Psalm 121
King James Version
A Song of degrees — a psalm of protection, often read as a traveler's prayer.
Download the handwriting worksheet (PDF)Printable, ruled for handwriting: copy it by hand, then type it here.
About this text
Psalm 121 belongs to a group of fifteen psalms (120-134) headed "A Song of degrees" (or "ascents") in the King James Version, traditionally understood as songs sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem for festivals. Its imagery of hills, keeping, and shade fits that reading — it's often described as a psalm about protection on a journey rather than protection in general.
The psalm builds through repetition of the word "keep" and its variants (keepeth, preserve) across its eight verses, shifting partway through from the psalmist's own question ("I will lift up mine eyes") to a direct assurance spoken to someone else ("The LORD is thy keeper"). That shift in who is being addressed is worth noticing while copying it out.
What to watch for
- 3 colons: a colon points ahead to what explains or completes the first half of the sentence.
- Capital letters in the middle of a sentence: LORD, Israel. Ask why each one is capitalized before typing it.
- Old-fashioned words: unto, cometh, thy, keepeth, thee. These are easy to "correct" by accident into modern spelling, so copy them exactly as written.
- Longest word: "preserve" (8 letters). Try spelling it aloud once before reaching it.
- 8 lines averaging about 14 words each. A comfortable line length for a single sitting.
Full text (reference)
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.