Psalm 105 is a joyful retelling of God’s faithfulness from Abraham to the Promised Land: “Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name: declare his deeds among the Gentiles… Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened: seek his face evermore.” It celebrates the covenant God “remembered for ever.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 104. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 105 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Alleluia. Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name: declare his deeds among the Gentiles.
Sing to him, yea sing praises to him: relate all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened: seek his face evermore.
Remember his marvellous works which he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.
O ye seed of Abraham his servant; ye sons of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
He hath remembered his covenant for ever: the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
Which he made to Abraham; and his oath to Isaac:
And he appointed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting testament:
Saying: To thee will I give the land of Chanaan, the lot of your inheritance.
When they were but a small number: yea very few, and sojourners therein:
And they passed from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.
He suffered no man to hurt them: and he reproved kings for their sakes.
Touch ye not my anointed: and do no evil to my prophets.
And he called a famine upon the land: and he broke in pieces all the support of bread.
He sent a man before them: Joseph, who was sold for a slave.
They humbled his feet in fetters: the iron pierced his soul,
Until his word came. The word of the Lord inflamed him.
The king sent, and he released him: the ruler of the people, and he set him at liberty.
He made him master of his house, and ruler of all his possession.
That he might instruct his princes as himself, and teach his ancients wisdom.
And Israel went into Egypt: and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Cham.
And he increased his people exceedingly: and strengthened them over their enemies,
He turned their heart to hate his people: and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
He sent Moses his servant: Aaron the man whom he had chosen.
He gave them power to shew his signs, and his wonders in the land of Cham.
He sent darkness, and made it obscure: and grieved not his words.
He turned their waters into blood, and destroyed their fish.
Their land brought forth frogs, in the inner chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came divers sorts of flies and sciniphs in all their coasts.
He gave them hail for rain, a burning fire in the land.
And he destroyed their vineyards and their fig trees: and he broke in pieces the trees of their coasts.
He spoke, and the locust came, and the bruchus, of which there was no number.
And they devoured all the grass in their land, and consumed all the fruit of their ground.
And he slew all the firstborn in their land: the firstfruits of all their labour.
And he brought them out with silver and gold: and there was not among their tribes one that was feeble.
Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them lay upon them.
He spread a cloud for their protection, and fire to give them light in the night.
They asked, and the quail came: and he filled them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and waters flowed: rivers ran down in the dry land.
Because he remembered his holy word, which he had spoken to his servant Abraham.
And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness.
And he gave them the lands of the Gentiles: and they possessed the labours of the people:
That they might observe his justifications, and seek after his law.
Psalm 105 or Psalm 104?
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 104 is Psalm 105 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Confitemini Domino, et invocate nomen eius. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Remember and proclaim: “Remember his marvellous works which he hath done.”
- The covenant with Abraham: God remembers his promise for a thousand generations.
- Joseph: sold as a slave, imprisoned, then raised up to save his family, a figure of Christ.
- The Exodus: plagues, the cloud and fire, quails, manna and water from the rock.
- Why God saved them: “That they might observe his justifications, and seek after his law.”
How the Church uses Psalm 105
- On the Feast of the Holy Family (Year B): “The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.” See the Feast of the Holy Family.
- In the Liturgy of the Hours, at the Office of Readings.
A prayer with Psalm 105
Written for this page:
I give thanks to you, Lord, and call upon your name.
I seek your face always and remember your wonderful works.
You never forget your covenant; you raised up Joseph and freed your people.
Keep me faithful to your law and lead me to the land of your promise. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Seek his face always”?
Psalm 105:4 (104:4 in the Douay-Rheims: “seek his face evermore”).
What is Psalm 105 about?
God’s faithfulness to his covenant, from Abraham and Joseph to the Exodus and the gift of the land.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 104 (105), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.