MAY THE LORD PROTECT OUR HOMES

May the Lord be our help and salvation.

May the Lord protect and guard our homes.

May he favour us with his blessings.

May he keep us ever in his care.

If the house is not built by the Lord,

In vain is the toil of the workers,

If the town is not guarded by the Lord,

In vain does the watchman keep all night vigil.

In vain is your earlier rising,

Your going later to rest,

You who eat the bread of anxious toil,

The Lord will provide for his friends

while they slumber.

Truly children are a gift from the Lord,

A blessing, the fruit of the womb,

For the sons born to man in his youth

Are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.

O happy is the man well provided,

Who has filled his quiver with these arrows,

He will have no cause for shame or worry

When contending with his foes at the gateway.

Give praise to the Father almighty

To his Son Jesus Christ, the Lord,

To the Spirit who dwells in our hearts,

Both now and for ever. Amen.