Psalm 120–124

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

¹I call on the Lord^v in my distress,^w

and he answers me.

²Save me, Lord,

from lying lips^x

and from deceitful tongues.^y

³What will he do to you,

and what more besides,

you deceitful tongue?

⁴He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,^z

with burning coals of the broom bush.

⁵Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,

that I live among the tents of Kedar!^a

⁶Too long have I lived

among those who hate peace.

⁷I am for peace;

but when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

²My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven^b and earth.^c

³He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴indeed, he who watches^d over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord watches over^e you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

⁶the sun^f will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from all harm^g—

he will watch over your life;

⁸the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.^h

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

²Our feet are standing

in your gates, Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

⁴That is where the tribes go up—

the tribes of the Lord—

to praise the name of the Lord

according to the statute given to Israel.

⁵There stand the thrones for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who loveⁱ you be secure.

⁷May there be peace^j within your walls

and security within your citadels.^k”

⁸For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your prosperity.^l

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to you,

to you who sit enthroned^m in heaven.

²As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lordⁿ our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

³Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,

for we have endured no end of contempt.

⁴We have endured no end

of ridicule from the arrogant,

of contempt from the proud.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—

let Israel say^o—

²if the Lord had not been on our side

when people attacked us,

³they would have swallowed us alive

when their anger flared against us;

⁴the flood^p would have engulfed us,

the torrent^q would have swept over us,

⁵the raging waters

would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷We have escaped like a bird

from the fowler’s snare;^r

the snare has been broken,^s

and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name^t of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven^u and earth.