Psalm 150, “Praise ye the Lord in his holy places,” is the last psalm of the Psalter and its grand finale: trumpet, harp, timbrel, strings, organs and cymbals all join in, until “every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.” The whole Book of Psalms, which passes through sorrow, repentance and trust, ends in pure praise. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 150 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
Praise ye him for his mighty acts: praise ye him according to the multitude of his greatness.
Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm 150: the same number in every Bible
Psalm 150 has the same number in the Douay-Rheims and in modern Bibles: the Greek and Latin numbering used by the Douay only differs from the Hebrew numbering between Psalms 10 and 147. In Latin the psalm begins Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Where to praise: “in his holy places” and “in the firmament of his power,” on earth and in heaven.
- Why to praise: “for his mighty acts” and “according to the multitude of his greatness.”
- How to praise: with every instrument, with dance and choir, with the whole of our being.
- Who should praise: “let every spirit praise the Lord,” every living, breathing creature.
- The goal of all prayer: the psalms end where heaven begins, in endless praise of God.
How the Church uses Psalm 150
- At Morning Prayer (Lauds) on some Sundays and feasts. In the Roman Breviary before 1911, Psalms 148 to 150 closed Lauds every day, and their refrain Laudate gave the Hour its name. See Lauds.
- At celebrations and thanksgivings, together with the Te Deum.
- In music, it has inspired countless settings, from Gregorian chant to Bruckner and Stravinsky.
A prayer with Psalm 150
Written for this page:
Lord, with every breath I have, I praise you.
I praise you for your mighty deeds and your boundless greatness.
Let my words, my work and my whole life become a song to you,
until I join the saints and angels in praising you for ever. Alleluia. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the last psalm in the Bible?
Psalm 150, a short hymn of praise that closes the Book of Psalms.
What instruments are named in Psalm 150?
In the Douay-Rheims: trumpet, psaltery and harp, timbrel, choir, strings and organs, and cymbals.
Is Psalm 150 the same number in Catholic Bibles?
Yes. The Greek and Latin numbering only differs from the Hebrew between Psalms 10 and 147.
More psalms and prayers
- Canticle of Daniel (Benedicite)
- Psalm 149 (Sing a new song with the saints)
- Psalm 148 (All creation praises God)
- Psalm 117 (the shortest psalm)
- Psalms of praise
- Psalm 100
- Psalm 145
- Te Deum
- Lauds (Morning Prayer)
- How many psalms are there?
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 150, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.