Seven Penitential Psalms

These seven psalms, 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 (Vulgate numbering) have long been
associated with penitential devotions. St. Augustine is said to have had them placed before him
to read while he was on his deathbed. They have also been often commended as a defense
against the seven deadly sins, each Psalm being associated with one of them. The form below
was taken from the Coeleste Palmetum, which was assembled by Wilhelmus Nakatenus (1617-
1682), and has intervening prayers against each of the seven deadly sins.

Ant. Remember not, Lord, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers, nor take Thou
vengeance upon them.

1. Psalm 6 (6)

Prayer of a man chastised by God

My soul is in turmoil... Father, save me from this hour?

(John 12:27)

2 O LORD, do not reprove me in Thy wrath, * nor in Thy anger chastise me.

3 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak, * heal me, Lord, for my body is in torment.

4 And my soul is greatly troubled, * but Thou, O Lord, how long?

5 Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul; * save me on account of Thy mercy.

6 For who amongst the dead remembers Thee, * who of the dead will tell of Thee?

7 I have suffered and wept, every night have I washed my bed * and drenched my blanket with
my tears.

8 My eyes are filled with grief, * I have grown feeble in the midst of my enemies.

9 Leave me, all you who do evil, * for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

10 The Lord has heard my appeal, * the Lord has accepted my prayer.

11 May my enemies be put to shame and come to ruin. * May they be turned away and be
swiftly put to shame.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.
Prayer against pride
Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself, obedient unto death, even death on the Cross. And I,
the most vile of worms, am but dust and ashes. I am the greatest of sinners who has merited
hell a thousand times, do I not fear my soul to be carried off? Be gracious to me, O Lord. I
acknowledge and detest my cursing arrogance. Do not, I beseech Thee, throw me down into
the pit of Gehenna along with proud Lucifer and his servants. Turn to me and rescue my soul.
Help me and save me on account of Thy mercy. I prefer to lie abject upon the threshold of the
house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of sinners. (Ps 83:11)

2. Psalm 31 (32)

Blessed is he whose iniquity is remitted.

David declares the blessedness of the man to whom God credits justice without works.
(Rom 4: 6)

1 BLESSED is he whose iniquities are forgiven, * and whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin, * and in whose spirit there is no
guile.

3 Because I was silent my bones wasted away, * as I cried out all day.

4 For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me: * I am twisted in my affliction whilst the
thorn is fastened upon me.

5 I have acknowledged my sin to Thee, * and my guilt I have not concealed.

I said "I will confess my injustice against myself to the Lord:" * and Thou hast forgiven the
wickedness of my sin.

6 For this shall every one that is holy pray to Thee * in due time.

Though in a flood of many waters, * they shall not reach him.

7 Thou art my refuge, from the tribulation which surrounds me: * my joy, deliver me from those
surrounding me.

8 I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in the way in which thou shalt walk: * I
will fix my eyes upon thee.

9 Do not become like the horse and the mule, * who have no understanding.
With bit and bridle bind them fast, * else they will not come near to thee.

10 Many are the sorrows of the sinner, * but mercy shall surround him that hopeth in the Lord.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, * and glory, all ye of righteous heart.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer against greed

What is mine in heaven and so what should I want on earth from Thee, O God of my heart and
my portion in eternity? The eye is not satisfied, nor is the ear filled, but I shall be satisfied when
Thy glory will have appeared. Oh how I have served Mammon with such zeal so far! And what
will it profit me if I have gained the whole world if indeed I shall suffer the loss of my soul? All
the rich have gone to their sleep and found their hands empty. I will confess to Thee, my Lord,
my unjust deeds, and Thou shalt, I pray, remit the impiety of my sins. In the future I will have
mercy on the poor, I shall give until it hurts and I will expend myself fervently in Thy service.
Help me, O Lord, Thou who filleth my desires with good things. (Ps 102:5)

3. Psalm 37 (38)

Prayer of a sinner chastised by God.

All his acquaintances stood away from him.

(Luke 23:49)

2 O LORD, rebuke me not in Thy furor; * nor chastise me in Thy wrath.

3 For Thy arrows are fastened in me: * and Thy hand hath descended upon me.

4 There is no health in my flesh in the face of Thy wrath: * there is no peace for my bones in the
face of my sins.

5 For my iniquities are gone over my head: * and are a heavy burden too heavy to bear.

6 My wounds are putrid and corrupt, * in the face of my foolishness.

7 I am miserable and am bowed down: * all the day long I walked in sadness.

8 For my insides are filled with mocking; * and there is no health in my flesh.

9 Greatly am I afflicted and humbled: * I roared with the groaning of my heart.

10 Lord, before Thee are all my desires, * and my groaning is not hidden from Thee.

11 My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, * and the light of my eyes themselves is not
with me.

12 My friends and my neighbors * have drawn near me and stood against me.

And those who were near me stood afar: * They laid snares, those who sought my soul.

