Sing a New Psalm:
Communicating with God Through
the Prayers of the Church
Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline
Lesson 15 Let Us Ring Out Our Joy to the LORD
Invitatory: Psalm 95 (RSVCE)
Psalm 34 (RSVCE), Psalm 66 (RSVCE), and Psalm 104 (RSVCE)
Sunday Vigils (Week II)
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Volume II of Sing a New Psalm
next lesson: I Treasure Your Word in My Heart
This material coordinates with Lesson 15, “Let Us Ring Out Our Joy to the LORD,” on pages 57–60 in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline. Our Catholic Bible study is based on
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a translation of the psalms prepared by the monks at Conception Abbey in 2010 and first published as The Revised Grail Psalms. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is a revision of that work, finished in 2020 and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Wording and numbering of some psalms and verses in other translations may differ. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is being added to Liturgy of the Hours books used in the United States. While the Turning to God’s Word study book is based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation, all online links to the psalms are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. A separate copy of The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is needed to read the translation on which the psalms in this study are based.
“Unlike other prayers in sacred Scripture, the prayers contained in the psalms are not inserted into a narrative story that specifies their meaning and function. Instead, the psalms are given to the believer precisely as a text of prayer. Since they are the Word of God, the believer who prays the psalms speaks to God using the very words that God himself has given to us. Thus, in praying the psalms we learn to pray. The psalms are a school of prayer.”—Pope Benedict XVI
welcome to our continuing in-depth study of the psalms
We invite groups and individuals to check out the sample Introduction and Lesson 1 from this 29-
lesson Turning to 
God’s Word Catholic Bible study. Our online study pages include additional questions, commentary, and prayers based on the psalm texts, plus an online glossary. Both Volume I and Volume II of Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church have been granted imprimaturs. A digital version of Volume I: Lauds & Vespers can be purchased from our website shop. Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline is available in hard copy. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words, pray one of the psalms in this lesson, or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
think about praying Compline every night
In addition to the sample for this Bible study, Turning to God’s Word is providing a copy of Lesson 29 In Peace I Will Lie Down, which addresses the nightly Compline prayers based on Psalm 91, Psalm 4, and Psalm 134. The monks at Conception Abbey pray these short psalms each evening—Psalm 91 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; Psalm 4 and Psalm 134 on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
about the psalms in this lesson**
Three of the four psalms prayed for Sunday Vigils Week II at Conception Abbey have unknown authors, while Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving attributed to David. Psalm 95 (the Invitatory) is a processional, but scholars disagree about its further classification. Psalm 66 is another psalm of thanksgiving, this one by an anonymous composer; Psalm 104, also by an anonymous composer, is classified as a hymn.
classifying the psalms
The classification of the psalms, though somewhat standardized, retains an arbitrary nature. Some psalms are classified according to form or type; such forms include the hymn, the lament, and the song of thanksgiving. Psalms also may be classified according to subject matter—royal psalms, for instance, portray the political king of the descendants of Jacob as both the representative of God to the community and the representative of the community to God—or they may be classified according to their use; scholars generally think that hymns exalting Zion were part of a ritual reenactment of the great deeds of God in maintaining Mount Zion and Jerusalem as a home base. Turning to God’s Word is indebted to Fr. Felix Just, a Jesuit priest and biblical scholar, for his organized listing of the psalms by classification and author.
Psalm 95 (the Invitatory) is one of the psalms classified as miscellaneous
Scholars find it difficult to fit Psalm 95 into a single category. In addition to Psalm 95 in this lesson, the other 11 miscellaneous psalms are: Psalm 15, Psalm 24, Psalm 50, Psalm 78, Psalm 81, Psalm 82, Psalm 105, Psalm 108, Psalm 133, Psalm 134, and Psalm 139.
Psalm 34 & Psalm 66 are classified as a psalms of thanksgiving
Eight psalms, including Psalm 66 in this lesson, express communal gratitude to God. The other seven psalms of communal thanksgiving are Psalm 65, Psalm 67, Psalm 68, Psalm 75, Psalm 107, Psalm 118, and Psalm 124. An additional nine, including Psalm 34, are classified as individual psalms of thanksgiving—Psalm 9, Psalm 10, Psalm 30, Psalm 32, Psalm 41, Psalm 92, Psalm 116, and Psalm 138.
