Psalm of David 30 in Russian and Church Slavonic languages

In the life of the psalmist David there were many difficult situations that arose due to the fault of traitors, liars and pretenders in his circle. This is described in many of his works, in which the king expressed the whole range of emotions and experiences that deprived him of peace. Often vice had to be hostage to disappointment, bitterness, and despair. These feelings run like a thread through the text of Psalm 30, in a work in which David calls on the righteous to strengthen their love for God and trust in Him, because only He can protect humanity from troubles.

Text of Psalm 30

Church services are not complete without Psalm 30. In churches, parishioners hear the song in Church Slavonic, which is difficult for many to understand. It is not surprising that for personal prayer believers prefer to use a modern translation of the text into Russian.

In Church Slavonic

In Russian

What is the help for believers when reading Psalm 30

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The text of Psalm 30 was written by the prophet David, presumably during persecution from Saul. As you can see, the misfortunes experienced during this period prompted the future king of Israel to write a large number of songs that were included in all known books of psalms: the Slavic and Greek Psalms, the Latin Vulgate, and the Jewish Tehillim. And this is not surprising - after all, what, if not misfortunes and trials, push us to turn to the Lord most often and sincerely? The Old Testament psalmist was no exception: being in a situation in which all his relatives and friends turned away from him, he prayed to God as his last hope.

The interpretation of the Christian Psalm 30 very clearly testifies to this: in every line of it, King David exalts the Lord, who protects him in all sorrow. “For You are my rock and my hedge; For the sake of Your name, lead me and rule me” (Ps. 30:4), the author of the psalm calls out to his Creator and God. Despite David's plight, Psalm 30 is certainly filled with faith and has been a source of encouragement to others in similar circumstances for thousands of years. The Orthodox Church advises gardeners to listen and read Psalm 30 online when the weather is unfavorable.

Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 30 in Russian

Orthodox Psalter, read the text of Psalm 30 in Russian

To the head of the choir. Psalm of David. During times of turmoil.

I trust in You, Lord, that I may never be ashamed; according to Thy righteousness deliver me; incline Your ear to me, hasten to deliver me. Be to me a rocky stronghold, a house of refuge to save me, for You are my rocky mountain and my fence; for Thy name's sake lead me and rule over me. Lead me out of the snare that they have secretly laid for me, for You are my strength. I commend my spirit into Your hand; You have delivered me, O Lord, God of truth. I hate worshipers of vain idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad about Your mercy, because You looked upon my misfortune, recognized the sorrow of my soul and did not deliver me into the hands of the enemy; set my feet in a spacious place. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress; My eye, my soul and my womb are withered from grief. My life was spent in sorrow and my years in lamentation; My strength has failed because of my sins, and my bones have dried up. From all my enemies I have become a reproach even among my neighbors and a terror to my acquaintances; Those who see me on the street run away from me. I am forgotten in hearts, as if dead; I am like a broken vessel, for I hear the slander of many; There is horror everywhere as they conspire against me and plot to tear out my soul. And I trust in You, Lord; I say: You are my God. My days are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors. Show Thy bright face to Thy servant; save me by Your mercy. God! Let me not be ashamed that I cry to You; Let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in hell. Let the lying lips become numb, which speak evil against the righteous with pride and contempt. How many good things You have, which You have stored up for those who fear You and which You have prepared for those who trust in You before the sons of men! You shelter them under the cover of Your face from human rebellions, you hide them in the shadow from the bickering of tongues. Blessed be the Lord for showing me His wondrous mercy in the fortified city! In my confusion I thought: “I am rejected from Thy eyes”; but You heard the voice of my prayer when I cried to You. Love the Lord, all ye His righteous; The Lord protects the faithful and rewards those who act arrogantly in abundance. Take courage, and let your hearts be strengthened, all you who hope in the Lord!

