") is a book that is part of the Bible. In turn, it contains 150 in the Hebrew version and 151 in the Slavic and Greek songs. These prayer songs are called psalms. Sometimes the psalter is called that: psalms.

The Psalter takes its name from the Greek psaltirion, the name of a stringed musical instrument. It was this instrument that accompanied the singing of psalms by the prophet David during the Old Testament service. The authors of these sacred songs, as can be judged by the inscriptions in the book, were mainly Moses, Solomon, David and others. But, since 73 psalms are signed with the name of King David and the rest, unsigned, are apparently also his creation, the Psalter is called the Psalter of King David.

All psalms have the form prayer appeal person to God, but not all carry the same semantic load. So, some of them are laudatory, others are teaching, others are grateful, and others are repentant. Some of the psalms are predictive in nature (there are about twenty of them); they tell, in particular, about the life of Jesus Christ and about his Church.

Divine service

During worship, as it was in the times of the Old Testament church, in the Orthodox church the Psalter - main book. Moreover, when different types worship services use their own psalms, suitable specifically for. Some of them are read as a whole, and some are read in parts. According to the Charter, during (church name of the week) the entire Psalter must be read, and during Great Lent this sacred book must be read twice per week.

IN church tradition The Psalter is divided into 20 kathismas, or parts, during the break between which one is allowed to sit. At this time, an explanation of the read psalms was carried out in the ancient church.

Psalmody

Singing psalms has great value V ancient tradition spiritual practice, which is the basis of Orthodox asceticism. The practice of psalmody is one of the three main parts in the work of hesychasm. The other two are the weakening of passions and patience in prayer. Psalmody is precisely an integral part and condition for cleansing from passions. By singing psalms, a believer can find the way to salvation. They are imbued with holiness and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Psalter gives man right direction activity and is, in fact, the life law for the believer. That is why psalmody helps one find the way to God, and also the way to oneself.

For the believer Orthodox man memory of the deceased consists of prayerful remembrance of deceased relatives and loved ones. There are certain funeral prayers, a special place among which is occupied by the reading of the psalter for the deceased.

Psalter - a book included in the body Holy Scripture Old Testament. It contains 150 psalms (hence the corresponding name), which are prayers to the Lord. The author is considered to be King David, but some prayers were compiled by other rulers of ancient Israel.

The Psalter was widely used for use back in apostolic times. Since ancient times in Rus', this Old Testament book has been used as prayer books both in worship and in home prayer. Currently, the Church's services also include prayers from the psalter.

In Orthodox culture there is a pious tradition of reading the psalter in memory of them. The entire Old Testament book is divided into twenty kathismas, its complete reading can take up to five hours, so prayer for the deceased with the help of this book is a special work of living people in memory of the deceased. The reading of the psalter is performed both for the laity and for the deacons and monks. Any pious Christian can read.

It is customary to read before burying the deceased. It is desirable that the prayers last continuously, but in the absence of such an opportunity, you can read at least several kathismas a day or change readers. The prayers of the psalter trace a person’s hope for God’s mercy; the sacred texts console the loved ones and relatives of the deceased person.

The Psalter can be read for forty days after death, with special attention paid to the days of remembrance: the ninth and fortieth. In addition, the psalter for the dead can be read on anniversaries of death or on any other day, because prayers to the Lord for the forgiveness of the sins of the dead can be offered by a Christian at any time.

The order for the deceased is simple. In the prayer books, before reading the psalter, there are special opening prayers, after which “Come, let us worship” and the text of the kathisma are read. All kathismas are divided into three “Glories”. A special feature of reading the psalter for the dead is the addition of a special funeral prayer for each “slavnik”. Thus, when the reader sees the inscription “Glory” in the text of the kathisma, it should be read as follows:

After this, the reading of psalms from the kathisma continues. There is a practice according to which, after the funeral prayer, the Mother of God prayer is said, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary.” On the last third “Glory” only “Glory” “And now” is pronounced, three times “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia glory to Thee, O God” and a prayer for the deceased. After this, the trisagion according to the Our Father is read, special troparia written at the end of the kathisma, as well as a specific prayer.

The beginning of each new kathisma is again accompanied by the reading “Come, let us worship”:

At the end of the reading of the psalter or several kathismas, there are special prayers published in the prayer book “after reading the Psalter or several kathismas.”

It is worth especially noting that if a person does not have the opportunity to read the psalter for the departed in full, one should at least work on reading the 17th kathisma, since it is this part of the psalter that is read at the funeral service (used during the prayer for the remembrance of the departed).

The position of the person praying when reading the psalter should be standing. Other people can sit during prayer if they experience physical weakness.

If the psalter is read in front of the coffin of the deceased, then the reader stands before the feet of the deceased. When reading the psalter, it is customary to light candles or a lamp in front of the icons. While reading the psalter, you must fully concentrate on prayer and turn to the Lord with humility, reverence and pious attention to the sacred texts.

