Sing a New Psalm:
Communicating with God Through
the Prayers of the Church
Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline
Lesson 25 Let Them Thank the LORD for His Mercy
Invitatory: Psalm 67 (RSVCE)
Psalm 35 (RSVCE) and Psalm 107 (RSVCE)
Friday Vigils (Week II)
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary)
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Volume II of Sing a New Psalm
next lesson: The Unfolding of Your Word Gives Light
This material coordinates with Lesson 25, “Let Them Thank the LORD for His Mercy,” on pages 92–95 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**
Two of the three psalms prayed for Friday Vigils Week II at Conception Abbey—Psalm 67 (the Invitatory) and Psalm 107—are psalms of thanksgiving by unknown composers. Psalm 35 is classified as an individual or personal lament and is attributed to David. Several passages in Psalm 35, however, are omitted from the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books.
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 67 (the Invitatory) is classified as a psalm of thanksgiving
Eight psalms, including Psalm 67 (the Invitatory) and Psalm 107 in this lesson, express communal gratitude to God. The other six psalms of communal thanksgiving are Psalm 65, Psalm 66, Psalm 68, Psalm 75, Psalm 118, and Psalm 124. An additional nine—Psalm 9, Psalm 10, Psalm 30, Psalm 32, Psalm 34, Psalm 41, Psalm 92, Psalm 116, and Psalm 138—are classified as individual psalms of thanksgiving.
the largest number of psalms are laments
Forty-three of the psalms, including Psalm 35 in this lesson, are classified as individual laments. The word “lament” means “a passionate expression of regret.” An additional 18 psalms are classified as communal laments, which means they were written to be used by an entire community. Refer to the above-mentioned work of Fr. Felix Just for a complete online listing of psalms classified as individual or communal laments.
what is a lament?
Because the word “lament” as a verb means to wail, moan, or sob in sorrow, when the same word “lament” is used as a noun it means an expression of mourning. It is this meaning that it holds in the psalms in this lesson. In addition to the laments in the psalms, Scripture also includes a book called Lamentations (sometimes referred to as the Lamentations of Jeremiah, although many scholars contest the prophet Jeremiah’s authorship of that work). A lament frequently refers to a funeral dirge, elegy, or burial hymn.
passages omitted from Liturgy of the Hours books
A difficulty for Christians who wish to incorporate the psalms into their prayers is that in some of these 
ancient hymns the Psalmists blatantly curse their enemies and ask the LORD to deal harshly with those enemies. This is disturbing enough that the editors compiling the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books chose to leave out a few problematic verses. Omitted from psalms for this lesson (Friday Vigils Week II prayed by the monks at Conception Abbey) are Psalm 35:3–8, Psalm 35:20–21, and Psalm 35:24–26. Consider why the editors of Liturgy of the Hours books might have felt that these verses shouldn’t be included.
all omissions are noted in this study
Omissions in the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books are addressed in Volume I and Volume II. For a complete list, click on this link, which includes a comparison of the two-week cursus (schedule) used at Conception Abbey and in both volumes of our study with the four-week Roman cursus followed by current Liturgy of the Hours books.
vengeance—you could look it up in our archives
Vengeance is a key theme in Psalm 35, which probably has a lot to do with why several passages aren’t included in Liturgy of the Hours books. To learn more about how God’s vengeance is a form of justice that’s related to his mercy, 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.
let’s look at the linguistic root of the word ‘vengeance’
The Book of Sirach 28:1 cautions: “He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord …” As a general rule, men and women would much prefer to see God as merciful rather than vengeful, and many Christians consider the Old Testament to focus on God’s vengeance at the expense of emphasizing God’s love and mercy.
The Book of Sirach is one of the Old Testament books originally written in Greek rather than Hebrew, and the original Greek text can shed some light on what’s going on in this passage about God’s vengeance.. The Greek word translated as “vengeance” comes from the Greek word ἐκδικέω (ekdikeo), a word built on a root that means “justice” or “right.” The Greek view of vengeance is one of making right or balancing a wrong. The view isn’t of a punishing God but a God of justice. When a person continues to hold grudges and behave badly toward others, God takes that badly and balances the scales by returning that behavior in kind. The way we treat others is the way God treats us.
? When have you given in to the desire for vengeance?
