Psalm 65-67
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 65[a]
Thanksgiving for Divine Blessings
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David. A song.
2 It is fitting to offer praise to you,[c]
O God, in Zion.
To you our vows must be fulfilled,
3 for you answer our prayers.
To you all flesh must come,[d]
4 burdened by its sinful deeds.
Too heavy for us are our sins,
and only you can blot them out.[e]
5 Blessed[f] is the one whom you choose
and invite to dwell in your courts.
We will be filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
6 Through your awesome deeds[g] of righteousness,
you respond to us, O God, our Savior;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the far-off islands.
7 Clothed in your great power,
you hold the mountains in place.[h]
8 You quiet the roaring of the seas,
the turbulence of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.[i]
9 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth
are awestruck by your wonders.[j]
You call forth songs of joy
from sunrise and sunset.
10 You care for the earth and water it,
making it most fertile.
The streams of God[k] are filled with water
to provide grain for its people.
Thus, you prepare the earth for growth:
11 you water its furrows
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and bless its yield.[l]
12 You crown the year with your bounty,[m]
and your tracks dispense fertility.
13 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
and the hills are covered with rejoicing.
14 The meadows are clothed with flocks,
and the valleys are decked out with grain;
in their joy they shout and sing together.[n]
Psalm 66[o]
Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance
1 For the director.[p] A song. A psalm.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;[q]
2 sing to the glory of his name;[r]
offer to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God: “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power,
your enemies grovel before you.
4 The whole earth bows down in worship before you,
singing praises to you,
singing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and behold[s] the works of God,
the awesome deeds he has done for people.
6 He changed the sea into dry land;
they crossed the river[t] on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 for he rules forever by his power.
His eyes keep watch over the nations
so that the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 [u]Bless our God, all you peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard.
9 For he has preserved our lives[v]
and has kept our feet from stumbling.
10 For you, O God, have put us to the test;
you have purified us as silver is refined.
11 [w]You allowed us to be snared in the net
and placed heavy burdens on our backs.
12 You let our captors ride over our heads,[x]
and we went through fire and water,
but now you have afforded us relief.
13 [y]I will enter your house with burnt offerings
and carry out my vows to you,
14 the vows that my lips pronounced
and my mouth promised when I was in distress.
15 I will offer burnt offerings of fat animals
with the smoke of burning rams;
I will sacrifice to you bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
while I relate what he has done for me.
17 [z]I lifted up my voice in prayer to him;
his praise[aa] was on my tongue.
18 [ab]If I had harbored evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God truly did listen,
and he was attentive to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed[ac] be God,
because he did not reject my prayer
or withhold his kindness from me.
Psalm 67[ad]
Prayer That All May Worship God
1 For the director.[ae] With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
2 O God, be gracious to us and bless us
and let your face shine upon us.[af] Selah
3 [ag]Then your ways will be known on earth
and your salvation among all nations.
4 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
5 Let the nations rejoice and exult,
for you judge the peoples fairly
and guide the nations upon the earth.[ah] Selah
6 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
7 The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, has blessed us.
8 May God continue to bless us
and be revered to the ends of the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 65:1 In Israel, the Harvest Feast (see Lev 23:29) directly follows the Day of Atonement (to which reference is made in Ps 65:4; see Lev 16). At this time the people celebrate a season of abundance. Joy and gratitude pervade this poem. At the beginning, there is a first acclamation to the Lord who dwells in Zion; in this privileged place God receives worship and dispenses pardon while the Levites are overwhelmed with joy and filled with grace. Then the horizon is expanded to include the very ends of the earth: the people praise the Master of the world whose exploits are proclaimed by all creation and history. Lastly, gratitude is offered for the huge harvest: the poet evokes the miracle that comes in the form of rain (for these regions ever threatened by drought); the springtime of Judea shines forth, and the country experiences a sumptuous rebirth.
The modern—scientific—way in which we look at the succession of the seasons and harvests need not deprive us of the wisdom of the ancients, which saw God at work and extolled his splendor and goodness. It is God who acts through the regular course of nature (see Mt 6:26, 30).
