Funeral reading
Psalm 121
King James Bible
“Psalm 121” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 55 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
Psalm 121 carries the heading “A Song of degrees” in the King James Psalms, one of fifteen psalms in a row with that title.
What it says
The speaker looks up to the hills and asks where help will come from, then answers: from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The rest is a list of ways that keeper does not let go. Your foot will not slip, the one who keeps you does not sleep, the sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night. The last line is the one people hold on to: the Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and for evermore.
A traveling psalm. Often read at the graveside rather than in the chapel. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: help · being kept · the hills · protection · graveside.
Who it suits
Funerals for walkers, climbers and anyone who loved the hills, for travelers, and for people who drove or flew for a living. It suits a family that wants reassurance without a long reading. It is also read at partings that are not deaths, so it can comfort a room without leaning on the afterlife.
Where it goes in the ceremony
An opening reading, or the reading just before the committal so the line about going out and coming in sends the person on. Any family member can read it; it is short and plain.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 110 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 50 seconds of reading.
- The first verse is a question. Let it sound like one, then answer it in the second verse with more certainty.
- The middle verses repeat the word “keep”. Give it a little weight each time without making it sing-song.
- Slow right down for the final verse about going out and coming in. It is the line the family chose it for.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Psalm 121” take to read aloud?
“Psalm 121” takes about 55 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “Psalm 121”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Psalm 121” runs about 55 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “Psalm 121” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Psalm 23a minute and a halfThe best-known psalm of protection
- Psalm 46:1–7, 10–11a minute and a halfGod as refuge when the mountains shake
- Isaiah 40:28–3145 secondsMounting up with wings as eagles
- Psalm 91:1–6, 11a minute and a halfKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible
- 1 John 4:7–12a minute and a halfKing James Bible