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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Bible · 604 of 1189

Psalms 126

1.When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

2.Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3.The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

4.Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

5.They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6.He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Asked of Guide

Why does the psalm compare return from exile to dreaming and streams in the south?

The psalm says the LORD turned the captivity of Zion and we were “like them that dream,” which captures stunned, overflowing joy after deliverance; mouths full of laughter and tongues with singing make the return feel unreal. The plea “Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south” borrows from the image of seasonal watercourses—those sudden, life-giving flows in the Negev—and asks for renewal that comes reliably and refreshes the land and people.

Verses 5–6 link that renewal to patient labor: sowing in tears leads to reaping in joy, and the one who goes out weeping bearing seed will return rejoicing with sheaves. This pairs the miracle of divine restoration with human perseverance, a theme also emphasized in Proverbs where diligent sowing brings eventual harvest.

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