? What happened?
? When have you overcome a desire to behave in a vengeful manner?
? Which behavior was the most satisfying?
? What are some common pitfalls to overcoming a desire for vengeance?
? Consider whether you really want to see vengeance come to another person.
? What help does the Church offer if you wish to forgive others?
read the Catechism—what does it mean to be human?
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 107:8, Psalm 107:15, Psalm 107:21, and Psalm 107:31 using the phrase “the whole human race.” Paragraph 360 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that it is through unity with others that the mystery of man becomes apparent. The quotation in the Catechism is from a 1939 encyclical by Pope Pius XII, Summi Pontificatus (On the Unity of Human Society).
360 Because of its common origin the human race forms a unity, for “from one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth”:
O wondrous vision, which makes us contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God… in the unity of its nature, composed equally in all men of a material body and a spiritual soul; in the unity of its immediate end and its mission in the world; in the unity of its dwelling, the earth, whose benefits all men, by right of nature, may use to sustain and develop life; in the unity of its supernatural end: God himself, to whom all ought to tend; in the unity of the means for attaining this end;… in the unity of the redemption wrought by Christ for all.
two translation differences in one verse
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 67:2 (Psalm 67:1 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “May God be gracious and bless us and let his face shed its light upon us.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “O God be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us.” Consider whether you prefer a prayer that describes behavior desired by God or one that directly addresses God and asks for divine favor. (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].)
a translation difference: angel of the LORD vs. the LORD’s angel
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 35:5: “Let them be like chaff before the wind; let the angel of the Lord drive them on.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Let them be like chaff before the wind; let the LORD’s angel trip them up.” Which translation do you prefer? The primary difference here appears to be that one translation suggests God’s angel drives on the Psalmist’s enemies and the other suggests that God’s angle trips up the Psalmist’s enemies.” Which translation do you prefer? The Abbey Psalms and Canticles similarly translates Psalm 35:6: “Let their path be slippery and dark; let the angel of the LORD pursue them.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Let their path be slippery and dark; let the LORD’s angel pursue them.”
a word deletion
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 35:7: “Unprovoked, they have hidden a net for me; unprovoked, they have dug a pit for me.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Unprovoked, they have hidden a net for me; they have dug a pit for me” (deleting the second “unprovoked”). The Revised Grail Psalms translation probably was related to chanting meter.
a translation difference that may not change the meaning
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 35:20: “For they do not speak of peace, but against the quiet in the land, they conceive deceitful words, …” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “They speak no peace to the quiet ones who live in the land. Rather, they make deceitful plots, …” Can you identify a way that these two translations differ in meaning?
a translation difference: human race vs. children of men
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 107:8, Psalm 107:15, Psalm 107:21, and Psalm 107:31 using the phrase “the whole human race.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passages using the phrase “children of men.” It seems likely that the editors at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) primarily sought to introduce a bit more inclusive language into Scripture.
two verses swap places
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 107:39-40: “They are diminished and brought low by oppression, evil, and sorrow. He pours contempt upon princes, makes them wander in trackless wastes.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “He pours contempt upon princes, makes them wander in trackless wastes. They are diminished and brought low by oppression, evil, and sorrow.” The meaning appears the same.
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 67 (the Invitatory) in this lesson.
Psalm 35:1–28—paragraph 304
Psalm 107:20—paragraph 1502
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 67, the Invitatory (NIV)
Psalm 35 (NIV)
Psalm 107 (NIV)
close with a psalms-based prayer for Friday 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 short prayer.
O God, your always temper vengeance with mercy.
Help us to learn from the example of love and forgiveness
set for us by your Son, Jesus,
and teach us to love those we find unlovable.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose supreme act of love and mercy opens
the possibility of eternal life for all men and women
who freely and generously choose to embrace your will. Amen.
Lesson 26 The Unfolding of Your Word Gives Light, Friday Day Prayer (Week II)—Psalm 119:129–135, Psalm 119:136–144, and Psalm 119:145–152
Lesson 24 More Than Finest Gold, Thursday Day Prayer (Week II)—Psalm 119:97–104, Psalm 119:113–120, and Psalm 119:121–128
you also may like our free year-long study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In lieu of a sample, check out our free digital lessons.
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.