Text of Psalm 30 in Church Slavonic

In you, Lord, have I trusted, that I may never be ashamed; By your righteousness deliver me and save me. Incline your ear to me, hasten my removal; Make me God my protector and my house of refuge to save me. For you are my power and my refuge; and for your name’s sake instruct me and nourish me. Bring me out from the net of sowing, which I hid; for you are my protector, Lord. I will offer my spirit in your hands; You have delivered me, O Lord God of truth. I hated those who kept vanities in vain; I have trusted in the Lord. I will rejoice and rejoice in your mercy, for you have looked upon my humility, you have saved my soul from need, and you have shut me up in the hands of the enemy, and you have placed me on my broad nose. Have mercy on me, Lord, as I grieve; my eye, my soul and my belly are troubled with rage. As if my belly disappeared in illness, and my years in sighs; My strength is weakened by poverty, and my bones are crushed. From all my enemies there was reproach, and from my neighbors, and from those I knew; those who see me run away from me. Oblivion would be as if dead from the heart; as if the vessel were destroyed. For I heard the reproach of many living around; Sometimes they will come together to me, accept my soul and confer. But I trusted in you, O Lord; You are my God. My lots are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Make your face shine upon your servant; save me by your mercy. Lord, let me not be ashamed because I called you; let the wicked be ashamed and go down to hell. Let flattering lips be mute, speaking against the righteous with iniquity, pride and humiliation. Since the great abundance of your goodness, O Lord, you have hidden from those who fear you, you have made them trust in you, before the sons of men; hide them in the secret of your face from the rebellion of man, cover them with shelter from the quarrel of tongues. Blessed is the Lord, for you have surprised your mercy in the city of the fence. I died in my frenzy; I am rejected from your presence; For this reason, I heard the voice of my prayer, and I cried out to you. Love the Lord, all your reverends; for the Lord seeks the truth and rewards those who are excessively proud. Take courage, and let your heart be strong, all you who trust in the Lord.

History of writing

Researchers claim that Psalm 30 was written by God's anointed during his period of exile. Then the prophet was in conflict with the ruler Saul. During his time of wandering in the hope of salvation, David wrote many songs in which he described in detail the difficult trials that befell him.

The psalmist was forced to leave Keilah due to the slander of enemies who planned to get rid of the people's favorite. David managed to avoid death by hiding in the temples of the pagans. This theme became the basis of the written text, but some historians are in no hurry to connect canto 30 with the persecution of the prophet. Be that as it may, the king’s work became one of the most valuable for Christians; for them, this text became an indispensable prayer for support for the suffering.

David's faith is strong in God and in the fact that He inclines His ear to hear His servants. Otherwise, why would there be a conversation with Him? David's prayers would have gone down the drain if God had not listened to him. But God listened. David knew this. That is why he strengthened himself in any circumstances, leaned on Jehovah as if on a rock when stumbling - that is why he held on and did not fall fatally, without hope of rising.

30:4-6 for You are my rock and my hedge; for Thy name's sake lead me and rule over me. 5 Lead me out of the snare that they have secretly set for me, for You are my strength. 6 Into Your hand I commend my spirit; You have delivered me, O Lord, God of truth.

David's prayers, but Christ repeated them. For Christ, the God of Israel was also a rock, the only one to hold on to in this world. Everything else - people and interests - are changeable and impermanent, flowing through your fingers as if it had never happened.

And Jehovah God is a rock that cannot be moved. You go to bed and know for sure that God is THERE and with me. And when you wake up, He is THERE again and with me. No matter how much we fall asleep and wake up, He is ALWAYS in His place and with us if we are with Him. Stability in the ability not to lose sight of God and not to let go of one’s hand—from His hand—is the most valuable thing one can acquire in this life. Only into His hand can you hand yourself over. Only Him - and you can trust: He won’t accidentally drop it and won’t forget about my existence. If I myself don’t forget about Him.

30:7 I hate worshipers of vain idols, but I trust in the Lord.

Hatred is a strong feeling. If you hate vanity in itself - empty pastime, empty and meaningless worship - then there is hope that God's way of life will become your way. And if you like the courage of this life, the colorfulness of rituals and the troubles of traditions with a lot of sociability of this world, if you don’t feel superfluous at the celebration of the life of this century, it is hardly possible to find hope in the Lord in yourself.

30:8,9 I will rejoice and be glad in Your mercy, because You looked upon my misfortune, recognized the sorrow of my soul 9 and did not deliver me into the hands of the enemy; set my feet in a spacious place.

He who clings to God knows how to rejoice in himself - without the “doping” of the acute sensations of this world, from the mere thought that he is doing the right thing and this pleases the Father. And although the process of life itself is not easy for such a person, God strengthens him both in weaknesses and in overcoming the “white sheep” syndrome, which are all believers for this wicked age.

