Psalm 25 Catholic: To You, O Lord, I Lift Up My Soul

Psalm 25, “To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. In thee, O my God, I put my trust,” is a humble prayer for guidance and forgiveness: “Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.” Its first words, Ad te levavi, open the Church’s year as the entrance antiphon of the First Sunday of Advent. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 24. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 25 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

Unto the end, a psalm for David. To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.
In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.
Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded.
Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long.
Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world.
The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies.
For thy name’s sake, O Lord, thou wilt pardon my sin: for it is great.
Who is the man that feareth the Lord? He hath appointed him a law in the way he hath chosen.
His soul shall dwell in good things: and his seed shall inherit the land.
The Lord is a firmament to them that fear him: and his covenant shall be made manifest to them.
My eyes are ever towards the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the snare.
Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; for I am alone and poor.
The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities.
See my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins.
Consider my enemies for they are multiplied, and have hated me with an unjust hatred.
Keep thou my soul, and deliver me: I shall not be ashamed, for I have hoped in thee.
The innocent and the upright have adhered to me: because I have waited on thee.
Deliver Israel, O God, from all his tribulations.

Psalm 25 or Psalm 24?

The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 24 is Psalm 25 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Ad te, Domine, levavi animam meam. See how many psalms are there?

What the psalm means

Lifting up the soul: prayer is raising the heart and mind to God.
“Teach me thy paths”: a prayer for guidance in life’s choices.
Mercy for past sins: “The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me.”
God teaches the humble: “He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways.”
“All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth”: whatever path God leads us on is good.
An alphabet of trust: in Hebrew each verse begins with the next letter of the alphabet.

How the Church uses Psalm 25

On the First Sunday of Advent, its first verse is the entrance antiphon, Ad te levavi, so it opens the liturgical year. See Advent.
At Mass, for example the First Sunday of Advent (Year C), “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul,” and the First Sunday of Lent (Year B), “Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth.”
At funerals, as one of the responsorial psalms. See Catholic funeral readings.

A prayer with Psalm 25

Written for this page:

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust.
Show me your ways and teach me your paths;
remember not the sins of my youth, but remember me in your mercy.
Guide me in your truth all the days of my life. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

What does Ad te levavi mean?

“To you I have lifted up,” the first words of Psalm 25 in Latin and the traditional name of the First Sunday of Advent.

What is Psalm 25 about?

Trust in God, a prayer for guidance, and a request for forgiveness of past sins.

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 24 (25), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.