the grouping of these fifteen psalms as a unit is extremely old; they are grouped as such in the psalter itself. in this context, the term gradual means song of ascent, and some have supposed that they were sung by pilgrims to jerusalem.

they have long been used as a group by the Christian church, often augmented with other prayers. they can be said as an introduction to the office of morning prayer or at any time.

psalm 120
when i was in trouble, i called to the Lord;
    i called to the Lord, and he answered me.
deliver me, o Lord, from lying lips
    and from the deceitful tongue.
what shall be done to you, and what more besides,
    o you deceitful tongue?
the sharpened arrows of a warrior,
    along with hot glowing coals.
how hateful it is that i must lodge in Meshech
    and dwell among the tents of Kedar!
too long have i had to live
    among the enemies of peace.
i am on the side of peace,
    but when i speak of it, they are for war.

psalm 121
i lift up my eyes to the hills;
    from where is my help to come?
my help comes from the Lord,
    the maker of heaven and earth.
he will not let your foot be moved
    and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
behold, he who keeps watch over Israel
    shall neither slumber nor sleep;
the Lord himself watches over you;
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
so that the sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.
the Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
    it is he who shall keep you safe.
the Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
    from this time forth for evermore.

psalm 122
i was glad when they said to me,
    let us go to the house of the Lord.
now our feet are standing
    within your gates, o jerusalem.
jerusalem is built as a city
    that is at unity with itself;
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
    the assembly of Israel,
    to praise the Name of the Lord.
for there are the thrones of judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.
pray for the peace of jerusalem:
    may they prosper who love you.
peace be within your walls
    and quietness within your towers.
for my brethren and companions' sake,
    i pray for your prosperity.
because of the house of the Lord our God,
    i will seek to do you good.

psalm 123
to you i lift up my eyes,
    to you enthroned in the heavens.
as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
    and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    until he show us his mercy.
have mercy upon us, o Lord, have mercy,
    for we have had more than enough of contempt,
too much of the scorn of the indolent rich,
    and of the derision of the proud.

psalm 124
if the Lord had not been on our side,
    let Israel now say;
if teh Lord had not been on our side,
    when enemies rose up against us;
then would they have swallowed us up alive
    in their fierce anger toward us;
then would the waters have overwhelmed us
    and the torrent gone over us;
then would the raging waters
    have gone right over us.
blessed be the Lord!
    he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
we have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler,
    the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
our help is in the Name of the Lord,
    the maker of heaven and earth.

rest eternal grant to them, o Lord,
    and let let perpetual shine upon them.

psalm 125
those who trust in the Lord are like mount zion,
    which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
the hills stand about jerusalem;
    so does the Lord stand round about his people,
    from this time forth for evermore.
the scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the just,
    so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.
show your goodness, o Lord, to those who are good
    and to those who are true of heart.
as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the Lord will lead them away with the evildoers;
    but peace be upon Israel.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 126
when the Lord restored the fortunes of zion,
    then were we like those who dream.
then was our mouth filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy.
then they said among the nations,
    the Lord has done great things for them.
the Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are glad indeed.
restore our fortunes, o Lord,
    like the watercourses of the negev.
those who sowed with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
those who go out weeping, carrying the seed,
    will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 127
unless the Lord builds the house,
    their labor is in vain who build it.
unless the Lord watches over the city,
    in vain the watchman keeps his vigil.
it is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late;
    vain, too, to eat the bread of toil,
    for he gives to his beloved sleep.
children are a heritage from the lord,
    and the fruit of the womb is a gift.
like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the children of one's youth.
happy is the man who has his quiver full of them!
    he shall not be put to shame
    when he contends with his enemies in the gate.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 128
happy are they all who fear the Lord,
    and who follow in his ways!
you shall eat the fruit of your labor;
    happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house,
    your children like olive shoots round about your table.
the man who fears the Lord
    shall thus indeed be blessed.
the Lord bless you from zion,
    and may you see the prosperity of jerusalem all the days of your life.
may you live to see your children's children;
    may peace be upon Israel.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 129
greatly have they oppressed me since my youth,
    let Israel now say;
greatly have they oppressed me since my youth,
    but they have not prevailed against me.

the plowmen plowed upon my back
    and made their furrows long.
the Lord, the Righteous One,
    has cut the cords of the wicked.
let them be put to shame and thrown back,
    all those who are enemies of zion.
let them be like grass upon the housetops,
    which withers before it can be plucked;
which does not fill the hand of the reaper,
    nor the bosom of him who binds the sheaves;
so that those who go by say not so much as,
the Lord prosper you.
    we wish you well in the Name of the Lord.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 130
out of the depths have i called to you, o Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
    let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
if you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss,
    o Lord, who could stand?
for there is forgiveness with you;
    therefore you shall be feared.
i wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him;
    in his word is my hope.
my soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning;
    more than watchmen for the morning.
o Israel, wait for the Lord,
    for with the Lord there is mercy;
with him there is plenteous redemption,
    and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 131
o Lord, i am not proud;
    i have no haughty looks.
i do not occupy myself with great matters,
    or with things that are too hard for me.
but i still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother's breast;
    my soul is quieted within me.
o Israel, wait upon the Lord,
    from this time forth for evermore.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 132
Lord, remember David,
    and all the hardships he endured;
how he swore an oath to the Lord
    and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
i will not come under the roof of my house,
    nor climb up into my bead;
i will not allow my eyes to sleep,
    nor let my eyelids slumber;
until i find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.

the ark! we heard it was in ephratah;
    we found it in the fields of jearim.
let us go to God's dwelling place;
    let us fall upon our knees before his footstool.

arise, o Lord, into your resting-place,
    you and the ark of your strength.
let your priests be clothed with righteousness;
    let your faithful people sing with joy.
for your servant David's sake,
    do not turn away the face of your anointed.
the Lord has sworn an oath to David;
    in truth, he will not break it:
a son, the fruit of your body
    will i set upon your throne.
if your children keep my covenant
and my testimonies that i shall teach them,
    their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.

for the Lord has chosen zion;
    he has desired her for his habitation:
this shall be my resting-place for ever;
    here will i dwell, for i delight in her.
i will surely bless her provisions,
    and satisfy her poor with bread.
i will clothe her priests with salvation,
    and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.
there will i make the horn of David flourish;
    i have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
as for his enemies, i will clothe them with shame;
    but as for him, his crown will shine.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 133
oh, how good and pleasant it is,
    when brethren live together in unity!
it is like fine oil upon the head
    that runs down upon the beard,
upon the beard of Aaron,
    and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
it is like the dew of hermon
    that falls upon the hills of zion.
for there the Lord has ordained the blessing:
    life for evermore.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

psalm 134
behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.
lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord;
    the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of zion.

glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. amen.

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