This psalm reminds us to offer God unceasing praise and thanksgiving (see Col 3:16f; Eph 5:19f). - Psalm 65:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
- Psalm 65:2 It is fitting . . . praise to you: another translation is: “Praise awaits you.” The debt of giving praise to God is fulfilled when people carry out the vows they made in time of need (see note on Ps 7:18).
- Psalm 65:3 To you all flesh must come: i.e., all humankind will come to God. It recalls the universalism of the psalmists (see Pss 64:10; 66:1, 4, 8; 67:4-6) and of Isaiah (see Isa 17:12; 26:15; 66:19, 23).
- Psalm 65:4 Blot them out: or “make atonement for them.” God forgives sins when his people repent and observe his rules for pardon (as he did for the Israelites who observed the Day of Atonement—see Lev 16:20-30).
- Psalm 65:5 Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1. Good things of your house: see note on Ps 36:9.
- Psalm 65:6 Awesome deeds: God’s creative acts as reflected in the beauty and bounty of Nature and his saving acts as seen in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and its establishment in the Promised Land (see Pss 106:22; 145:6; Deut 10:21; 2 Sam 7:23; Isa 64:3).
- Psalm 65:7 Clothed in your great power, you hold the mountains in place: the God of the psalmist is the Creator, the one who formed the mountains and continues to hold them in place (see Ps 93:1; Am 4:13).
- Psalm 65:8 Just as God tamed the turbulence of the primeval waters of chaos (see notes on Pss 32:6; 33:7), so he brings to an end the turmoil of the nations (see Isa 2:4f; 11:6-9; Mic 4:3f).
- Psalm 65:9 Wonders: the great saving acts of God indicated in note to verse 6.
- Psalm 65:10 Streams of God: the poet evokes the means by which God brings forth the rain out of his “storehouses” (Ps 33:7), which flow into the water sources on earth and give life to creatures (see Ps 46:5; Isa 33:21).
- Psalm 65:11 God sends both the “early” rain in the fall and the “latter” rain in the spring to water the ground and lead to abundant harvests—which he then blesses (see Deut 11:14; 28:12; Hos 6:3; Joel 2:23; Acts 14:17).
- Psalm 65:12 Bounty: literally, “goodness”; the reference is to both material and spiritual gifts, God’s covenant promises. Tracks: God’s royal chariot tours the heavens dispensing fertility throughout the earth (see Pss 18:11; 68:5; Deut 33:26; Isa 66:15; Am 9:13).
- Psalm 65:14 In their joy they shout and sing together: all creation joins in the praise of God for his goodness (see Pss 89:13; 96:11-13; 98:8f; 103:22; 145:10; 148:3f, 7-10; Job 38:7; Isa 44:23; 49:13; 55:12).
- Psalm 66:1 This psalm is made up of two wholly autonomous parts: in the first, Israel praises God for his saving acts on its behalf, and in the second, an individual fulfills his vow to God for some favor. In its liturgy, Israel always contemplates anew the great days of the past: the Exodus from Egypt and the passage of the Jordan (v. 5). This does not constitute nostalgia for a past favor; yesterday’s event is the sign of God’s presence today. God always manifests himself as the savior of his people: now he delivers them from the distress of an invasion or possibly from the great trial of the Exile (vv. 8-11). A spirit of universalism pervades the first part of this poem: the whole earth is invited to proclaim the deliverances of God.
In the individual’s prayer of thanksgiving, a man saved from a great trial comes to give praise by his offerings and his proclamation amidst his friends. The person who announces a deliverance at God’s hands makes himself the spokesman of the community of believers.
This psalm is an apt reminder to offer God a fitting sacrifice of thanksgiving in the Eucharist. Such is the living sacrifice we offer God, placing ourselves in it as other living victims (see Rom 12:1) in order to thank him for the wonders accomplished in our souls, especially for our spiritual resurrection achieved in union with Christ’s Resurrection (see Rom 6:5-8). - Psalm 66:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
- Psalm 66:1 All the earth: see note on Ps 65:3.
- Psalm 66:2 Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 66:5 Come and behold: in the eyes of the psalmist, God’s saving acts are present and can be seen in the liturgical celebration in the temple.
