Why read Psalm 66?
Psalm 66 is a prayer for blessing and peace among peoples. It asks for the light of God's face and His just guidance, while the earth's harvest becomes a reason for gratitude.
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 God, be gracious to us and...” — this is how Psalm 66 begins, a work of 6 verses from the 9th 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 66
1. O God, be gracious to us and bless us, let Your face shine upon us and have mercy on us!
2. That we may know Your way on earth, Your salvation among all nations.
3. The peoples will praise You, O God, all the peoples will praise You!
4. Let the nations rejoice and be glad, for You will judge the peoples with justice and guide the nations on earth.
5. The peoples will praise You, O God, all the peoples will praise You. The earth has yielded its fruit.
6. Bless us, O God, our God. Bless us, O God, and let all the ends of the earth fear You.
When Psalm 66 is read
- It belongs to the 9th Kathisma — the psalms are read in full within the cycle of kathismata, at Matins and Vespers.
- 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.
