[Intro]
אִם־ה׳ לֹא־יִבְנֶה בַיִת¹
(*Im Hashem lo yivneh vayit* — *Unless Hashem builds the house,*)
שָׁוְא עָמְלוּ בוֹנָיו בּוֹ¹
(*Shav amelu vonav bo* — *its builders labor in vain.*)

[Verse 1]
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לִשְׁלֹמֹה¹
(*Shir hama'alot liShlomo* — *A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.*)
אִם־ה׳ לֹא־יִבְנֶה בַיִת¹
(*Im Hashem lo yivneh vayit* — *Unless Hashem builds the house,*)

שָׁוְא עָמְלוּ בוֹנָיו בּוֹ¹
(*Shav amelu vonav bo* — *its builders labor in vain.*)
אִם־ה׳ לֹא־יִשְׁמָר־עִיר¹
(*Im Hashem lo yishmor ir* — *Unless Hashem guards the city,*)

שָׁוְא שָׁקַד שׁוֹמֵר¹
(*Shav shakad shomer* — *the watchman keeps watch in vain.*)

[Verse 2]
שָׁוְא לָכֶם מַשְׁכִּימֵי קוּם¹
(*Shav lakhem mashkimei kum* — *It is in vain that you rise early,*)
מְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁבֶת¹
(*Me'aḥarei shevet* — *and stay up late,*)

אֹכְלֵי לֶחֶם הָעֲצָבִים¹
(*Okhlei leḥem ha'atzavim* — *eating the bread of anxious toil.*)
כֵּן יִתֵּן לִידִידוֹ שֵׁנָא¹
(*Ken yitten lidido shena* — *For He grants sleep to His beloved.*)

[Verse 3]
הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת ה׳ בָּנִים¹
(*Hineh naḥalat Hashem banim* — *Behold, children are an inheritance from Hashem.*)
שָׂכָר פְּרִי הַבָּטֶן¹
(*Sakhar peri habaten* — *The fruit of the womb is a reward.*)

כְּחִצִּים בְּיַד גִּבּוֹר¹
(*Keḥitzim beyad gibbor* — *Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,*)
כֵּן בְּנֵי הַנְּעוּרִים¹
(*Ken benei hane'urim* — *So are the children of one's youth.*)

[Verse 4]
אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר¹
(*Ashrei hagever* — *Happy is the man*)
אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת־אַשְׁפָּתוֹ מֵהֶם¹
(*Asher mille et ashpato mehem* — *Who has filled his quiver with them.*)

לֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ¹
(*Lo yevoshu* — *They shall not be put to shame,*)
כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֶת־אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר¹
(*Ki yedabberu et oyvim basha'ar* — *When they speak with enemies at the gate.*)

[Outro]

אִם־ה׳ לֹא־יִבְנֶה בַיִת¹
(*Im Hashem lo yivneh vayit* — *Unless Hashem builds the house,*)
שָׁוְא עָמְלוּ בוֹנָיו בּוֹ¹
(*Shav amelu vonav bo* — *its builders labor in vain.*)

-------

[Sources]
¹ **Tehillim 127:1–5**