Psalm 123 is a short Song of Ascents of humble trust: “To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven. Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters… so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 122. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 123 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven.
Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.
Psalm 123 or Psalm 122?
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 122 is Psalm 123 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Ad te levavi oculos meos. See how many psalms are there?
Watching the hand of God
In the ancient world, a servant at table would watch the master’s hand for the smallest signal, ready to serve and hoping to receive. The psalm turns this into an image of prayer: we keep our eyes on God, attentive to his will and waiting for his mercy. It is a prayer for anyone who feels looked down on: “we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.”
The Church offers this psalm among the responsorial psalms for funerals, where mourners lift their eyes to God and wait for his mercy. 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. See Psalm 120 and Catholic funeral readings.
What the psalm means
- Looking up to heaven: prayer begins by lifting our eyes to God.
- Like servants: attentive and dependent on the Master.
- “Until he have mercy on us”: patient, persistent hope.
- Contempt from the proud: the humble bring their humiliation to God.
How the Church uses Psalm 123
- At Mass on the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B): “Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.”
- At funerals, as one of the responsorial psalms.
- One of the Songs of Ascents.
A prayer with Psalm 123
Written for this page:
To you I lift up my eyes, Lord, who dwell in heaven.
As servants watch their master’s hand, my eyes are on you.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of scorn.
Keep my eyes on you until your mercy comes. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Psalm 123 about?
Humble trust in God, watching for his mercy as servants watch their master, especially when despised by the proud.
Is Psalm 123 read at funerals?
Yes, it is one of the psalms the Church offers for the funeral liturgy.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 122 (123), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.