Why read Psalm 19?
Read Psalm 19 when you seek God's help before a demanding task or difficult situation. It asks for support in the day of trouble and places trust in the Lord rather than human strength alone.
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.
In the 3rd Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 19 awaits its reader with 10 verses of prayer arising from a real experience. It begins with “May the Lord hear you in the day...” — and from there onwards, everything is a dialogue between the human being and God.
The text of Psalm 19
1. May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble, and may the name of the God of Jacob defend you.
2. May He send you help from His holy dwelling place and support you from Zion.
3. May He remember all your sacrifice, and may your burnt offering be pleasing to Him.
4. May the Lord grant you according to your heart and fulfil all your counsel.
5. We shall rejoice in your salvation and be exalted in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.
6. Now I have known that the Lord saved His anointed by the power of His right hand.
7. He will hear him from His holy heaven.
8. Some boast of their chariots, others of their horses, but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.
9. They stumbled and fell, but we rose and stood upright.
10. O Lord, save the king and hear us on every day when we call upon You.
When Psalm 19 is read
- It belongs to the 3rd Kathisma and may be read daily alongside the prayer rule (see the morning and evening prayers).
- 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
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
