In Praise of God's Goodness+

1If the Lord does not build the house,

the work of the builders is useless;

if the Lord does not protect the city,

it does no good for the sentries to stand guard.

2It is useless to work so hard for a living,

getting up early and going to bed late.

For the Lord provides for those he loves,

while they are asleep.

3Children are a gift from the Lord;

they are a real blessing.

4The sons a man has when he is young

are like arrows in a soldier's hand.

5Happy is the man who has many such arrows.

He will never be defeated

when he meets his enemies in the place of judgment.