Psalm 120–124

Psalm 120

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

¹I call out to the Lord when I’m in trouble,

and he answers me.

²Lord, save me from people whose lips tell lies.

Save me from people whose tongues don’t tell the truth.

³What will the Lord do to you, you lying tongue?

And what more will he do?

⁴He will punish you with the sharp arrows of a soldier.

He will punish you with burning wood from a desert tree.

⁵How terrible it is for me to live in the tents of the people of Meshech!

How terrible to live in the tents of the people of Kedar!

⁶I have lived too long

among those who hate peace.

⁷I want peace.

But when I speak, they want war.

Psalm 121

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

¹I look up to the hills.

Where does my help come from?

²My help comes from the Lord.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

³He won’t let your foot slip.

He who watches over you won’t get tired.

⁴In fact, he who watches over Israel

won’t get tired or go to sleep.

⁵The Lord watches over you.

The Lord is like a shade tree at your right hand.

⁶The sun won’t harm you during the day.

The moon won’t harm you during the night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from every kind of harm.

He will watch over your life.

⁸The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go,

both now and forever.

Psalm 122

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of David.

¹I was very glad when they said to me,

“Let us go up to the house of the Lord.”

²Jerusalem, our feet are standing

inside your gates.

³Jerusalem is built like a city

where everything is close together.

⁴The tribes of the Lord go there to praise his name.

They do it in keeping with the law he gave to Israel.

⁵The thrones of the family line of David are there.

That’s where the people are judged.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Say,

“May those who love you be secure.

⁷May there be peace inside your walls.

May your people be kept safe.”

⁸I’m concerned for my family and friends.

So I say to Jerusalem, “May you enjoy peace.”

⁹I’m concerned about the house of the Lord our God.

So I pray that things will go well with Jerusalem.

Psalm 123

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

¹I look up and pray to you.

Your throne is in heaven.

²Slaves depend on their masters.

Maids depend on the women they work for.

In the same way, we depend on the Lord our God.

We wait for him to show us his favor.

³Lord, show us your favor. Show us your favor,

because people have made so much fun of us.

⁴We have had to put up with a lot from those who are proud.

They were always laughing at us.

Psalm 124

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of David.

¹Here is what Israel should say.

Suppose the Lord had not been on our side.

²Suppose the Lord had not been on our side

when our enemies attacked us.

³Suppose he had not been on our side

when their anger blazed out against us.

Then they would have swallowed us alive.

⁴They would have been like a flood that drowned us.

They would have swept over us like a rushing river.

⁵They would have washed us away

like a swollen stream.

⁶Give praise to the Lord.

He has not let our enemies chew us up.

⁷We have escaped like a bird

from a hunter’s trap.

The trap has been broken,

and we have escaped.

⁸Our help comes from the Lord.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth.