Why read Psalm 150?
Psalm 150 is a joyful prayer of praise and a fitting conclusion to thanksgiving. Its musical imagery and invitation to everything that breathes express praise shared by all living creation.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
Psalm 150 — «Praise the Lord among His saints;...» — is the prayer through which the Psalmist places the experience of an entire hour of life before God. It belongs to the 20th Kathisma and has 6 verses, which you will find in full below.
The text of Psalm 150
1. Praise the Lord among His saints; praise Him in the firmament of His power.
2. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to the abundance of His glory.
3. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with psaltery and lute.
4. Praise Him with drums and dance; praise Him with strings and organs.
5. Praise Him with tuneful cymbals; praise Him with loudly resounding cymbals.
6. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
When Psalm 150 is read
- The conclusion of the Praises — “let everything that breathes praise the Lord”.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
Read also
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
