Psalm 70 is a short, urgent cry: “O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.” That first verse opens every Hour of the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours except the first of the day, and it has been a favorite short prayer of Christians since the desert monks. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 69. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 70 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, a psalm for David, to bring to remembrance that the Lord saved him.
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul:
Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me: Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: Tis well, tis well.
Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.
Psalm 70 or Psalm 69?
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 69 is Psalm 70 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Deus, in adiutorium meum intende. See how many psalms are there?
The prayer that opens every Hour
When the Church begins Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer and the other Hours, the leader sings Deus, in adiutorium meum intende, “O God, come to my assistance,” and all answer Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina, “O Lord, make haste to help me,” followed by the Glory Be. See the Liturgy of the Hours.
In the fifth century St. John Cassian recorded that the monks of the Egyptian desert used this verse as a constant prayer, repeating it in every temptation, joy, fear and task. They found that it expresses everything a soul needs: awareness of our weakness, trust in God, and the readiness to call on him at once. It became, like the Jesus Prayer, a way to pray without ceasing.
How to use it
- Before any task, to ask God’s help.
- In temptation, as an immediate cry for grace.
- When you cannot pray, as the simplest possible prayer.
- At the start of your own prayer time, as the Church does.
What the psalm means
- Urgency: “make haste” is the cry of someone who needs help now.
- Enemies turned back: those who mock, “Tis well, tis well,” will be ashamed.
- Joy for seekers: “let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.”
- Poor and needy: “But I am needy and poor; O God, help me.” The same verses close Psalm 40.
How the Church uses Psalm 70
- The opening verse of every Hour of the Liturgy of the Hours except the first of the day, which begins “O Lord, open my lips.”
- A traditional short prayer of the desert monks, praised by St. John Cassian.
A prayer with Psalm 70
Written for this page:
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.
I am poor and needy; you are my helper and my deliverer.
Let all who seek you rejoice in you,
and let those who love your salvation say always: The Lord be magnified. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where does “O God, come to my assistance” come from?
From Psalm 70:2 (69:2 in the Douay-Rheims), the verse that opens the Hours of the Liturgy of the Hours.
Why did the desert monks pray Psalm 70?
St. John Cassian taught that its first verse fits every situation of the spiritual life and can be prayed constantly.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 69 (70), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.