Midras Mazmur 129:2: Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Aggadat Bereshit & Bereshit Rabbah

It is written (in Is. 2:2): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT IN THE LATTER DAYS THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD SHALL BE ESTABLISHED <AS THE HIGHEST OF THE MOUNTAINS>…. This text is related (to Job 8:7): THOUGH YOUR BEGINNING WAS TRIFLING (rt.: Ts'R), <YOUR END SHALL GREATLY FLOURISH>. <This verse is here> to teach you that everyone who is troubled (rt.: Ts'R) from his beginning has rest at his end. You have no one who was more troubled (rt.: Ts'R) than Abraham, who was cast into a fiery furnace and went into exile from his ancestral home. Moreover, sixteen kings oppressed him. He also stood the test of ten trials and buried Sarah. Yet in the end he had rest. (Gen. 24:1) NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD, ADVANCED IN YEARS, AND THE LORD BLESSED ABRAHAM <IN ALL THINGS>. Isaac was troubled (rt.: Ts'R) in his youth, for the Philistines were jealous of him, [as stated] (in Gen. 26:16): AND ABIMELECH SAID UNTO ISAAC: GO AWAY FROM US, FOR YOU HAVE BECOME HAVE BECOME TOO POWERFUL FOR US. In the end they begged him for mercy, [as stated] (in vs. 27): AND ISAAC SAID UNTO THEM: WHY HAVE YOU COME UNTO ME…. Jacob also was troubled (rt.: Ts'R) in his youth, as stated (in Ps. 129:1): THEY HAVE HARASSED ME GREATLY FROM MY YOUTH, LET ISRAEL NOW SAY. While he was in his mothers belly, Esau wanted to kill him, as stated (in Gen. 25:22): BUT THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED WITHIN HER…. [Moreover, when he received the blessings, (according to Gen. 27:41:) THEN ESAU HATED JACOB …, AND ESAU SAID IN HIS HEART: <LET THE DAYS OF MOURNING FOR MY FATHER COME, AND I WILL KILL MY BROTHER JACOB>. So he fled to Laban and was troubled (rt.: Ts'R) over his daughter, and after that Laban wanted to kill him, as stated (in Deut. 26:5): AN ARAMEAN WOULD HAVE DESTROYED MY ANCESTOR.¹³This is required sense by the midrash. A more usual translation would read: A WANDERING ARAMEAN WAS MY ANCESTOR. He went away from him and encountered Esau, as stated (in Gen. 33:1): NOW JACOB RAISED HIS EYES AND SAW ESAU COMING…. There came upon him the trouble over Dinah and the trouble over Joseph. Yet in the end he had rest, [as stated] (in Gen. 47:12): AND JOSEPH SUSTAINED HIS FATHER <AND HIS BROTHERS>…. Ergo (in Job 8:7): THOUGH YOUR BEGINNING WAS TRIFLING (rt.: Ts'R), <YOUR END SHALL GREATLY FLOURISH>.

[2] Another explanation According to our father Jacob, he exclaimed and said, "Greatly have I been afflicted from my youth, let Israel now say" (Psalms 129:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded and said, "But in every trouble that entered upon you, was I not with you and saved you? I redeemed you from death in famine (Job 5:20), when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt and said, 'Why do you just keep looking at each other?' (Genesis 42:1), and in war from the hand of the sword (Job 5:20), when Esau came with four hundred men, "You will hide from the sword of the tongue" (Job 5:21). When did Jacob hear the words of Laban's sons, etc.? (Genesis 31:1), and "Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes" (Proverbs 3:25). When did the people of Shechem come and depart and a terror from God fell upon them? (Genesis 35:5), "You shall laugh at destruction and famine" (Job 5:22). When did he leave his father's house and Esau took his blessings from him? (It seems to be different opinions regarding the interpretation of the beginning of Parshat Vayetze) Nevertheless, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not abandon him, as it is written, "With my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps" (Genesis 32:11), "Do not be afraid of the beasts of the earth" (Job 5:22), for as long as he was a shepherd, not one of the animals touched the flock, as it is written, "I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts" (Genesis 31:39). "For you have made a covenant with the stones of the field" (Job 5:23). When did he take stones from the place and set them up as a pillar? (Genesis 28:18). "And the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee" (Job 5:23), "And Esau ran to meet him" (Genesis 33:4), which is called a "Chayah" (wild animal), as it says, "Shout down the beast of the reeds" [(Yishmael, who is like a swine living among the reeds)] (Psalms 68:31). "And you will know that your tent is in peace" (Job 5:24), "When was it that Israel settled?" (Genesis 33:22), and what is written after that? "And the sons of Jacob were twelve" (Genesis 35:22). "And you will lie down, and none shall make you afraid" (Job 11:19), "And Israel shall dwell in safety, alone" (Deuteronomy 33:28), "Many faces have been humbled before you" (Job 40:14), "And many nations shall come" (Isaiah 2:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: "After all these things that I have done for you, you will call me your adversary" (Hosea 12:14). Jacob also said, "Many have been my afflictions from my youth" (Psalms 129:1), and also said, "They have not prevailed against me" (Psalms 129:2). David said to him, "For all these things, I will give you praise," as it says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all" (Psalms 34:19).

“Jacob arrived intact.” “A song of ascents. Let Israel⁶This is expounded as a reference to Jacob, whose name was also Israel. now say: From my youth, they have greatly afflicted me” (Psalms 129:1) – the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘And did they overcome you?’ He said to Him: “Yet they did not prevail against me” (Psalms 129:2) – “Jacob arrived intact.”
“Many evils may afflict a righteous man…” (Psalms 34:20). “Many evils” – this is Esau and his chieftains; “a righteous man” – this is Jacob. “But the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalms 34:20) – “Jacob arrived intact.”
“The Lord will guard your going and your coming, from now until eternity” (Psalms 121:8). “Will guard your going [tzetekha]” – “Jacob departed [vayetze] from Beersheba” (Genesis 28:10); “And your coming [uvo’ekha]” – “Jacob arrived [vayavo] intact.”