Psalm 120-126

English Standard Version

Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

120 In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
²Deliver me, O Lord,
    from lying lips,
    from a deceitful tongue.

³What shall be given to you,
    ^(B)and what more shall be done to you,
    you deceitful tongue?
⁴^(C)A warrior's ^(D)sharp arrows,
    with glowing ^(E)coals of the broom tree!

⁵Woe to me, that I sojourn in ^(F)Meshech,
    that I dwell among ^(G)the tents of ^(H)Kedar!
⁶Too long have I had my dwelling
    among those who hate peace.
⁷^(I)I am for peace,
    but when I speak, they are for war!

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(J)Ascents.

121 I ^(K)lift up my eyes to ^(L)the hills.
From where does my help come?
²^(M)My help comes from the Lord,
who ^(N)made heaven and earth.

³He will not ^(O)let your foot be moved;
he who ^(P)keeps you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your ^(Q)shade on your ^(R)right hand.
⁶^(S)The sun shall not ^(T)strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will ^(U)keep you from all evil;
    he will ^(V)keep your life.
⁸The Lord will keep
    your ^(W)going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of ^(X)Ascents. Of David.

122 I was glad when they said to me,
^(Y)“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
²Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!

³Jerusalem—^(Z)built as a city
    that is ^(AA)bound firmly together,
⁴to which the tribes ^(AB)go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was ^(AC)decreed for^[a] Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
⁵There ^(AD)thrones for judgment were set,
    the thrones of the house of David.

⁶^(AE)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
⁷Peace be within your ^(AF)walls
    and security within your ^(AG)towers!”
⁸For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, ^(AH)“Peace be within you!”
⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will ^(AI)seek your good.

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A Song of ^(AJ)Ascents.

123 To you I ^(AK)lift up my eyes,
    O you who are ^(AL)enthroned in the heavens!
²Behold, as the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he has mercy upon us.

³^(AM)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of ^(AN)contempt.
⁴Our soul has had more than enough
    of ^(AO)the scorn of ^(AP)those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of ^(AQ)the proud.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of ^(AR)Ascents. Of David.

124 ^(AS)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    ^(AT)let Israel now say—
²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
³then they would have ^(AU)swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
⁴then ^(AV)the flood would have ^(AW)swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone ^(AX)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 like a bird
    from ^(AY)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!

⁸^(AZ)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of ^(BA)Ascents.

125 Those who ^(BB)trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
    which ^(BC)cannot be moved, but abides forever.
²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so ^(BD)the Lord surrounds his people,
    from this time forth and forevermore.
³For ^(BE)the scepter of wickedness shall not ^(BF)rest
    on ^(BG)the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous ^(BH)stretch out
    their hands to do wrong.
⁴^(BI)Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
    and to those who are ^(BJ)upright in their hearts!
⁵But those who ^(BK)turn aside to their ^(BL)crooked ways
    the Lord will lead away with ^(BM)evildoers!
    ^(BN)Peace be upon Israel!

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of ^(BO)Ascents.

126 When the Lord ^(BP)restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who ^(BQ)dream.
²Then our ^(BR)mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    ^(BS)“The Lord has done great things for them.”
³The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.

⁴Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negeb!
⁵^(BT)Those who sow in tears
    shall reap with shouts of joy!
⁶He who goes out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    bringing his sheaves with him.