Why read Psalm 121?
Read Psalm 121 to celebrate prayer together and ask for peace in the community. The journey to God's house is linked with prayer for Jerusalem and care for neighbors and companions.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
“I rejoiced over those who said to me...” — this is how Psalm 121 begins, a work of 9 verses from the 18th Kathisma. The Psalter is read in the Orthodox Church at every service, and this psalm has its place in the order of prayer.
The text of Psalm 121
1. I rejoiced over those who said to me, “We shall go to the house of the Lord!”
2. Our feet were standing in your courts, Jerusalem!
3. Jerusalem, built as a city whose gates are closely joined together.
4. For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, according to the law of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.
5. For there thrones were set for judgement, thrones for the house of David.
6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the prosperity of those who love you.
7. May there be peace in your fortifications and abundance in your towers.
8. For my brothers and my neighbours, I spoke peace concerning you.
9. For the house of the Lord our God, I wished you good things.
When Psalm 121 is read
- It belongs to the 18th Kathisma and is recited in personal prayer, especially for peace and understanding.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
