Psalm 120–124

PSALM 120

A Song of Ascents.

¹In my distress I cry to the Lord,

that he may answer me:

²“Deliver me, O Lord,

from lying lips,

from a deceitful tongue.”

³What shall be given to you?

And what more shall be done to you,

you deceitful tongue?

⁴A warrior’s sharp arrows,

with glowing coals of the broom tree!

⁵Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech,

that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

⁶Too long have I had my dwelling

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 hills.

From whence does my help come?

²My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

³He will not let your foot be moved,

he who keeps you will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade

on your right hand.

⁶The sun shall not smite you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

⁸The Lord will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and for evermore.

PSALM 122

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

²Our feet have been standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem!

³Jerusalem, built as a city

which is bound firmly together,

⁴to which the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord,

as was decreed for Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

⁵There thrones for judgment were set,

the thrones of the house of David.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

“May they prosper who love you!

⁷Peace be within your walls,

and security within your towers!”

⁸For my brethren and companions’ sake

I will say, “Peace be within you!”

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

I will seek your good.

PSALM 123

A Song of Ascents.

¹To thee I lift up my eyes,

O thou who art enthroned in the heavens!

²Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maid

to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the Lord our God,

till he have mercy upon us.

³Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

for we have had more than enough of contempt.

⁴Too long our soul has been sated

with the scorn of those who are at ease,

the contempt of the proud.

PSALM 124

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

¹If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,

let Israel now say—

²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,

when men rose up against us,

³then they would have swallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

⁴then the flood would have swept us away,

the torrent would have gone over us;

⁵then over us would have gone

the raging waters.

⁶Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth!

⁷We have escaped as a bird

from the snare of the fowlers;

the snare is broken,

and we have escaped!

⁸Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.