Why read Psalm 11?
Read Psalm 11 when you want to remain truthful in the face of lies or manipulative speech. It contrasts God's faithful word with flattery and deceit, inviting reflection on how we speak.
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.
“Save me, O Lord, for the devout...” — this is how Psalm 11 begins, a work of 8 verses from the 2nd 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 11
1. Save me, O Lord, for the devout person has disappeared, and truth has diminished among the children of men.
2. Everyone spoke vanities to their neighbour; deceitful lips spoke evil with a divided heart.
3. The Lord will destroy all deceitful lips and the tongue full of pride.
4. Those who said: “With our tongue we will magnify ourselves, for our lips are our own; who is our Lord?”
5. Because of the distress of the poor and the sighing of the unfortunate, now I will arise, says the Lord; I will bring them salvation and speak openly to them.
6. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tested in fire, cleansed of earth, purified seven times.
7. You, O Lord, will guard us and protect us from this generation for ever.
8. For when worthless people rise high, the lawless swarm everywhere.
When Psalm 11 is read
- It belongs to the 2nd Kathisma and may be read daily alongside the prayer rule (see the morning and evening prayers).
- 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.
