Psalm 120 Catholic: In My Distress I Cried to the Lord

Psalm 120 is the first of the fifteen Songs of Ascents: “In my trouble I cried to the Lord: and he heard me. O Lord, deliver my soul from wicked lips, and a deceitful tongue.” The pilgrim, living far from Jerusalem among people who love war, longs for peace: “With them that hated peace I was peaceable.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 119. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 120 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

In my trouble I cried to the Lord: and he heard me.
O Lord, deliver my soul from wicked lips, and a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to thee, or what shall be added to thee, to a deceitful tongue?
The sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals that lay waste.
Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar:
My soul hath been long a sojourner.
With them that hated peace I was peaceable: when I spoke to them they fought against me without cause.

Psalm 120 or Psalm 119?

The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 119 is Psalm 120 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Ad Dominum cum tribularer clamavi. See how many psalms are there?

The Songs of Ascents

The fifteen Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120 to 134 (119 to 133 in the Douay-Rheims), were sung by pilgrims “going up” to Jerusalem for the great feasts. They begin here, far from home among hostile neighbors, and climb step by step to the Temple and the blessing of Psalm 134. Many of them are short and easy to memorize, and Christians pray them as songs for the pilgrimage of life toward the heavenly Jerusalem:

Psalm 121: “I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains.”
Psalm 122: “I rejoiced at the things that were said to me.”
Psalm 123: “To thee have I lifted up my eyes.”
Psalm 124: “Our help is in the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 125: “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion.”
Psalm 126: “The Lord hath done great things for us.”
Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord build the house.”
Psalm 128: “Blessed are all they that fear the Lord.”
Psalm 130: “Out of the depths.”
Psalm 131: “Lord, my heart is not exalted.”
Psalm 133: “Behold how good and how pleasant.”

What the psalm means

Prayer heard: the pilgrim begins by remembering that God answers.
Deceitful tongues: lies and slander wound like “sharp arrows.”
Living far away: “Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged!” Christians are pilgrims on earth.
A lover of peace: “With them that hated peace I was peaceable.”

How the Church uses Psalm 120

At Daytime Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, where the Songs of Ascents form the complementary psalmody.
At the start of a pilgrimage or journey.

A prayer with Psalm 120

Written for this page:

Lord, in my distress I cry to you, and you answer me.
Deliver me from lying lips and deceitful tongues.
I am a pilgrim far from home; give me peace among those who hate peace.
Lead me step by step to your holy city. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Songs of Ascents?

Psalms 120 to 134, sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for the great feasts.

What is Psalm 120 about?

A pilgrim’s prayer for deliverance from lies and hostility, longing for peace far from home.

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 119 (120), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.