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Psalterium Catholicum offers praying the Psalms, practicing Lectio Divina, and exploring faithful Catholic resources for daily devotion.

Psalm 120 The Psalter Psalm 122

PSALMVS CXXI

Levavi oculos meos

A Song of Degrees: Protection · Trust · Book V

Pray this Psalm · Lectio Divina

1In my trouble I cried to the Lord: and he heard me.

2O Lord, deliver my soul from wicked lips, and a deceitful tongue.

3What shall be given to thee, or what shall be added to thee, to a deceitful tongue.

4The sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals that lay waste.

5Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of cedar:

6my soul hath been long a sojourner.

7With them that hate peace I was peaceable: when I spoke to them they fought against me without cause.

Douay-Rheims · Challoner Revision

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Wisdom of the Church

Psalm 121, titled 'A Song of Ascents,' is part of the collection (Psalms 120–134) traditionally associated with the pilgrimage of the Israelites to Jerusalem for the three major festivals. While the superscription does not explicitly name David, these psalms reflect the deep, collective piety of post-exilic Israel. Historically, they served as canticles for pilgrims ascending the Judean hills toward the Temple Mount, the 'mountains' from which the psalmist expects aid. Unlike a mere geographical reference, the psalmist rejects the pagan tendency to seek help from the peaks associated with local deities, instead looking toward the presence of Yahweh dwelling in Zion. Within the five-book structure of the Psalter, the Ascents form a bridge of hope, marking the movement of the faithful toward the house of the Lord. In Second Temple worship, these psalms functioned as a liturgical rhythm of departure and arrival, grounding the national identity in the covenantal providence of God as the true Keeper of Israel, contrasting the vulnerability of the traveler with the steadfast, sleepless guardianship of the Almighty.