1 Unless the Lord the house shall build,
The weary builders toil in vain;
Unless the Lord the city shield,
The guards a useless watch maintain.
2 In vain you rise ere morning break,
And late your nightly vigils keep,
And weary days of toil partake;
For God's belovèd there is sleep.
3 Yes, children are a great reward,
A gift from God in very truth;
As quiver full of arrows stored
Are children given in days of youth.
4 How blest are those whose lives are cheered
By children's growth in strength and grace.
Within their house no foes are feared,
For God keeps watch within that place.
Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990