Psalm 104 is one of 19 psalms classified as a hymn
In addition to Psalm 104 in this lesson, the other 18 psalms classified as hymns are: Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Psalm 29, Psalm 33, Psalm 100, Psalm 103, Psalm 111, Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 117, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, and Psalm 150.
about the acrostic format in the psalms
Psalm 34 is a biblical example of acrostic poetry. Other acrostic psalms in this study include Psalm 25, Psalm 37, and most of Psalm 119; Psalm 111, Psalm 112, Psalm 119:105–112, and Psalm 145 are covered in Volume I. Each acrostic psalm is structured to begin successive lines or verses with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This alphabetic pattern serves as both a mnemonic device for memorization and a way to express the completeness of the psalm’s theme. The most famous example is Psalm 119, in which each of the Hebrew alphabet’s 22 letters begins a section of eight verses. Most of these stanzas are prayed at Conception Abbey as 
part of Day Prayer during Week II, but Psalm 119:105–112 is prayed by the monks as part of Sunday First Vespers during Week I and is covered in Lesson 1 Set a Guard on My Mouth in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.
an odd reference in the superscript to Psalm 34
In The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation of Psalm 34, the superscript reads: “Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.” (Psalm 34 in Revised Standard Versions Catholic Editions (RSVCE) and Psalm 34 in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) also repeat the mention of Abimelech.) Unfortunately, there is no Old Testament reference of David feigning madness before anyone named Abimelech. There is, however, a story of David pretending to be mad before the king of Gath, whose name, according to the First Book of Samuel 21:10–15, was Achish. It can be assumed, because all of the translations repeat Abimelech instead of Achish, that this is the one of the oldest versions of Psalm 34, and that all of the translators were working from that same manuscript. It also is possible that Abimelech may merely be a title and not a name. In that case, scholars assume that it literally means “father of a king.” If that is the case in Psalm 34, the king’s name would be Achish and his title would be Abimelech.
angels guard the righteous
“The angel of the LORD is encamped around those who fear him, to rescue them.” With these words in Psalm 34:8 (Psalm 34:7 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions), David sums up his experiences of the LORD saving him from serious threats to his life. Many Christians take comfort from this verse, which is in the first psalm in Scripture to describe angels as guardians of those who follow God’s law.
a prayer to the Holy Spirit
In The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, Psalm 104:30 anticipates the coming of the Holy Spirit when the unidentified Psalmist lauds God by praying: “You send forth your spirit, and they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” The same idea is reflected in a well-known Catholic prayer to the Holy Spirit. You can learn more in the commentary “Let Sinners Vanish” on page 60 in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.
read the Catechism—humanity needs help to overcome sin
Christians interpret Psalm 104 to be emphasizing that action of the Holy Spirit is needed to bring about the eradication of sin in the world. Paragraph 683 through paragraph 747 consist of a section about the Holy Spirit in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Paragraph 734 explains the importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christian men and women, and paragraph 1987 further elaborates why the action of the Holy Spirit is essential for Christians.
734 Because we are dead or at least wounded through sin, the first effect of the gift of love is the forgiveness of our sins. The communion of the Holy Spirit in the Church restores to the baptized the divine likeness lost through sin.
1987 The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” and through baptism. [Paragraph 1857 then reprints the Letter of Paul to the Romans 6:8–11 (RSVCE).]
joy—you could look it up in our archives
In Psalm 95, the people of God are urged by an unidentified composer to ring out their joy to the LORD. To learn what joy is and about Jesus’ promise of joy—instead of the more common love or peace—to those who follow God’s commandments, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.
two translation differences: hand vs. hands, & heart vs. hearts
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translations of Psalm 95:5 and Psalm 95:10 both appear to prefer the singular over the plural. In The Revised Grail Psalms translation, “hands” is substituted for “hand,” and “hearts are” is substituted for “heart goes.” Neither of these differences seem to significantly change the meaning of the psalm, which is the Invitatory for Sunday Vigils Weeks I and II. (Note that it is not possible to link to either The Abbey Psalms and Canticles or The Revised Grail Psalms; all links on the online pages are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE].)
