Why read Psalm 6?
Psalm 6 gives words to repentance and the need for God's mercy in suffering. The psalmist brings his tears and weakness before the Lord, ending with confidence that his prayer has been heard.
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.
“O Lord, not in Your anger...” — this is how Psalm 6 begins, a work of 10 verses from the 1st Kathisma. The Psalter is read in the Orthodox Church at every service, and this psalm has its place in the order of prayer.
The text of Psalm 6
1. Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chastise me in Your wrath.
2. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are troubled;
3. And my soul is greatly troubled; and You, Lord, how long?
4. Turn, Lord; deliver my soul, save me for the sake of Your mercy.
5. For in death there is no one who remembers You. And in hell, who will praise You?
6. I am weary from my sighing; every night I will wash my bed and wet my couch with my tears.
7. My eye is troubled by grief; I have grown old among all my enemies.
8. Depart from me, all who practise lawlessness, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9. The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord has accepted my prayer.
10. Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed very soon.
When Psalm 6 is read
- in repentance and in the sorrows of the soul.
- 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.
