Psalm 121

King James Version

121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

²My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

³He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

⁴Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

⁶The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

⁸The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Psalm 121

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 121^[a]

The Lord My Guardian

¹A song of ascents.

I raise my eyes toward the mountains.^[b]
From whence shall come my help?^(A)
²My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.^(B)

³He will not allow your foot to slip;^(C)
    or your guardian to sleep.
⁴Behold, the guardian of Israel
    never slumbers nor sleeps.
⁵^[c]The Lord is your guardian;
    the Lord is your shade
    at your right hand.^(D)
⁶By day the sun will not strike you,
    nor the moon by night.^(E)
⁷The Lord will guard you from all evil;
    he will guard your soul.^(F)
⁸The Lord will guard your coming and going
    both now and forever.^(G)

Footnotes

Psalm 121 A blessing given to someone embarking on a dangerous journey whether a soldier going on a campaign or a pilgrim returning home from the Temple. People look anxiously at the wooded hills. Will God protect them on their journey (Ps 121:1)? The speaker declares that God is not confined to a place or a time (Ps 121:2), that every step is guarded (Ps 121:3–4); night and day (Ps 121:5–6) God watches over their every movement (Ps 121:7–8).
121:1 The mountains: possibly Mount Zion, the site of the Temple and hence of safety, but more probably mountains as a place of dangers, causing anxiety to the psalmist.
121:5–6 The image of shade, a symbol of protection, is apt: God as shade protects from the harmful effects that ancients believed were caused by the sun and moon.

Psalm 121

New International Version

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^(A) and earth.^(B)

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

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

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

Psalm 121

New King James Version

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of Ascents.

121 I ^(A)will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
²^(B)My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

³^(C)He will not allow your foot to ^[a]be moved;
^(D)He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your ^[b]keeper;
The Lord is ^(E)your shade ^(F)at your right hand.
⁶^(G)The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord shall ^[c]preserve you from all evil;
He shall ^(H)preserve your soul.
⁸The Lord shall ^(I)preserve^[d] your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Footnotes

Psalm 121:3 slip
Psalm 121:5 protector
Psalm 121:7 keep
Psalm 121:8 keep

Psalm 121

English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

121 I ^(B)lift up my eyes to ^(C)the hills.
From where does my help come?
²^(D)My help comes from the Lord,
who ^(E)made heaven and earth.

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

⁵The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your ^(H)shade on your ^(I)right hand.
⁶^(J)The sun shall not ^(K)strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

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

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 121

King James Version