Psalm 80 is a cry of a people in distress: “Stir up thy might, and come to save us… Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved.” It compares Israel to a vine God brought out of Egypt and planted, now ravaged. Its plea “come to save us” is the voice of Advent, and it is sung on the First Sunday of Advent this year. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 79. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 80 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, a testimony for Asaph, a psalm.
Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest upon the cherubims, shine forth
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. Stir up thy might, and come to save us.
Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy servant?
How long wilt thou feed us with the bread of tears: and give us for our drink tears in measure?
Thou hast made us to be a contradiction to our neighbours: and our enemies have scoffed at us.
O God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.
Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the Gentiles and planted it.
Thou wast the guide of its journey in its sight: thou plantedst the roots thereof, and it filled the land.
The shadow of it covered the hills: and the branches thereof the cedars of God.
It stretched forth its branches unto the sea, and its boughs unto the river.
Why hast thou broken down the hedge thereof, so that all they who pass by the way do pluck it?
The boar out of the wood hath laid it waste: and a singular wild beast hath devoured it.
Turn again, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vineyard:
And perfect the same which thy right hand hath planted: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.
Things set on fire and dug down shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.
And we depart not from thee, thou shalt quicken us: and we will call upon thy name.
O Lord God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.
Psalm 80 or Psalm 79?
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 79 is Psalm 80 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Qui regis Israel, intende. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- The Shepherd of Israel: God leads his people “like a sheep.”
- “Stir up thy might, and come”: the prayer of Advent for the coming of the Savior. The old Latin collects of Advent began Excita, “Stir up.”
- The refrain: “Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved.” Conversion and salvation come from seeing God’s face.
- The vine: God planted Israel like a vine; Jesus later says, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).
- “The son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself”: the Church sees here the Messiah, the Son of Man at God’s right hand.
How the Church uses Psalm 80
- On the First Sunday of Advent (Year B, November 29, 2026): “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” See Advent.
- On the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C) and the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), with the parable of the vineyard.
- With the O Antiphons and Advent hymns that call on God to come. See O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
A prayer with Psalm 80
Written for this page:
Shepherd of Israel, stir up your might and come to save us.
Turn us back to you, O God; let your face shine on us, and we shall be saved.
Visit and restore the vine your right hand has planted, your Church,
and prepare our hearts for the coming of your Son. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Psalm 80 read in Advent?
Because it asks God to “come to save us” and to show his face, the longing of Advent for the coming of Christ.
What is “Stir-up Sunday”?
In English tradition, the last Sunday before Advent, named for a collect beginning “Stir up,” the same word as this psalm’s plea.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 79 (80); John 15:1, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.