- Psalm 66:6 Sea . . . river: the passages through the Red Sea (see Ex 14:1—15:21) and through the Jordan (see Jos 3:11—4:24) became typical of God’s power and wondrous deeds in the history of Israel (see Ps 114:3; Isa 44:27; 50:2).
- Psalm 66:8 Praise for a new deliverance that God has worked on his people’s behalf.
- Psalm 66:9 Preserved our lives: sometimes translated as “brought us to life,” which accounts for the name “Resurrection Psalm” given this psalm in Greek and Latin manuscripts and its use in the Easter Liturgy.
- Psalm 66:11 The Israelites experienced imprisonment, slavery, and total defeat before being delivered by God and brought into a place of abundance (see Pss 18:20; 23:4-6; 119:45). The Lord does not permit his people to succumb to their trials (see Ps 37:24; 1 Cor 10:13) and rewards a persevering faith (see 1 Pet 1:7).
- Psalm 66:12 You let our captors ride over our heads: literally, “you let men mount our head,” which suggests the ancient practice of victors in war placing their feet on the necks of their enemies as a sign of total subjugation (see Isa 51:23). Fire and water: conventional metaphors for the gravest of trials (see Pss 32:6; 81:8; Isa 43:2; 51:22f).
- Psalm 66:13 An individual fulfills the vows he promised to God when he was in trouble (see note on Ps 7:18; see also Pss 50:14; 116:17-19).
- Psalm 66:17 The psalmist’s celebration of his deliverance includes a lament (I lifted up my voice, v. 17), a profession of commitment (his praise was on my tongue, v. 17), a protestation of innocence (if I had harbored evil in my heart, v. 18; see Pss 17:1f; 18:21f; 59:4f; Jn 9:31), and praise (God truly did listen, v. 19; see Pss 28:6; 31:22; 68:20, 36).
- Psalm 66:17 I lifted up my voice . . . his praise: prayer always entails praise in both the Old Testament and the New (see Phil 4:6; 1 Tim 2:1). Even while the psalmist was praying for help, he was also praising God for his goodness and mercy.
- Psalm 66:18 Because the psalmist acknowledged his sin, he was forgiven by God, and his prayer was heard. Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 66:20 Blessed: see note on Ps 22:27. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 67:1 This psalm recounts the assembly of the people for the Feast of the Harvest (see Ex 23:16; Lev 26:4) and their prayers of praise to God. They recall first all that he has done in Israel; the abundance of the fruits of the earth is like a new sign of his power and goodness. And more and more, they want the whole world to take part in this thanksgiving to God. The Lord is no longer merely the God of Israel; he is the Master and Judge of the whole world and all its peoples.
This psalm enables us to thank God for his material blessings on us. However, it also reminds us to ask God to continue to shower upon us his spiritual blessings so as to elicit admiration, envy, and divine praises even from nonbelievers. - Psalm 67:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
- Psalm 67:2 This verse was inspired by the priestly blessing (see Ps 31:17; Num 6:24-26). Face shine upon us: a radiant face is the sign of a joyous and benevolent heart (see Pss 4:7; 31:17; 44:4; 80:4; 119:135; see also note on Ps 13:2).
- Psalm 67:3 The history of the chosen people is a lesson that God gives to the pagan nations, enabling them to discover his power and goodness. They too are called to serve the one God and must join their praises to those of God’s people. The refrain of the psalm (vv. 4, 6) insists on the universalism that the Prophets (see Jer 33:9), especially Second Isaiah, have impressed on the religious conscience of Israel. Many psalms bear witness to this spirit.
- Psalm 67:5 The psalmist prays that the nations may see the goodness of God’s rule and respond with joy and praise (see Pss 98:4-6; 100:1).
Psalm 69-70
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 69[a]
Cry of Anguish in Distress
1 For the director.[b] According to “Lilies.” Of David.
2 [c]Save me, my God,
for the waters have risen to my neck.
3 I am sinking in muddy depths
and can find no foothold.
I have fallen into deep waters,
and the floods[d] overwhelm me.
4 I am exhausted from crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes have been worn out
searching for my God.
5 More numerous than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me for no reason.[e]
Many are those who seek to destroy me,
and they are treacherous.
How can I restore
what I have not stolen?
