Psalm 139, “Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me,” is a wondering meditation on God who knows us completely, is with us everywhere, and formed us in our mother’s womb. It has become a beloved psalm for the dignity of every human life. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 138. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 139 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:
Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up.
Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.
And thou hast foreseen all my ways: for there is no speech in my tongue.
Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.
Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?
If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present.
If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
Even there also shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand shall hold me.
And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures.
But darkness shall not be dark to thee, and night shall be light as day: the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb.
I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.
My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.
Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one in them.
But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: I rose up and am still with thee.
If thou wilt kill the wicked, O God: ye men of blood, depart from me:
Because you say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain.
Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pine away because of thy enemies?
I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me.
Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.
And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way.
Psalm 139 or Psalm 138?
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 138 is Psalm 139 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Domine, probasti me. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Known completely: God knows our sitting and rising, our thoughts and our words before we speak them.
- Present everywhere: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit?” In heaven, in the depths, at the ends of the sea, God is there.
- Formed in the womb: God formed us before birth; “I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works.”
- Darkness is not dark to God: night shines like the day before him.
- “Lead me in the eternal way”: the psalm ends asking God to search the heart and guide it.
How the Church uses Psalm 139
- In the Liturgy of the Hours at Evening Prayer.
- On the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24), at the Mass during the day.
- In prayer for the unborn and for mothers. See the Catholic prayer for pregnancy.
A prayer with Psalm 139
Written for this page:
Lord, you know me better than I know myself.
You formed me in my mother’s womb; I am wonderfully made.
There is nowhere I can go where you are not with me.
Search my heart, heal what is wrong in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Psalm 139 about?
God’s complete knowledge of us, his presence everywhere, and his loving creation of each person from the womb.
Why is Psalm 139 important for the dignity of life?
Because it shows that God knows and loves each person even before birth.
Why are psalm numbers different in Catholic Bibles?
Older Catholic Bibles such as the Douay-Rheims follow the Greek and Latin numbering; modern Bibles follow the Hebrew, which is usually one number higher.
More psalms and prayers
- The Exsultet, which sings “night shall be light as day”
- Psalm 8 (How admirable is thy name)
- Psalm 23
- Catholic prayer for pregnancy
- Prayer for a baby in the NICU
- Catholic prayer after a miscarriage
- How many psalms are there?
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 138 (139), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.