Why read Psalm 95?
Read Psalm 95 to praise God and proclaim His goodness. The invitation to sing a new song extends to the whole world and anticipates His righteous judgment.
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 95 — "O sing unto the Lord a new song, sing unto the Lord..." — is the prayer through which the Psalmist sets before God the living of a whole hour of life. It belongs to the Thirteenth Kathisma and has 13 verses, which you will find below in full text.
The text of Psalm 95
1. O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day.
3. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples;
4. For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised; He is terrible above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
6. Praise and beauty are before Him; holiness and majesty are in His sanctuary.
7. Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the nations, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour; bring ye to the Lord the glory due unto His name.
8. Bring sacrifices and enter into His courts. Worship the Lord in His holy court.
9. Let all the earth be moved before Him. Say among the nations that the Lord is King,
10. For He hath established the world which shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples in righteousness.
11. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea be shaken, and all that therein is; let the fields be joyful, and all that is in them.
12. Then all the trees of the wood shall rejoice before the Lord, for He cometh, He cometh to judge the earth.
13. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His truth.
When Psalm 95 is read
- It belongs to the Thirteenth Kathisma; it may be read daily, together with the prayer rule (see the morning and the evening prayers).
- 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.
