Psalm 40 begins with patient trust, “With expectation I have waited for the Lord, and he was attentive to me,” and rises to an offering of the whole self: “Behold I come… That I should do thy will: O my God.” The Letter to the Hebrews places these words on the lips of Christ coming into the world. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 39. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 40 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.
With expectation I have waited for the Lord, and he was attentive to me.
And he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs. And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps.
And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and shall fear: and they shall hope in the Lord.
Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies.
Thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, O Lord my God: and in thy thoughts there is no one like to thee. I have declared and I have spoken they are multiplied above number.
Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire; but thou hast pierced ears for me. Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require:
Then said I, Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me
That I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.
I have declared thy justice in a great church, lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it.
I have not hid thy justice within my heart: I have declared thy truth and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a great council.
Withhold not thou, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me: thy mercy and thy truth have always upheld me.
For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head: and my heart hath forsaken me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, look down, O Lord, to help me.
Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that seek after my soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils to me.
Let them immediately bear their confusion, 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 a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.
Psalm 40 or Psalm 39?
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 39 is Psalm 40 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Exspectans exspectavi Dominum. See how many psalms are there?
“Behold, I come”: Christ’s prayer
The Letter to the Hebrews quotes the psalm as the prayer of the Son entering the world:
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me:
Holocausts for sin did not please thee.
Then said I: Behold I come: in the head of the book it is written of me: that I should do thy will, O God.
The old sacrifices are fulfilled in Christ’s total obedience to the Father, offered in his body on the Cross. Mary’s answer at the Annunciation, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord,” echoes the same readiness. See the Annunciation.
What the psalm means
- Waiting on God: prayer sometimes means patient waiting until God answers.
- Rescue: “he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery… And he set my feet upon a rock.”
- A new song: “he put a new canticle into my mouth,” the gratitude of someone God has saved.
- What God wants: not empty rituals but an obedient heart: “thy law in the midst of my heart.”
- Proclaiming God’s goodness: the psalmist will not hide God’s justice and mercy from the great assembly.
How the Church uses Psalm 40
- On the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Years A and B): “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
- On the Annunciation (March 25), with the same response.
- As a prayer of self-offering, especially for anyone discerning a vocation. See the prayer for vocations.
A prayer with Psalm 40
Written for this page:
Lord, I waited patiently for you, and you heard my cry.
You set my feet on a rock and put a new song in my mouth.
Here I am, Lord: I come to do your will.
Write your law in my heart, and let me proclaim your goodness to all. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will”?
Psalm 40:8–9 in modern Bibles (39:8–9 in the Douay-Rheims), quoted in Hebrews 10:5–7.
What is Psalm 40 about?
Thanksgiving for rescue, and the offering of oneself to do God’s will, which Christians see fulfilled in Christ.
More psalms and prayers
- Psalm 70 (O God, come to my assistance)
- Psalm 51 (Miserere)
- Psalm 27
- The Annunciation
- Psalm 16
- How many psalms are there?
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 39 (40); Hebrews 10:5–7, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.