another relatively minor translation difference
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 95:7: “… for he is our God, and we the people, the people of his pasture, the flock of his hand.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same verse: “… for he is our God, and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.” This variation also doesn’t change the meaning of the Invitatory psalm.
a translation difference: just one vs. just
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 34:16 and Psalm 34:18 (Psalm 34:15 and Psalm 34:17 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions) using “just one,” while The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passages using “just.” This change is consistent with a number of other changes made to Conception Abbey’s original translation. Why might the editors of the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops have a problem with the word “just”?
a translation difference: cut off vs. destroy
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 34:17 (Psalm 34:16 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “The LORD turns his face against the wicked to cut off their remembrance from the earth.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “The LORD turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth.” Reflect on how this change might affect the meaning of Psalm 34. Which version seems most descriptive?
a translation difference: just one vs. man
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 34:20 and Psalm 34:22 (Psalm 34:19 and Psalm 34:21 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions) using “just one,” while The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passages using “man.” This translation change appears to be at attempt to avoid sexist language in Scripture. Consider whether you agree if that is the case. Can you think of another reason why USCCB editors might have wanted this change?
two translation differences in one verse
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 66:5: “Come and see the works of God; his wondrous deeds among the children of Adam.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Come and see the works of God; awesome his deeds among the children of men.” The translation change from “awesome” to “wondrous” is consistent with a number of other changes made to Conception Abbey’s original translation. Why do you think that might be? What might be the thinking behind the change from “children of men” to “children of Adam,” also consistent with other translations changes?
a translation difference: mountains vs. hills
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 104:13: “From your dwelling you water the mountains; by your works the earth has its fill.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “From your dwelling you water the hills; by your works the earth has its fill.” What might have motivated this translation change?
a translation difference: steal away vs. gather
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 104:22: “At the rising of the sun they steal away; and they go to lie down in their dens.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “At the rising of the sun they gather; and they go to lie down in their dens.” What might represent a difference between the “steal away” and “gather”? Which translation do you prefer, and why?
the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by passages in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including Psalm 66 in this lesson.
Psalm 34:3—paragraph 716
Psalm 34:8—paragraph 336
Psalm 95:1–6 (the Invitatory)—paragraph 2628
Psalm 95:7 (the Invitatory)—paragraph 1165
Psalm 95:7–8 (the Invitatory)—paragraph 2659
Psalm 95:9 (the Invitatory)—paragraph 2119
Psalm 95:10 (the Invitatory)—paragraph 539
Psalm 104:1–35—paragraph 288
Psalm 104:13–15—paragraph 1333
Psalm 104:15—paragraph 1293
Psalm 104:24—paragraph 295
Psalm 104:27—paragraph 2828
Psalm 104:30—paragraphs 292, 703
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out 
persons or places mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a passage in Scripture, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book. If you want to revisit a particular commentary, you can look that up by title in the topics index. If you want to learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, you can read the online commentaries and watch any accompanying videos by going to the online study directories. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
You can find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies 
at ex libris—magisterial documents. This page includes a listing of significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. An online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current three months can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Psalm 95, the Invitatory (NIV)
Psalm 34 (NIV)
Psalm 66 (NIV)
Psalm 104 (NIV)
close with a psalms-based prayer for Sunday Vigils (Week II)
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can pray any of the psalms in this lesson, or you can use the following prayer to the Holy Spirit, part of which is taken from Psalm 104.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O Lord, who by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolations.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Lesson 16 I Treasure Your Word in My Heart, Sunday Day Prayer (Week II)—Psalm 119:1–8, Psalm 119:9–16, and Psalm 119:17–24
Lesson 14 Give Ear, O LORD, to My Prayer, Saturday Day Prayer (Week I)—Psalm 86 and Psalm 88
you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II. 
Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—Baruch, Judith, Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, and First and Second Maccabees—and there are some deuterocanonical passages in the Books of Daniel and Esther. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. Deuterocanonical means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
**You can learn more about the psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church. The first volume covers psalms prayed at Lauds and Vespers; the second covers psalms prayed at Vigils, Day Prayer, and Compline. Numbering of psalms and verses may vary in other translations.
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” and “didst” in the psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering for some passages in this Bible study will vary. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book.