6 O God, you know how foolish I am;
my guilty deeds are not hidden from you.[f]
7 Do not allow those who hope in you
to be put to shame because of me,
O Lord of hosts.
Do not let those who seek you
suffer disgrace because of me,
O God of Israel.
8 It is for your sake that I endure reproach
and that shame covers my face.
9 I have become alienated from my brothers,[g]
a stranger to my mother’s sons.
10 Zeal for your house[h] consumes me,
and the insults directed at you fall on me.
11 When I mortified myself with fasting,
I exposed myself to scorn.
12 When I clothed myself in sackcloth,
I became a laughingstock.
13 Those who sit at the gate taunt me,
and drunkards make me the target of their ditties.
14 But I lift up my prayer to you, O Lord,
in the time of your favor.[i]
In your great kindness, O God,
respond to me with your certain help.
15 Draw me out of the mire,
and do not let me plunge any deeper.
Deliver me from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
16 Do not let the flood waters sweep over me,
or the depths swallow me up,
or the pit close its jaws around me.
17 Answer me, O Lord, for your kindness[j] is wonderful;
in your great compassion turn toward me.
18 Do not hide your face[k] from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in distress.
19 Draw near to me and redeem me;
deliver me from my enemies.
20 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
all my oppressors are in your sight.
21 Insults have so broken my heart
that I am near the end of my strength.
I looked for compassion, but in vain,
for some consolers, but I found none.[l]
22 They put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar[m] to drink.
23 [n]Let their table become a trap for them;
let their well-being become a snare.[o]
24 Let their eyes dim so that they cannot see,
and let their limbs tremble constantly.
25 Vent your wrath on them,
and let your burning anger take hold of them.
26 Let their camp be left desolate;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.[p]
27 For they pursue the one you struck down
and tell of the pain of the one you hurt.
28 Charge them with crime after crime;
let them not share in your salvation.
29 Blot them out from the book of the living;[q]
do not number them among the upright.
30 But I am filled with pain and suffering;
may your saving power, O God, raise me up.
31 [r]I will praise the name of God with a song
and glorify him with a hymn of thanksgiving.
32 This will gratify the Lord more than an ox
or a young bull with horns and hoofs:[s]
33 “Let the poor[t] see this and rejoice;
let those who seek God take heart.
34 For the Lord hears the needy
and does not turn his back on captives.
35 Let the heavens and the earth offer praise,
the seas and everything that moves therein.”
36 For God will deliver Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
His people will live there and possess it;
37 his servants’ children will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Psalm 70[u]
Insistent Prayer for Divine Assistance
1 For the director.[v] Of David. For remembrance.
2 [w]Make haste, O God, to rescue me;
O Lord, come quickly to my aid.
3 [x]May all those who seek to take my life
endure shame and confusion.
May all those who desire my ruin
be turned back and humiliated.
4 May those who cry out to me, “Aha! Aha!”[y]
be forced to retreat in shame.
5 But may all who seek you
rejoice in you and be jubilant.
May those who love your salvation
cry out forever, “May God be magnified.”[z]
6 As for me, I am poor and needy;[aa]
hasten to my aid, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.
Footnotes
- Psalm 69:1 This Messianic psalm encompasses the laments of two different people in distress; the first may have been accused of thievery (v. 5), and the second may have been tormented because of his piety and derided for his faith. The swamp in which they are sinking and the waters by which they are engulfed are the images of the despair that afflicts a person facing death. The tragic state of the suppliants resembles that of the righteous person whom we have encountered in Ps 22 and who makes us think of the prophet Jeremiah (see Jer 15:15) and the Suffering Servant (see Isa 53:10). Their prayer, which appeals to God’s justice as well as his compassion, concludes with a vast thanksgiving; the salvation that they await must be extended to all the lowly who rely only on God.
In their sufferings, Jesus sees his own suffering (Jn 15:25), and the evangelists have applied themselves to underscore this likeness (see Mt 27:46; Jn 2:17; 19:28; etc.). No psalm except Ps 22 is cited more often in the New Testament, a fact that led the Fathers of the Church to classify this psalm as Messianic. - Psalm 69:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. According to “Lilies”: nothing is known about this phrase.
