No Help From The Hills
Psalm 121
An EasyEnglish Translation with Notes (about 1200 word vocabulary) on Psalm 121
Words in boxes are from the Bible. Words in brackets, ( ), are not in the *Hebrew Bible.
The notes explain some of the words with a *star by them. A word list at the end explains all the words that have a *star by them.
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Jesus said, "I am always with you" (Matthew 28:20).
(This is) a song for climbing.
v1 When I look up to the hills I find no help there.
v2 My help comes from
the *LORD.
He made the *heaven and the earth.
v3 He will not let
your foot *slide.
The one that *guards you will not sleep.
v4 It is certain that
he will not sleep.
The one that *guards Israel will never sleep.
v5 The *LORD is the
one that *guards you.
The *LORD is near you to *protect you.
v6 The sun will not
hurt you in the day,
nor the moon at night.
v7 The *LORD is the
one that *guards you from all danger.
He is the one that *guards your life.
v8 The *LORD *guards
you when you go out.
And he *guards you when you come in.
(He will do this) now and always.
The story of Psalm 121 is in the note on Psalm 120. Read it there.
If you travelled from home to Jerusalem, you would go through dangerous places. You would need someone to *protect you. "*Protect you" means "stop somebody hurting you". There was no help in the hills (verse 1). Instead, there was danger! People that robbed you hid in the hills. But there was someone to send help: the *LORD! (See verses 2 - 7.) He made the *heaven (the sky and the stars) and the earth. Also, he would *protect you and be the one that *guards you. He never sleeps, so he never stops *guarding you (verses 3, 4). He *guards you from dangers that you know about. He *guards you from dangers that you do not know about, (verse 7). He *guards you as you go out and on your way home, (verse 8). He is always there to give you help. "*Guard you" means "stop people hurting you". "Not let your foot slip" (verse 3) means "not let you fall". "Certain" is another word for "sure".
*LORD is a special name for God. It is his *covenant name. A *covenant is when two or more people agree together. God agreed to *protect his people if they obeyed him. "*Protect you" means "stop people hurting you".
Read the psalm and change "you" or "your" to "me", "my" or "I". Believe it. Then God will *guard you also!
certain ~ very sure.
covenant ~ two people have agreed what each should do (here, God and his people). Look in Psalm 120 about the covenant.
guards you ~ stops people hurting or killing you .
heaven ~ here it means "the sky and all the stars".
LORD ~ the covenant name for God (in a covenant you agree with someone).
protects you ~ stops people hurting or killing you .
slip ~ not stand in a safe way, as on ice or wet ground.
© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK)
This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).
January 2004
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