Psalm 25
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 25[a]
Prayer for Guidance and Help
1 [b]Of David.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
2 in you, O my God, I trust.
Do not let me be put to shame,
or permit my enemies to gloat over me.
3 No one who places his hope in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will be the lot of all
who break faith without justification.
4 [c]Make your ways known to me, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and instruct me,
for you are God, my Savior,
and in you I hope all the day long.
6 Be mindful, O Lord, that mercy and kindness
have been yours from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
or my many transgressions,
but remember me in your kindness,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
8 [d]Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore, he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them the path to follow.
10 The ways of the Lord[e] are kindness and truth
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For the sake of your name,[f] O Lord,
pardon my iniquity, great though it be.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?
He will be shown the path he should choose.[g]
13 He will enjoy lasting prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.[h]
14 The Lord manifests himself to those who fear him,[i]
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever upon the Lord,
for he alone can free my feet from the snare.
16 [j]Turn to me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
17 Relieve the anguish of my heart[k]
and free me from my distress.
18 Look upon my affliction and suffering,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how numerous are my enemies,
and how fierce is their hatred of me.
20 Preserve my life and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I seek refuge in you.
21 Let integrity and virtue preserve me,
for in you I place my hope.
22 Redeem[l] Israel, O God,
from all its troubles.
Footnotes
- Psalm 25:1 One admires the inner quality of the righteous man who addresses himself to God in this alphabetical psalm. He does not believe that he is totally innocent. He takes false steps and deserves his wretchedness and his isolation because of his sins. His confession testifies to much uprightness and honesty. It is the attitude of a humble person who knows he is loved by God and trusts in him; he hopes to receive pardon, counsel, and assistance from the Lord. The theme of this beautiful prayer is given in the cry of hope in verses 1-2, which the Liturgy puts on the lips of Christians at the beginning of Advent.
In praying this psalm, we can dwell on the fact that in his unfailing love God is pleased to lead us back to the right path when we go astray and to keep us on it. Christ gives us salvation through the remission of sins (see Lk 1:77-79). - Psalm 25:1 Prayer for relief from distress and the ensuing slander from one’s foes.
- Psalm 25:4 Prayer for guidance and pardon. Your ways: that is, “your commandments” (see Pss 27:11; 86:11; 128:1; 143:8). Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 25:8 Trust in the Lord’s covenant blessings.
- Psalm 25:10 Ways of the Lord: God’s manner of dealing kindly with those who remain faithful to the covenant (see Pss 103:7; 138:5). See also Ps 85:10; Gen 32:10; Deut 33:9; and Paul’s magnificent summary in Rom 8:28: “We know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love him.”
- Psalm 25:11 Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 25:12 The path he should choose: or “the path chosen for him.”
- Psalm 25:13 Inherit the land: according to the teaching of the sages, God rewards the righteous here below by bestowing on them earthly goods that he withholds from the wicked (see Ps 37:9, 29; Prov 19:23). To this is added the returned exiles’ hope for the enjoyment of the land of their ancestors (see Isa 57:13; 60:21; 65:9).
- Psalm 25:14 The Lord manifests himself to those who fear him: some translations have “The Lord manifests his secret to those who fear him,” which is to be understood as divine intimacy and friendship (see Ps 73:28; Ex 33:11; Job 29:4; Prov 3:32; Jn 15:5) united with the understanding of divine things (see Jer 16:21; 31:34; Hos 6:6).
- Psalm 25:16 Renewed prayer for relief from distress and foes.
- Psalm 25:17 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 25:22 Concluding prayer on behalf of all God’s people. Redeem: i.e., “deliver.”
Psalm 25
New King James Version
A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness
A Psalm of David.
25 To (A)You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I (B)trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
(C)Let not my enemies triumph over me.
3 Indeed, let no one who [a]waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4 (D)Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, (E)Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
7 Do not remember (F)the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
(G)According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
9 The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 (H)For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
(I)Him shall [b]He teach in the way He chooses.
13 (J)He himself shall dwell in [c]prosperity,
And (K)his descendants shall inherit the earth.
14 (L)The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
15 (M)My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall [d]pluck my feet out of the net.
16 (N)Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am [e]desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
18 (O)Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with [f]cruel hatred.
20 Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22 (P)Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!
Footnotes
- Psalm 25:3 Waits for You in faith
- Psalm 25:12 Or he
- Psalm 25:13 Lit. goodness
- Psalm 25:15 Lit. bring out
- Psalm 25:16 lonely
- Psalm 25:19 violent hatred
Psalm 25
English Standard Version
Teach Me Your Paths
[a] Of David.
25 To you, O Lord, I (A)lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I (B)trust;
(C)let me not be put to shame;
(D)let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, (E)none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are (F)wantonly (G)treacherous.
4 (H)Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your (I)truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
6 Remember your (J)mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
(K)for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not (L)the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your (M)steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
8 (N)Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he (O)instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are (P)steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For your (Q)name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is (R)great.
12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him (S)will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall (T)abide in well-being,
and his (U)offspring (V)shall inherit the land.
14 (W)The friendship[b] of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
15 My (X)eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will (Y)pluck my feet out of the net.
16 (Z)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
18 (AA)Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
(AB)Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 (AC)Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.
Footnotes
- Psalm 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Psalm 25:14 Or The secret counsel
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
