Psalm 121, “I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me,” is the travelers’ psalm, a short song of trust in God who keeps us day and night. It is one of the “Songs of Ascents” that pilgrims sang on the way up to Jerusalem. In the Douay-Rheims and other older Catholic Bibles it is numbered Psalm 120. Below is the full text, what it means, how it is used, and a prayer for journeys.
Psalm 121 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer thy foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keepeth thee.
Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel.
The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not burn thee by day: nor the moon by night.
The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul.
May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out; from henceforth now and for ever.
Psalm 121 or 120?
The Douay-Rheims follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate; most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 120 is Psalm 121 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Looking up to the mountains: pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem saw the hills ahead, perhaps full of dangers; their help comes not from the hills but from the Lord “who made heaven and earth.”
- The keeper who never sleeps: “he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel.” God watches over us when we cannot watch over ourselves.
- Shade by day and night: neither the burning sun nor the dangers of the night can harm those whom God protects.
- Every journey: “May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out; from henceforth now and for ever”: God blesses every journey, including the last one, to our eternal home.
How the psalm is used
- As a prayer before travel and for loved ones on the road. See the Catholic travel prayer.
- In the Liturgy of the Hours, at Evening Prayer.
- At funerals and in prayers for the dying, as a prayer for the soul’s final journey.
- For soldiers, sailors and all who are far from home.
A prayer for a journey
Written for this page:
Lord, maker of heaven and earth, I lift up my eyes to you.
Keep me on this journey: guard my going out and my coming in.
Watch over me by day and by night, and bring me safely home,
and at the end of my life, bring me home to you. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Psalm 121 about?
Trust in God’s protection: the Lord who made heaven and earth watches over us constantly, on every journey.
What are the Songs of Ascents?
Psalms 120 to 134 (119 to 133 in the Douay), sung by pilgrims “going up” to Jerusalem for the great feasts.
Is Psalm 121 a prayer for travel?
Yes. It is one of the most popular Bible prayers for journeys and for those who are far from home.
More psalms and prayers
- Psalm 120 (the first Song of Ascents)
- Psalm 123 (To you I lift up my eyes)
- Psalm 124 (Our help is in the name of the Lord)
- Psalm 125 (Like Mount Sion)
- Psalms for protection
- Psalm 46 (Be still and know that I am God)
- Catholic travel prayer
- Psalm 91
- Psalm 23
- Prayer for protection
- St. Christopher prayer
- St. Raphael prayer
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 120 (121), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.