Why read Psalm 69?
Read Psalm 69 when you need a brief prayer asking for help without delay. Its repeated plea acknowledges human weakness while expressing confidence in God as helper and deliverer.
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.
In the 9th Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 69 awaits its reader with 7 verses of prayer arising from a real experience. It begins with “O God, attend to helping me!...” — and from there onwards, everything is a dialogue between the human being and God.
The text of Psalm 69
1. O God, attend to helping me! O Lord, make haste to help me!
2. Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and confounded;
3. Let those who wish me evil turn back and be ashamed;
4. Let those who say to me, “Well, well!” turn back at once in shame.
5. Let all who seek You, O God, rejoice and be glad in You, and let those who love Your salvation always say, “Glorified be the Lord!”
6. But I am poor and needy, O God, help me!
7. You are my help and my Deliverer, O Lord, do not delay!
When Psalm 69 is read
- a short prayer for swift help — repeated 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.
