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.