Psalms 122 – I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me

A pilgrim's joy at reaching Jerusalem, closing with a prayer for the city's peace.

Psalms 122 – Praying for Jerusalem's Peace

Following the traveler's confidence of Psalms 121, this psalm captures the joy of arrival, opening 'I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.'


A song of ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built up as a city united together,

where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

For there the thrones of judgment stand, the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.

May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”

For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Its plea to 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem' recalls the longing expressed in <a href="/bible/bsb/psalms/chapter-84/10">Psalms 84:10</a>, and this short cluster of ascent psalms continues next in <a href="/bible/bsb/psalms/chapter-123">Psalms 123</a>.