Why read Psalm 56?
Psalm 56 is a prayer for refuge during trials and thanksgiving for help received. Shelter under God's wings and a heart ready to sing express the movement from danger towards hope.
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.
“Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me, for in You...” — this is how Psalm 56 begins, a work of 14 verses from the 8th 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 56
1. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me, for my soul has hoped in You
2. And in the shadow of Your wings I shall hope, until lawlessness passes.
3. I shall cry to God Most High, to God who has done good to me.
4. He sent from heaven and saved me; He delivered to reproach those who afflict me.
5. God sent His mercy and His truth and delivered my soul from among the young lions. I fell asleep troubled.
6. The sons of men — their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
7. Rise above the heavens, God, and let Your glory be over all the earth!
8. They prepared snares beneath my feet and oppressed my soul;
9. They dug a pit before me and fell into it.
10. My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready! I shall sing and praise Your glory.
11. Awake, my glory! Awake, psaltery and lute! I shall awaken in the morning.
12. I shall praise You among the peoples, Lord, and sing to You among the nations,
13. For Your mercy has grown as high as heaven, and Your truth as high as the clouds.
14. Rise above the heavens, God, and let Your glory be over all the earth!
When Psalm 56 is read
- It belongs to the 8th Kathisma and is read in the Psalter’s order at services; the faithful read it during fasts and in times of need.
- 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.
