Why read Psalm 32?
Psalm 32 is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving that strengthens trust in God. It reflects on His righteousness, creation through His word and His care for those who hope in His mercy.
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.
The full text of Psalm 32 (21 verses), from the Fifth Kathisma of the Psalter. The opening words — "Rejoice, O righteous; praise befits the upright..." — are also the traditional "name" of the psalm: our grandmothers did not say "psalm 32", but called it by name, after its first words. Orthodox Septuagint numbering is retained: this Psalm 32 corresponds to Psalm 33 in Hebrew numbering.
The text of Psalm 32
1. Rejoice, O righteous; praise befits the upright.
2. Praise the Lord with the lute; sing to Him on a ten-stringed instrument.
3. Sing unto Him a new song; sing praises skillfully with a loud noise.
4. For the word of the Lord is right, and all His works are in faithfulness.
5. The Lord loveth mercy and judgement; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin; He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.
8. Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be moved at Him.
9. For He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.
10. The Lord scattereth the counsels of the nations, He rejecteth the thoughts of the peoples, and bringeth to nought the counsels of princes.
11. But the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart from generation to generation.
12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He hath chosen for His inheritance.
13. The Lord looked down from heaven; He beheld all the sons of men.
14. From His habitation, which He hath prepared, He looked upon all the dwellers of the earth.
15. He who formed their hearts individually, He who understands all their works.
16. A king is not saved by a great host, nor shall a giant be delivered by the greatness of his strength.
17. A horse is a false hope for safety, and in the multitude of his strength shall he by no means deliver.
18. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their souls from death, and to feed them in famine.
19. Our soul waiteth on the Lord, for He is our helper and protector.
20. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, and in His holy name have we trusted.
21. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in Thee.
When Psalm 32 is read
- It belongs to the Fifth Kathisma and is read in the course of the Psalter at the services; the faithful read it during fasts and in times of need.
- At the end of each psalm, the tradition adds: "Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
Neighbouring psalms
Read also
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
