Why read Psalm 126?
Psalm 126 is a prayer for blessing on home, family and work. It acknowledges the limits of human effort and entrusts the building of a household and the care of loved ones to God.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, in...” — this is how Psalm 126 begins, a work of 5 verses from the 18th Kathisma. The Psalter is read in the Orthodox Church at every service, and this psalm has its place in the order of prayer.
The text of Psalm 126
1. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain; unless the Lord guards the city, its watchman keeps watch in vain.
2. In vain you rise early in the morning, in vain you lie down late, you who eat the bread of sorrow, unless the Lord gives you sleep, His beloved ones.
3. Behold, sons are the Lord’s inheritance, the reward of the fruit of the womb.
4. Like arrows in the hand of the brave are the children of young parents.
5. Blessed is the man who will fill his house with children; he will not be ashamed when he speaks with his enemies at the gate.
When Psalm 126 is read
- For the home, family and the Lord’s “building”.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
