Sext (Midday Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
At one of today's daytime hours (Terce, Sext, None), use the psalms of the day. At the others, use the complementary psalms, which are shown further down the page.
SPECIAL FOR TODAY: If you are celebrating Afternoon Prayer (None) today, use the psalms of the day then, and the complementary psalms for the other Hours.
PSALMS OF THE DAY
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet,
a light for my journey.
I have firmly sworn to keep your just laws.
Lord, I am greatly afflicted:
revive me as you have promised.
Lord, accept the vows I make,
and teach me your judgements.
I hold my life in my hands,
I remember your laws.
The wicked placed a trap for me,
but I did not wander from your commandments.
Your decrees are my inheritance for ever,
they are the joy of my heart:
my heart is set on carrying them out,
for ever, until the end.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Psalm 69 (70)
God, come to my aid |
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As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
God, come to my aid;
Lord, hurry to help me.
Throw into fear and confusion
the ones who seek my life.
Throw them back, ashamed,
the ones who seek harm for me.
Turn them back in confusion,
the ones who mock me.
But let all who seek you rejoice in you.
Let them always say ‘God is great,’
those who delight in your saving help.
But I am poor and destitute.
God, hurry to me.
You are my helper and liberator:
Lord, do not delay.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Psalm 74 (75)
The Lord, judge over all |
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As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
We shall give you thanks, O God,
give thanks and call on your name.
We shall recount your marvels.
At the moment that I have decreed
I shall hand down my judgements.
If the earth ,trembles with all that is in it,
it is I who set firm its pillars.
I have said to the boastful, ‘Stop boasting!’
I have said to the wicked, ‘Stop showing off your strength!’
Stop flaunting your strength to the heavens;
stop speaking boldly against God!
For triumph does not come
from the east or the west;
it does not come from the wilderness.
It is God who is the judge:
he raises some, abases others.
The cup in the Lord’s hand
is foaming with wine that is drugged.
He pours it out and they will drain it.
All the sinners of the earth shall drink.
But I will proclaim him for ever,
and sing of the God of Jacob.
I will smash the strength of the wicked,
and the power of the just shall prevail.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
At the daytime hours (Terce, Sext, None) when you don't choose to use the psalms of the day, use the complementary psalms instead.
COMPLEMENTARY PSALMS
Psalm 122 (123)
The Lord guards his people |
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As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
To you I lift up my eyes,
to you who dwell in the heavens.
Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,
like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,
so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,
as we wait for his kindness.
Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:
we have had our fill of contempt.
Our souls have had their fill
of the laughter of the rich,
of the contempt of the proud.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Psalm 123 (124)
Our help is in the name of the Lord |
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As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
If the Lord had not been with us
(so let Israel sing),
If the Lord had not been with us
when men rose up against us,
they might have skinned us alive,
such was their anger.
The waters could have drowned us,
the torrent poured over us,
the foaming waters poured over us.
Blessed be the Lord, who saved us
from being torn to pieces by their teeth.
We have escaped, like a bird
from the snare of the fowler.
The snare was broken,
and we escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Psalm 124 (125)
The Lord guards his people |
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As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
Those who trust in the Lord are like the mountain of Zion:
it cannot be shaken, it will stand firm for ever.
Jerusalem – the mountains stand guard over it,
and the Lord stands guard over his people,
both now and for ever.
The sceptre of the wicked shall not rest
upon the inheritance of the just;
lest the just themselves stretch out their hands
and turn to wickedness.
Be good, O Lord, to the good
and the upright of heart.
As for those who turn away to crooked paths,
the Lord shall treat them like the doers of evil.
Peace be on Israel!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he should repent and have life.
CONCLUSION
| Short reading | Zechariah 1:3-4 © |
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Return to me, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will return to you. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the prophets in the past cried ‘Turn back from your evil ways and evil deeds’ but they would not listen.
Turn your face away from my sins
– and wipe out all my transgressions.
Almighty and compassionate God, you let us catch our breath at this hour.
Look kindly on the work we have begun,
make good its imperfections,
and let it come to a fulfilment that is pleasing to you.
Through Christ our Lord,
A M E N
The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The downloadable versions of Universalis do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.
