I will lift up my eyes to the hills.Where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD,who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved.He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, he who keeps Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD is your keeper.The LORD is your shade on your right hand.The sun will not harm you by day,nor the moon by night.The LORD will keep you from all evil.He will keep your soul.The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in,from this time forward, and forever more.
Psalm 121, World English Bible Updated edition, which is in the public domain.
Which funeral services use it
- Catholic, US (Lectionary for Masses for the Dead): Not in the US Catholic list, which has Psalm 122 instead..
- Catholic, England and Wales (Order of Christian Funerals): Not in the England and Wales Catholic list: the "Psalm 121 (122)" printed there uses the older Grail numbering and is Psalm 122, "I rejoiced"..
- Church of England (Common Worship funeral readings): Psalm 121.
Where it comes in the service
It is not one of the Catholic funeral readings. In a Church of England funeral a psalm should normally be used, and it may be said, sung, or replaced by a metrical or hymn version.
Add Psalm 121 to your booklet, typeset in full, with the order of service around it. You can see the whole booklet before paying anything.
Put Psalm 121 in my bookletAbout this translation
The words here are the World English Bible, a modern English translation whose translators dedicated it to the public domain, so it can be printed in a booklet in the US and the UK without permission or a fee. The King James Version is public domain in the US but is covered by Crown letters patent in the UK, which is why it is not used here. If your church prefers another translation, add it in step 5 with "Use your own words".
Funeral lists checked on September 28, 2026 against the USCCB, the Liturgy Office of England and Wales and the Church of England's Common Worship pages.