- Psalm 69:2 Waters . . . muddy depths . . . deep waters . . . floods: a common means of indicating extreme distress (see note on Ps 30:2).
- Psalm 69:3 Waters . . . muddy depths . . . deep waters . . . floods: a common means of indicating extreme distress (see note on Ps 30:2).
- Psalm 69:5 Hate me for no reason: see note on Ps 35:19. These words were completely fulfilled in the hatred his enemies had for Jesus (see Jn 15:25).
- Psalm 69:6 The psalmist admits his guilt, but he is innocent of the great crimes attributed to him by his enemies. This verse can be applied to Jesus only as an indication of the sins of the world that he took upon himself.
- Psalm 69:9 I have become alienated from my brothers: i.e., he is mocked by them; this text lies behind Jn 7:5, where Jesus’ relatives (“brothers”) do not believe in him.
- Psalm 69:10 Zeal for your house: cited in Jn 2:17 with reference to Jesus. Insults directed at you: cited in Rom 15:3 as an example of Jesus’ selflessness.
- Psalm 69:14 Time of your favor: i.e., the special time when God is very near (see Ps 32:6; Isa 49:8; 61:2; 2 Cor 6:2). Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 69:17 Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
- Psalm 69:18 Hide your face: see note on Ps 13:2.
- Psalm 69:21 I looked for . . . consolers, but I found none: see Job 6:14ff; 16:2; Lam 1:2; and in reference to Jesus, see Mt 26:40; Jn 16:32.
- Psalm 69:22 Gall . . . vinegar: the evangelists suggest that the sufferings of the psalmist as described in this verse foreshadowed the sufferings of Jesus on the cross (see Mt 27:34, 48; Mk 15:23; Lk 23:36; Jn 19:29).
- Psalm 69:23 Prayer for divine justice to prevail (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
- Psalm 69:23 These two verses are applied by Paul to the divine hardening of sinners’ hearts that God allows (see Rom 11:9f). Table: a single tablecloth spread on the ground; hence the possibility of tripping over it.
- Psalm 69:26 Peter applies this verse to the replacement of Judas (see Acts 1:20).
- Psalm 69:29 Book of the living: a figurative expression denoting God’s record of the righteous (see note on Ps 51:3). From the human point of view, individuals may be blotted out of that book, but from the divine point of view it contains only the names of the elect who will not be blotted out (see Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15).
- Psalm 69:31 A vow to praise God for hearing his prayer (see note on Ps 7:18). Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
- Psalm 69:32 Prayer is worth more than the sacrifice of animals (see Pss 40:7; 50:13f; 51:18f), even the most perfect ones (see Lev 11:3; 1 Sam 1:24). See notes on Pss 40:7 and 50:7-15.
- Psalm 69:33 Poor: see note on Ps 22:27. Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
- Psalm 70:1 The psalmist’s cry is that of all who cannot endure suffering any longer and have no hope except in God. He calls upon God to come to his aid quickly. It is a slightly revised duplicate of Ps 40:14-18.
Every Christian (and the whole Church) can naturally recite this psalm in his or her own right as one really (though not yet completely) saved. - Psalm 70:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. For remembrance: see note on Ps 38:1.
- Psalm 70:2 Distress can remind a person of his attachment to sin. Is there any reason why people should vilify the person who acknowledges his faults? Realizing his strong attraction toward evil, the psalmist cries out to God, and the poor man rediscovers with astonishment the joyous assurance that God thinks about him.
- Psalm 70:3 The psalmist prays for the downfall of his enemies, somewhat as Christians pray for the kingdom of God to come, which includes the petition that the Lord will come to vindicate his own and avenge the wrongs done by his enemies (see 2 Thes 1:5-10; see also notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
- Psalm 70:4 Aha! Aha!: the mocking words of the psalmist’s adversaries.
- Psalm 70:5 When the Lord works his deliverance, his people will rejoice in his salvation (see Ps 35:27) and give him praise.
- Psalm 70:6 Poor and needy: see note on Ps 34:7. My help and my deliverer: the salvation promised the faithful (see Isa 25:9), first conceived as natural with reference to the Exodus or the return from the Exile, was later conceived as spiritual without restriction of space or time (see Pss 18:3; 19:15).