13 And they that sought evil for me said wicked things, * all day long they planned deceitful
things.

14 But I, as a deaf man, heard not: * and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.

15 And I became like one that heareth not: * and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.

16 For in Thee, O Lord, have I hoped: * Thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God.

17 For I said, "May my enemies never rejoice over me: * when my feet stumble, they speak
great things against me."

18 For I am ready for the whip: * and my sorrow is continually before me.

19 For I will declare my inequity: * and I will be sorry for my sin.

20 But my enemies live, and are stronger that I, * and they that hate me wrongfully multiply.

21 They that render evil for good, have humiliated me, * because I followed goodness.

22 Forsake me not, O Lord, * my God, depart not from me.

23 Hasten unto my help, * O Lord, God of my salvation.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer against anger

Should man reserveth anger for his fellow man and yet seek remedy from God? Should he that
hath no mercy on one like himself entreat God for his own sins? Who shall obtain pardon for his
sins? (Sir 28:3-5) By these words Thou hast spoken to me though Thy servant Sirach, O Lord
God. And after this dare I foster anger and hate against anyone? Spare me, O Lord, spare me of
my malice and stubbornness in which I have persevered even unto now. From my soul I now
overlook and forgive whatever anyone has done against me. I humbly beg Thee, O Lord, do not
rebuke me in Thy anger. O how would that I be like the deaf who does not hear and the mute
who does not speak whenever my enemies rise up in force against me, those who seek my soul.
Do not forsake me, O lord my God, do not depart from me, for Thou are my patience. (Ps 70:5)

4. Psalm 50 (51)

Confession, prayer, and promise of a penitent sinner.

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man.
(Eph 4:23-24)

3 HAVE MERCY ON ME, O God, * according to Thy great mercy;

and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies: * blot out my iniquity.

4 Wash me from my iniquity; * and cleanse me of my sin.

5 For I acknowledge my iniquity, * and my sin is always before me.

6 Against Thee alone have I sinned and done evil in Thy sight; * that Thou mayest be justified in
Thy sentence and mayest overcome when judged.

7 For behold, I was conceived in sin, * and in sin my mother conceived me;

8 For behold, Thou hast loved truth, * and the uncertain and hidden things of Thy wisdom Thou
hast shown me.

9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed, * Thou shalt wash me, and I shall
be made whiter than snow.

10 Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness, * and the bones Thou hath crushed shall
rejoice.

11 Turn away Thy face from my sins, * and blot out all my iniquities.

12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, * and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

13 Cast me not from Thy presence, * and take not Thy holy spirit from me.

14 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, * and strengthen me with Thy spirit.

15 I will teach the unjust Thy ways, * and the wicked shall be converted to Thee.

16 Deliver me from blood guilt, O God, the God of my salvation * , and my tongue shall extol
Thy justice.
17 Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord, * and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.

18 For if Thou didst desire sacrifice, I would have indeed given it, * with a burnt offering Thou
art not pleased.

19 A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit, * a contrite and humbled heart, O God, Thou shalt not
despise.

20 Deal favorably, O Lord, in Thy good will with Sion * that the walls of Jerusalem may be built
up.

21 Then shalt Thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings, * then
shall they lay calves upon Thy altar.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer against lust

Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and now I am not worthy to be called
Thy son. What shall I, wretched that I am, do? For Thy Spirit shall not remain in man, for he is
flesh. Oh have mercy on me, have mercy! I attribute to Thy infinite goodness that I am not
taken along with the many thousands of the damned, who the cursed abomination of lust casts
headlong into Gehenna even today. Shall I therefore sin again? O Jesus, in the love of base
pleasures shall I again trample under foot Thy most precious Blood poured forth in the washing
away of my sins? Far from it, O Jesus, far from it! I beseech Thee, O Son of the most chaste
Virgin Mary to free me from the spirit of fornication. Wash me from my iniquities and cleanse
me from my sin. Do not cast me from Thy face nor take Thy Holy Spirit from me!

5. Psalm 101 (102)

Vow and prayers of an exile.

God will console us in all our tribulations.

(2 Cor 1:4)

2 HEAR, O LORD, my prayer: * and let my cry come to Thee.

3 Hide not Thy face from me: in the day of my distress, * incline Thy ear to me.

On the day I call upon Thee, * hear me speedily.

4 For my days have vanished like smoke, * and my bones burn like dry wood in a fire.

5 My heart is dried up and withered like grass: * and so I have forgotten to eat my bread.

6 Because of my groaning, * my bones cleave to my flesh.

7 I am like a pelican in the desert: * I am like a night owl among the ruins.

8 I kept awake, * and am like a lone sparrow on the housetop.

9 All day my enemies reviled me: * in their rage against me they made a curse of me.

10 For I eat ashes like bread, * and mingle my drink with tears.

11 Because of Thy anger and indignation: * having lifted me up, Thou hast then cast me down.

12 My days are like a lengthening shadow, * and I have withered like grass.

13 But thou, O Lord, endurest for ever: * and Thy memorial for generations and generations.

14 Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion, for it is time to be merciful, * for the appointed
time has come.

