Why read Psalm 119?
Read Psalm 119 to ask for peace and protection from deceit. Its account of living among those who oppose peace is joined to a plea for release from harmful speech.
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 18th Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 119 awaits its reader with 7 verses of prayer arising from a real experience. It begins with “I cried to the Lord when I...” — and from there onwards, everything is a dialogue between the human being and God.
The text of Psalm 119
1. I cried to the Lord when I was troubled, and He heard me.
2. Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips and from a deceitful tongue.
3. What will be given to you, and what will you gain from the deceitful tongue?
4. Sharp arrows with burning coals, shot by the Mighty One.
5. Woe to me, for my sojourn has been prolonged, for I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
6. Long has my soul wandered.
7. Among those who hated peace, I was a peacemaker; when I spoke to them, they fought against me in vain.
When Psalm 119 is read
- The pilgrim’s psalm — when setting out on a journey.
- 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.
