17 A horn sprout for David: the image of the horn, a symbol of strength, is combined with that of a “sprout,” a term used for the Davidic descendant (cf. Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zec 3:8; 6:12). Early Christians referred the latter designation to Christ as son of David (Lk 1:69).

Psalm 132(A)

A song of ascents.

Lord, remember David
    and all his self-denial.(B)

He swore an oath to the Lord,
    he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(C)
“I will not enter my house(D)
    or go to my bed,
I will allow no sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place(E) for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard it in Ephrathah,(F)
    we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:[a](G)
“Let us go to his dwelling place,(H)
    let us worship at his footstool,(I) saying,
‘Arise, Lord,(J) and come to your resting place,
    you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;(K)
    may your faithful people(L) sing for joy.’”

10 For the sake of your servant David,
    do not reject your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore an oath to David,(M)
    a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants(N)
    I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant(O)
    and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
    on your throne(P) for ever and ever.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,(Q)
    he has desired it for his dwelling,(R) saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;(S)
    here I will sit enthroned,(T) for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
    her poor I will satisfy with food.(U)
16 I will clothe her priests(V) with salvation,
    and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.(W)

17 “Here I will make a horn[b] grow(X) for David
    and set up a lamp(Y) for my anointed one.(Z)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(AA)
    but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 132:6 Or heard of it in Ephrathah, / we found it in the fields of Jearim. (See 1 Chron. 13:5,6) (And no quotation marks around verses 7-9)
  2. Psalm 132:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one, that is, king.