Psalm 85 prays for a people waiting for God’s salvation: “Shew us, O Lord, thy mercy; and grant us thy salvation.” It ends with one of the most beautiful images in Scripture: “Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed. Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven.” The Church sings it in Advent and hears in it the mystery of Christmas. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 84. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 85 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, for the sons of Core, a psalm.
Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people: thou hast covered all their sins.
Thou hast mitigated all thy anger: thou hast turned away from the wrath of thy indignation.
Convert us, O God our saviour: and turn off thy anger from us.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever: or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?
Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life: and thy people shall rejoice in thee.
Shew us, O Lord, thy mercy; and grant us thy salvation.
I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for he will speak peace unto his people: And unto his saints: and unto them that are converted to the heart.
Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed.
Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven.
For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.
Justice shall walk before him: and shall set his steps in the way.
Psalm 85 or Psalm 84?
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 84 is Psalm 85 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Past mercy, present hope: God forgave his people before; the psalmist asks him to do it again.
- “Shew us, O Lord, thy mercy”: the prayer of Advent, and of every sinner.
- Listening to God: “I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for he will speak peace unto his people.”
- The kiss of justice and peace: in God’s salvation, mercy and truth, justice and peace are no longer opposed.
- “Truth is sprung out of the earth”: St. Augustine and the Fathers saw here the birth of Christ, the Truth, from the Virgin Mary, while justice looks down from heaven.
How the Church uses Psalm 85
- On the Second Sunday of Advent (Year B, December 6, 2026): “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” See Advent.
- In the traditional Latin Mass, “Shew us, O Lord, thy mercy. And grant us thy salvation” was said in the prayers at the foot of the altar.
- On other Sundays, including the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) and the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A).
A prayer with Psalm 85
Written for this page:
Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation.
Speak peace to your people and to my heart.
Let mercy and truth meet in my life, and justice and peace embrace,
until Christ, your Truth, is born anew in us. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Righteousness and peace have kissed”?
Psalm 85:11 in modern Bibles (84:11 in the Douay-Rheims: “justice and peace have kissed”).
Why is Psalm 85 an Advent psalm?
Because it longs for God’s salvation and promises that “his salvation is near to them that fear him.”
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 84 (85), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.