Psalms 123
A song of ascents asking God for mercy amid scorn.
Psalm 123 is a short song of ascents in which the psalmist lifts his eyes to God "that dwellest in the heavens," comparing Israel's watchfulness to a servant's eyes fixed on a master's hand. It pairs naturally with the upward gaze of Psalms 121:1, another ascents psalm that opens by looking to the hills and to the Lord.
A gradual canticle. If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say:
If it had not been that the Lord was with us, When men rose up against us,
Perhaps they had swallowed us up alive. When their fury was enkindled against us,
Perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
Our soul hath passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.