30:10,11 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress; My eye, my soul and my womb are withered from grief. 11 My life is spent in sorrow, and my years in groaning; My strength has failed because of my sins, and my bones have dried up.

And yet, despondency often interferes with living smoothly: but David’s despondency was not caused by the severity of circumstances, but by the fact that
he was doing wrong, by sins .
The awareness of sinfulness and the powerlessness to strangle it within oneself through one’s own efforts weighed on David and dried his bones more than anything else. Is THIS a common reason - our despondency?

Or are we more worried about the inconveniences of life? There is, however, something for us to think about when reading about the worries of the king, beloved by God.

30:12-14 From all my enemies I have become a reproach even among my neighbors and a terror to my acquaintances; Those who see me on the street run away from me. 13 I am forgotten in hearts as if dead; I am like a broken vessel, 14 for I hear the slander of many; There is horror everywhere as they conspire against me and plot to tear out my soul.

It’s clear: it’s not easy to explain to yourself that everything is fine and to be optimistic when everyone is shying away from you like a leper. And not only strangers, but also our own, acquaintances, neighbors and even relatives, have nothing to offer except slander and malicious attacks. And you feel worthless, and there is nowhere for the poor to go. God's servants sometimes have to struggle with such feelings.

30:15 And I trust in You, Lord; I say: You are my God.

However, despite the fact that David has a lot of problems, enemies and his situation is getting worse, David has not decided that God has turned away from him, but continues to hope in his heavenly Protector and is confident that Jehovah will definitely support him. As long as there is at least One who believes in you, understands and does not reject you, life cannot lose meaning. The main thing is that this One does not consider us lepers. But He will not count - as long as we ourselves hold tightly to Him and to His word. He does not give up and does not let go - holding on to the hand of God in his life.

30:16,17 My days are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors. 17 Show Your bright face to Your servant; save me by Your mercy.

Understanding that God holds your hand and sees from above, what you can help with, helps you survive. Even if help, as it seems to us, is delayed, the confidence in the Rock that you hold on to, even though you are hanging by a thread, helps you to wait for relief and not get tired of asking for help.

30:18,19 God! Let me not be ashamed that I cry to You;

Here’s another thing that worries David: he didn’t need help from God for his own sake. And for the sake of the one who observes David's trust in Him. David did not want the wicked to disgrace his hope in Jehovah, which he spoke about publicly.

I didn’t want the wicked to rub their hands in their righteousness, as if God doesn’t care about anyone on this earth, and that the servant of God is actually nobody and like dirt on this earth, and righteousness is just stupidity.

And in this - while waiting for help - David was not worried about his own inconveniences. And let the devil not think that he has failed the righteous man of God, and God is not able to help his servant. How many of us care about THIS? It’s time to think about this too.

Let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in hell. 19 Let the lying lips be dumb, which speak evil against the righteous with pride and contempt.

As we see, hell is a place where the wicked are silent and do not cry out in pain from the torment of fire. Hell is the grave, the burial place of the dead. 30:20-22 How many good things You have, which You have stored up for those who fear You, and which You have prepared for those who trust in You before the sons of men! 21 You hide them under the cover of Your face from the rebellions of men, you hide them in the shadow from the bickering of tongues. 22 Blessed be the Lord, who has shown me His wondrous mercy in the fortified city!

David knows that God has both the strength and the desire to protect His righteous. And God reserves many blessings for his servants. You just need to wait and recognize in what way His mercy will manifest itself for help. David always recognized relief for himself, and therefore, by his example, he consoled everyone in need of support.

30:23-25 In my confusion I thought: “I am rejected from Thy eyes”; but You heard the voice of my prayer when I cried to You.

A lot of stupid things come into our heads when emotions overflow in us, when we stumble over some difficulties.
We may even think that God has turned away from us, life is over - and again in a circle with tears mixed with everything else that is suffering. But as soon as relief comes, a sound mind and heart again sing a song of joy that life is worth living, that God is with me and will never leave me if I do not leave Him: 24 Love the Lord, all you His righteous;
The Lord protects the faithful and rewards those who act arrogantly in abundance. 25 Take courage, and let your hearts be strengthened, all you who hope in the Lord! And David was ready to share this joy with everyone who fell into the same tragedies out of despondency and tears. And shared. And therefore today we can also feel his joy.

