Why read Psalm 60?
Psalm 60 offers reassurance when you feel overwhelmed or far from home. Its plea from the ends of the earth asks for firm ground and shelter under God's wings.
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 60 — “Hear, O God, my petition; attend...” — is the prayer through which the Psalmist places the experience of an entire hour of life before God. It belongs to the 8th Kathisma and has 8 verses, which you will find in full below.
The text of Psalm 60
1. Hear, O God, my petition; attend to my prayer!
2. From the ends of the earth I cried to You; when my heart grew sorrowful, You lifted me upon a rock.
3. You guided me, for You were my hope, a tower of strength before the enemy.
4. I shall dwell in Your dwelling place forever; I shall shelter beneath the covering of Your wings,
5. For You, O God, have heard my prayers; You have given an inheritance to those who fear Your name.
6. Add days to the days of the king, his years from generation to generation.
7. He shall remain forever before God; he shall guard mercy and truth.
8. Thus I shall sing to Your name unto the ages of ages, to fulfil my vows day by day.
When Psalm 60 is read
- It belongs to the 8th Kathisma and is read in the order of the Psalter 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
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
