Why read Psalm 85?
Read Psalm 85 to ask for mercy, guidance and an undivided heart. The psalmist acknowledges his need and asks to learn God's way so that he may remain faithful.
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 85 — "Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me..." — is the prayer through which the Psalmist sets before God the living of a whole hour of life. It belongs to the Twelfth Kathisma and has 16 verses, which you will find below in full text.
The text of Psalm 85
1. Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and needy.
2. Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save Thou, O my God, Thy servant that hopeth in Thee.
3. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for unto Thee will I cry all the day long. Gladden the soul of Thy servant, for unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.
4. For Thou, O Lord, art good and gentle, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.
5. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend unto the voice of my supplication.
6. In the day of my affliction I have cried unto Thee, for Thou hast heard me.
7. There is none like unto Thee among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like unto Thy works.
8. All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy name.
9. For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things; Thou art God alone.
10. Guide me, O Lord, in Thy way, and I will walk in Thy truth; let my heart rejoice, that it may fear Thy name.
11. I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Thy name for evermore.
12. For great is Thy mercy toward me, and Thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell.
13. O God, transgressors are risen up against me, and the assembly of the mighty hath sought after my soul, and they have not set Thee before them.
14. But Thou, O Lord, God of pity and merciful art Thou; long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and true.
15. Look upon me and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid.
16. Work in me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed, because Thou, O Lord, hast holpen me and comforted me.
When Psalm 85 is read
- a personal prayer, great and humble — much beloved.
- At the end of each psalm, the tradition adds: "Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
Neighbouring psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
