Psalm 129 (130), prayed for the faithful departed

De Profundis — Psalm 130 for the Dead

“Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord”: the Church’s psalm for the dead

LatinEnglish

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine:
Domine, exaudi vocem meam.

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.

Fiant aures tuae intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meae.

Let thy ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.

Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine,
Domine, quis sustinebit?

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities:
Lord, who shall stand it?

Quia apud te propitiatio est;
et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord.

Sustinuit anima mea in verbo eius:
speravit anima mea in Domino.

My soul hath relied on his word:
my soul hath hoped in the Lord.

A custodia matutina usque ad noctem
speret Israel in Domino.

From the morning watch even until night,
let Israel hope in the Lord.

Quia apud Dominum misericordia,
et copiosa apud eum redemptio.

Because with the Lord there is mercy:
and with him plentiful redemption.

Et ipse redimet Israel
ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.

And he shall redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

℣. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
℟. Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
℣. Requiescant in pace.
℟. Amen.

℣. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
℟. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
℣. May they rest in peace.
℟. Amen.

SourcePsalm 129 (130), prayed for the faithful departed · “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord”: the Church’s psalm for the dead

The history of this prayer

The De profundis is Psalm 129 in the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and Psalm 130 in the Hebrew numbering that most modern Bibles follow. It is one of the “songs of ascents” sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem, and the sixth of the seven penitential psalms of Christian tradition. It begins with a cry from the depths and ends in the certainty that with the Lord there is “plentiful redemption”.

Why it is prayed for the dead

The Church has prayed this psalm for the departed for many centuries. In the traditional Office of the Dead it is sung at Vespers, and at the end of each psalm the Glory Be is replaced by the Eternal Rest. That is why, when it is prayed for the dead, the De profundis ends with the Requiem aeternam, as here.

In 1736 Pope Clement XII granted an indulgence to those who, at the sound of the bell an hour after the evening Ave Maria, knelt and said the De profundis with the Requiem aeternam at the end for the souls in Purgatory. Those who did not know the psalm by heart could say an Our Father and a Hail Mary with the Requiem instead. The rules on indulgences have been revised since then, but the custom of praying the De profundis for the dead at nightfall remains a beautiful one.

When to pray it

Alone or as a family, at a wake, by a grave, on the anniversary of a death, and above all in November, the month of the holy souls, and on All Souls’ Day, 2 November. For one person, say: “Eternal rest grant unto him (her), O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him (her). May he (she) rest in peace.”

The English is the Douay-Rheims translation, which follows the Latin Vulgate.

Frequently asked questions

Is the De profundis Psalm 129 or Psalm 130?

Both numbers refer to the same psalm: 129 in the Latin Vulgate numbering (used by older Catholic Bibles such as the Douay-Rheims), 130 in the Hebrew numbering used by most modern Bibles.

Why is the De profundis prayed for the dead?

Because the Church prays it in the Office of the Dead, and because it is a plea for mercy that ends in hope of redemption. Prayed for the dead, it ends with the Eternal Rest in place of the Glory Be.

What does “De profundis” mean?

“Out of the depths”, the first words of the psalm in Latin: “De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine”, “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord”.

More prayers: For the departed

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