The Bible — World English Bible

Psalm 25

In brief

Psalm 25 is a psalm of David, composed as an acrostic following the Hebrew alphabet. It opens with a gesture: lifting up your soul to God, with trust. David asks to be taught and led in God's ways, begs God to remember his mercy and not the sins of his youth, then celebrates a good and upright God who guides the humble. He ends by calling for help in distress and asking that God also deliver Israel. It is a psalm for anyone looking for direction and forgiveness.

The chapter in 5 parts

  1. v. 1-3I lift up my soul to you: those who wait will not be put to shame
  2. v. 4-7Show me your ways, remember your mercy
  3. v. 8-14The Lord is good: he guides the humble and befriends those who fear him
  4. v. 15-21My eyes are on the Lord in my distress
  5. v. 22Redeem Israel from all its troubles

1To you, Yahweh, I lift up my soul.

2My God, I have trusted in you. Don’t let me be shamed. Don’t let my enemies triumph over me.

3Yes, no one who waits for you will be shamed. They will be shamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4Show me your ways, Yahweh. Teach me your paths.

5Guide me in your truth, and teach me, For you are the God of my salvation, I wait for you all day long.

6Yahweh, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness, for they are from old times.

7Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.

8Good and upright is Yahweh, therefore he will instruct sinners in the way.

9He will guide the humble in justice. He will teach the humble his way.

10All the paths of Yahweh are loving kindness and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11For your name’s sake, Yahweh, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12What man is he who fears Yahweh? He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose.

13His soul will dwell at ease. His offspring will inherit the land.

14The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.

15My eyes are ever on Yahweh, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

16Turn to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh bring me out of my distresses.

18Consider my affliction and my travail. Forgive all my sins.

19Consider my enemies, for they are many. They hate me with cruel hatred.

20Oh keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you.

21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

22Redeem Israel, God, out of all his troubles.

Key verses

Verse 1
To you, Yahweh, I lift up my soul.

A prayer of trust: lifting up your soul means turning your whole being toward God before asking for anything.

Verse 4-5
Show me your ways, Yahweh. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth, and teach me, For you are the God of my salvation, I wait for you all day long.

David asks God to show him the way, to teach him and to guide him in his truth. Direction first requires a teachable heart, before any information about what to do.

Verse 7
Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.

David entrusts the sins of his youth to God. He does not ask for them to be forgotten by oversight, but to be forgiven because of God's goodness, not because of his own merits.

Verse 9
He will guide the humble in justice. He will teach the humble his way.

God guides the humble in justice and teaches them his way. Humility is a condition for listening, not a title of glory.

Verse 14
The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him: fearing God means respecting him enough to listen to him, and he then draws near.

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What the sermons say

1 Peter 5: Clothed in Humility, Like Your LordFrantz Galland, in 1 Peter 5, draws on verses 8 and 9: God is good and upright, and he teaches his way to the humble. Humility is a priority of the Christian life.Read the summary →Choosing Hope When Everything Pushes You to Give UpEmma T. quotes verse 3 to say that we can accept that others hope and pray for us when we no longer have the strength. Hope is chosen and lived within a church.Read the summary →John 6: When Jesus Puts You Face to Face with His Goodness, 4 Life LessonsStarting from the multiplication of the loaves, the preacher quotes verse 15: turning your eyes constantly toward the Lord, rather than controlling everything yourself, like a little child.Read the summary →Abraham, Friend of God: Accepting the InvitationJean Clavin Nana quotes verse 14 to show for whom God reserves his friendship: those who fear him, says the psalmist, and who do what he commands.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Psalm 25

What does Psalm 25 mean?

It is the prayer of a believer who asks God to guide him, forgive him and deliver him. The common thread is trust: David turns to a good and upright God who teaches the humble. The psalm shows that direction and forgiveness go together, because you cannot follow God without entrusting your faults to him.

Who wrote Psalm 25?

The title attributes it to David. The psalm is an acrostic: most verses begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which made it easy to memorize. It is one of the psalms people pray to ask for guidance and forgiveness.

What does it mean that the friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him?

Verse 14 speaks of an intimacy entrusted to those who respect God. Fearing the Lord does not mean being afraid of him, it means taking him seriously and obeying him with love. To those people, God shows his covenant, which means he makes himself known more deeply.

How do you pray Psalm 25 to ask for direction?

Slowly read verses 4 and 5 and make them your prayer: show me your ways, teach me your paths. Add verse 7 to entrust your past mistakes, then verse 9 to ask for the humility to listen. Then take a time of silence, with your Bible open, before deciding.

Articles quoting Psalm 25

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World English Bible translation — public domain.