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A song to sing as we climb.

The house of God

132 Lord, remember King David
    and all the troubles that he suffered.
He made a special promise to the Lord.
    He promised you, the Mighty One of Jacob.[a]
He said, ‘I will not go into my house or get into my bed;
I will not sleep even for a moment,
    until I find a house for the Lord.
Yes, the Mighty One of Jacob needs a proper home.’[b]

Listen! We heard the news at Ephrathah.[c]
We found God's Covenant Box in the fields of Jaar.[d]
We will go to the Lord's home!
    We will worship him on his throne!
Lord, come now and stay here, in your home!
    Come with the Covenant Box that shows your great power.[e]
May your priests serve you in a good way.
    Cause your faithful people to shout with joy!
10 Remember your servant, King David.
    Do not turn away from your chosen king.[f]
11 The Lord made a strong promise to David.
    He will not change what he has promised to do.
The Lord said,
    ‘I will put one of your sons on your throne to rule as king.
12 If your sons obey my covenant and my rules,
    their descendants will rule for ever.’
13 The Lord has chosen Zion to be his home.
14 He said, ‘This is where I will live for ever.
    This is where I want my home to be.
15 I will give Zion's people everything that they need.
    Zion's poor people will have plenty of food to eat.
16 I will keep Zion's priests safe.
The people who serve God faithfully will shout loudly,
    because they are so happy.
17 In Zion I will give strength to King David's family.
My chosen king will continue to rule well,
    like a light that shines brightly.
18 I will cause his enemies to be ashamed.
    But his own kingdom will be great!’

Footnotes

  1. 132:2 ‘The Mighty One of Jacob’ is another name for God, who ruled over the Israelites.
  2. 132:5 David wanted God to have a proper home. He wanted to build a temple for the Lord. It was his son, Solomon, who then built the temple.
  3. 132:6 Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem.
  4. 132:6 See 1 Chronicles 13:5-6.
  5. 132:8 They brought the Covenant Box to Jerusalem before they built the Temple. They put it in a special tent. When the Temple was built, they put God's Covenant Box in the inside room of the temple, the Most Holy Place.
  6. 132:10 The word for ‘chosen king’ is ‘Messiah’ in the Hebrew language. Jesus was King David's great descendant who became king for ever.

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.