15 For her stones have pleased Thy servants: * and her dust moves them to pity.

16 All the Gentiles shall fear Thy name, O Lord, * and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.

17 For the Lord hath built up Sion: * and He shall be seen in His glory.

18 He hath regarded the prayer of the humble: * and he hath not despised their prayer.

19 Let these things be written for the next generation: * and the people that shall be created
will praise the Lord:

20 For he hath looked down from his sanctuary on high: * from heaven the Lord hath looked
upon the earth.

21 that he might hear the groans of those imprisoned * that he might release the children of
the dead:

22 That they may declare the name of the Lord in Sion: * and His praise in Jerusalem;

23 when the people assemble together, * and kings, that they may serve the Lord.

24 He hath broken my strength in the way, * He hath cut short my days.

25 I shall say: "My God take me not away in the midst of my days: * Thy years are for
generations and generations.

26 In the beginning, O Lord, Thou foundedst the earth: * and the heavens are the works of thy
hands.

27 They shall perish but Thou shalt remain: * and all of them shall grow old like a garment:

And like clothing Thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. *

28 But Thou art always the same, and Thy years have no end.

29 The children of Thy servants shall abide * and their offspring shall be established in Thy
presence."

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer against gluttony

O wretched me, who hath forsaken Thee, Lord God, the font of living water. I have dug myself
cisterns of earthly delights, broken cisterns, that can hold no living water! (cf Jer 2:13) Verily
have I forgotten to eat my bread, the bread of life, having in it all delight and sweetness of
taste. Instead I was eager to fill my belly with the husks pigs eat. (Lk 15:16) As yet food was in
the mouth of the Sons of Israel, when God's anger descended upon them: and is so often
spared me, who thru intemperance of food and drink has been formed in the likeness of a beast
and not in Thy image, O God. O how in the end might I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears
with my drink. May my food be to do Thy will in everything, Thou who shalt make us drink from
the river of Thy delights. (Ps 35:9)

6. Psalm 129 (130)

Out of the depths I cried.

He will save His people from their sins.

(Mt 1:21)

1 OUT OF THE DEPTHS I cry to Thee, O Lord; *

2 O Lord, hear my voice!

Let Thy ears be attentive * to the voice of my supplication:

3 If Thou, O Lord, mark one's iniquities, * O Lord, who can stand?

4 But with Thee is forgiveness, * and account of Thy law, I have waited for Thee.

My soul hath relied upon His word: * 5 my soul hath hoped in the Lord.

6 From the morning watch until night, * let Israel hope in the Lord.

7 For with the Lord is mercy * and plenteous with Him is redemption;

8 And He will redeem Israel * from all their iniquities.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer against envy

O my God, Thou so lovest the world that Thou gaveth Thy only begotten Son so that all who
believe in Thee might not perish, but may have eternal life. Thou maketh the sun rise upon the
good and the bad, and Thou raineth upon the just and the unjust. Yet I am filled with jealousy
while others prosper. I want everything to come to me, and I am saddened by my neighbor's
least good fortune! O what inhuman malice! O infernal poison! Forgive, o most loving Father
what up to this point has been my sin. Gentle is Thy mercy. From the depths of that mercy,
grant that henceforth I may be robed in kindness as a chosen one of God. May I also, above all,
strive to have charity, which is the bond of perfection. (Col. 3:14)

7. Psalm 142 (143)

Prayer in necessity.

Man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
(Gal 2:16)

1 HEAR, O LORD, MY PRAYER, give ear to my supplication in Thy truth: * hear me in Thy justice.

2 And enter not into judgment with Thy servant: * for no one living shall be justified in Thy
sight.

3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: * he hath ground my life into the earth.

He hath made me dwell in darkness as the dead of old. *

4 And my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled.

5 I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all Thy works: * upon the works of Thy hands I
pondered.

6 I stretched forth my hands to Thee: * my soul is as earth without water unto Thee.

7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: * my spirit hath fainted away.

Turn not away Thy face from me, * lest I be like those that go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning; * for in Thee have I hoped.

Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk: * for I have lifted up my soul to Thee.

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to Thee have I fled. *

10 Teach me to do Thy will, * for Thou art my God.

Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land: *

11 for Thy name's sake, O Lord, Thou wilt give me life in Thy justice.

Thou shalt bring my soul out of trouble. *

12 And in Thy mercy Thou wilt destroy my enemies.

And Thou wilt cut off all that afflict my soul: * for I am Thy servant.

Doxologia Minor
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is
now, and will be forever. Amen.

Ant. Remember not, Lord, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers, nor take Thou
vengeance upon them.

Prayer against sloth

O my God, did I ever begin to love Thee and to praise Thee with all my heart, with all my soul
and with all my strength, in some part equal to Thee, who in Thy perpetual charity chose me
and committed me to Thee forever? Alas, my soul has slept out of tedium! Woe to me, for so
far until now in Thy service I have been tepid, so that I might be able to fear rightly, do not
begin to vomit me from Thy mouth. (Rev 3:16) But spare me, O Lord, do not enter into
judgment with Thy servant for none of the living are justified in Thy sight. I stretch out my
hands to Thee, my soul is as earth without water unto Thee. Hear me speedily, O Lord, my spirit
hath fainted away. Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land. For Thy name's sake, O
Lord, Thou wilt give me life. (Ps. 142:11)