PSALTERIVM

PSALMVS CXXXVII — CONFITEBOR TIBI

I Will Praise Thee With My Whole Heart

Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo is a royal thanksgiving psalm, perhaps composed for liturgical use by David himself. The promise that 'all the kings of the earth shall give glory to thee' expresses the universal scope of God's kingdom. In the 1962 Breviary it appears at Vespers on Fridays. The lowly whom God regards prefigures the Magnificat's reversal of worldly values.

LATINE
Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo: quoniam audisti verba oris mei.
In conspectu angelorum psallam tibi: adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum, et confitebor nomini tuo.
Super misericordia tua, et veritate tua: quoniam magnificasti super omne, nomen sanctum tuum.
In quacumque die invocavero te, exaudi me: multiplicabis in anima mea virtutem.
Confiteantur tibi, Domine, omnes reges terrae: quia audierunt omnia verba oris tui.
Et cantent in viis Domini: quoniam magna est gloria Domini.
Quoniam excelsus Dominus, et humilia respicit: et alta a longe cognoscit.
Si ambulavero in medio tribulationis, vivificabis me: et super iram inimicorum meorum extendisti manum tuam, et salvum me fecit dextera tua.
Dominus retribuet pro me: Domine, misericordia tua in saeculum: opera manuum tuarum ne despicias.
ENGLISH
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: for thou hast heard the words of my mouth.
I will sing praise to thee in the sight of the angels: I will worship towards thy holy temple, and I will give glory to thy name.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy holy name above all.
In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me: thou shalt multiply strength in my soul.
May all the kings of the earth give glory to thee: for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.
And let them sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
For the Lord is high, and looketh on the low: and the high he knoweth afar off.
If I shall walk in the midst of tribulation, thou wilt quicken me: and thou hast stretched forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies: and thy right hand hath saved me.
The Lord will repay for me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: O despise not the works of thy hands.
NOTA
FONS
Douay-Rheims (1609) / Vulgata
USUS
Thanksgiving, Vespers
CONTEXT
Psalm 138 in Hebrew numbering. 'In conspectu angelorum psallam tibi' supports the teaching that angels attend human worship.