Interpretation of Psalm 30

Psalm 30 is dedicated to the theme of persecution, innocence before the Lord, and the machinations of enemies who organized a conspiracy against the singer. It is interesting that difficult life circumstances did not break the prophet or damage his faith.

On the contrary, they made it stronger, David began to magnify God even more diligently. A more thorough understanding of the meaning of his work allows a thorough analysis of individual verses of the work, which has become indispensable for the righteous in the fight against troubles.

Verse 1 to 3: The author begins the song with a confession in which he claims that before God he is right and innocent, which means he can count on the mercy of the Lord. David remembers that before this, faith in the One Creator saved him more than once, so he continues to trust in Him and believes in His support.

Verses 4 and 5: The anointed one expresses hope for help from above, that God will take trouble away from him, since he is pure before Him. Here the author discusses the topic of his possible death, which his enemies may perceive as weakness. He emphasizes that he entrusts his own life to the Almighty.

Verses 6 and 7: David describes his life among the Gentiles. For him, the help of King Achish became salvation, but the psalmist still finds it difficult surrounded by those whose faith and blood he hates. He could not accept the fact that people worshiped idols, thus insulting the true Lord. And yet, the author is grateful to them for their willingness to support him in difficult times.

Verses 8 and 9: The fact that David found a safe place in Zaklag, in his opinion, shows that God has not abandoned him.

Verse 10: Persecution exhausted the righteous man physically and spiritually, his strength was running out, but the Almighty continued to support him, to grant him protection and protection from enemies who desired his death.

Verse 11: Saul's persecution became a great threat both to David and to his family, in whose house he was no longer a welcome guest. Everyone he knew began to avoid him, fearing the wrath of the ruler.

Verse 12 and 13: The author draws a parallel between himself and the dead, but unlike the latter, no one will remember him. He has no doubt that the people who previously supported him could now decide to kill him.

Verse 14 to 17: The anointed one again calls on the Lord, prays for his mercy, speaks of his love for Him, of strong faith. He hopes for a fair trial, which was already discussed in verses 4 and 5.

Verse 18 to 22: The Almighty helps the true believer and protects him from disasters. The wicked who refuse to honor God will not be able to know his love.

Verse 23: David, finding himself without the support of those who had previously been close to him, doubted that the Lord heard his prayer request.

Verse 24: The prophet's prayers were answered. The author’s heart was filled with gratitude to God, which he expresses at the end of the work. Here he again emphasizes that the Almighty protects the righteous and punishes the arrogant who do not want to obey him.

Psalm 30

In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted, that I may never be ashamed: by Thy righteousness deliver me and save me. Incline Your ear to me, hasten to take me away, make me a Protector God and a house of refuge to save me. For Thou art my power and my refuge, and for Thy name’s sake instruct me and nourish me. Deliver me from this net, even though you have hidden it from me, for You are my Protector, O Lord. I will offer my spirit in Your hands: You, Lord God of truth, have delivered me. You have hated those who keep vanities in vain: but I trusted in the Lord. I will rejoice and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have looked upon my humility, You have saved my soul from need, and You have shut me up in the hands of the enemy, You have placed me on my vast nose. Have mercy on me, Lord, as I grieve: my eye, my soul and my womb are troubled by rage. As if my belly disappeared in illness and my years in sighs, my strength was weakened by poverty and my bones were crushed. From all my enemies there was reproach, and my neighbor was great, and fear to those who knew me: those who saw me fled from me. I was forgotten as if dead from the heart, I was like a destroyed vessel. Because I heard the evil spirits of many who live around, when they came together to me, they accepted my soul and conferred. But I trusted in You, O Lord, and said: You are my God. My lots are in Your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant, save me by Thy mercy. Lord, let me not be ashamed, for I called Thee: let the wicked be ashamed and go down to hell. Let flattering lips be mute, speaking against the righteous with iniquity, pride and humiliation. Since You have hidden the great abundance of Your goodness, O Lord, from those who fear You, You have made them trust in You before the sons of men. Hide them in the secret of Your face from the rebellion of man, cover them with shelter from the bickering of tongues. Blessed is the Lord, for He has astonished His mercy in the city of enclosure. I said in my frenzy: I am rejected from the presence of Your eyes: for this reason You heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried out to You. Love the Lord, all who reverence Him, for the Lord seeks truth and rewards those who are excessively arrogant. Take courage, and let your heart be strong, all you who trust in the Lord.