Psalm 120-124

New International Version

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

¹I call on the Lord^(A) in my distress,^(B)
    and he answers me.
²Save me, Lord,
    from lying lips^(C)
    and from deceitful tongues.^(D)

³What will he do to you,
    and what more besides,
    you deceitful tongue?
⁴He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,^(E)
    with burning coals of the broom bush.

⁵Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
    that I live among the tents of Kedar!^(F)
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^(G) and earth.^(H)

³He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴indeed, he who watches^(I) over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord watches over^(J) you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶the sun^(K) will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will keep you from all harm^(L)—
he will watch over your life;
⁸the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.^(M)

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 love^(N) you be secure.
⁷May there be peace^(O) within your walls
    and security within your citadels.^(P)”
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.^(Q)

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to you,
    to you who sit enthroned^(R) 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 Lord^(S) 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^(T)—
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^(U) would have engulfed us,
    the torrent^(V) 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;^(W)
the snare has been broken,^(X)
    and we have escaped.
⁸Our help is in the name^(Y) of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven^(Z) and earth.