Video on the topic

The Psalter is a sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns, recorded by King David at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
The method of praying according to the Psalter is much more ancient than the Jesus Prayer or reading akathists. Before the advent of the Jesus Prayer, in ancient monasticism it was customary to read the Psalter in one’s mind (to oneself) by heart, and some monasteries accepted only those who knew the entire Psalter by heart. IN Tsarist Russia The Psalter was the most widespread book among the population.
The author of the psalms, at least most of them, is considered to be David - the ideal, as he was called, king of Israel, warrior and psalmist.
This remarkable personality of Old Testament history (1005-965 BC) is so contradictory that it is impossible to say about him: he composed psalms and performed them to his own accompaniment on musical instrument Psalterion - to say nothing.
Therefore, first let’s talk about the psalms themselves, collected in the Psalter. There are one hundred and fifty psalms in total; they can be roughly divided into prayers, praises, songs and teachings. Many composers and poets, since ancient times, have set them to music and poetry, and people have based their sayings and creativity on them. Psalms were sung not only in church during worship or at home, as prayers, but even before battle and while moving in formation!
It is believed that these amazing works can not only lift a person’s spirit, strengthen his heart, inspire his soul, but even influence fate, resolve the insoluble, give advice in the most difficult hour, in the most difficult matter. That is, they connect a person with the Lord, give him such a great opportunity - to turn to God himself and be heard by him, to receive help or to thank the Heavenly Father. Reading the Psalter amazingly calms a person, occupies his painfully tense mind with prayer, allows him to escape from anxious, panicky, painful thoughts and connects him with the Lord, who alone knows how to solve our problems and difficulties. After reading several kathismas or the Psalter, it is entirely necessary to read special prayers. The fathers and devotees of the Church encourage believers to read the psalms daily at home, receiving spiritual benefits. Tips for beginners:
1. To read the Psalter, you must have a burning lamp (or candle) at home. It is customary to pray “without a light” only on the road, outside the home.
2. Psalter, on the advice of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, it is necessary to read aloud - in an undertone or more quietly, so that not only the mind, but also the ear, listens to the words of the prayer (“Give joy and gladness to my hearing”).
3. Special attention should be addressed correct placement stress in words, because a mistake can change the meaning of words and even entire phrases, and this is a sin.
4. You can read the psalms while sitting (the word “kathisma” translated into Russian means “that which is read while sitting”, in contrast to the word “akathist” - “not sitting”). You need to get up when reading the opening and closing prayers, as well as during the “Glories”.
5. The psalms are read monotonously, without expression, slightly intoned - dispassionately, because Our sinful feelings are unpleasant to God. Reading psalms and prayers with theatrical expression leads a person to a demonic state of delusion.
6. One should not be discouraged or embarrassed if the meaning of the psalms is not clear. The machine gunner does not always understand how the machine gun fires, but his task is to hit enemies. Regarding the Psalter, there is a statement: “You don’t understand - the demons understand.” As we mature spiritually, the meaning of the psalms will also be revealed.

Blessed Pelageya of Ryazan about reading the Psalter:

Psalm 15 - in order to always see the Lord.

Psalm 19 - to prepare for the coming of the Antichrist.

Psalm 20 - to admonish the wicked man.

Psalm 21 - for forgiveness grave sins(18-20 ordeal).

Psalm 26 - to stand both in spiritual warfare and in war; from witchcraft and any temptations. (“Whoever reads it three times a day, the Lord will guide him through water as through dry land!”)

Psalm 29 - for fear of suffering for the Lord.

Psalm 33 - to avoid thirst for food and drink.

Psalm 39 - to fulfill the will of God and be ready for self-sacrifice.

Psalm 43 - so that the grace of God may abide in the house.

Psalm 44 - in order to always see the Mother of God.

Psalm 45 - to be invincible. This is the anthem of victory over the enemy.

Psalm 49 - so as not to waver and not betray the Lord (read more often to the clergy - out of arrogance).

Psalm 63 - so as not to accept the seal of the Antichrist. Also read the prayer located at the end of the first kathisma of the Psalter: “O Lord Almighty, Incomprehensible, the beginning of light and exceeding power...”

Psalm 69 - to adequately repel the attacks of enemies.

Psalm 78 - for the deliverance of Christians from torment and death.

Psalm 83 - to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven

Psalm 90 - to have from the Savior the power to overcome evil.

Psalm 139 - in order to have prayer and work (or pension).

Psalm 141 - to be prepared for persecution.

The Psalter for a Christian is one of the important books. The name Psalter comes from the Greek “psalo,” which means to play on strings.

The Psalms are considered to be a book of prayers for all occasions; even lists are compiled that indicate. They were composed over 8 centuries. More than 80 psalms were written King David(X century BC), in whose life there was grief and joy, love and betrayal of loved ones. In addition to his psalms, the book includes the psalms of Solomon, Moses, Asaph and his descendants, Heman, Etham, the sons of Korah, and 41 psalms of unknown writers.

King David was the first to accompany the singing of his prayers to God by playing the “psaltyrion,” a musical instrument very similar to the modern harp.

Very often during services a thanksgiving song is performed - this is a very beautiful and heartfelt piece.

We are used to reading only prayers, and forget about the psalms. The Church recommends remembering them, therefore many verses from the psalms are included in church services, in modern prayers, and which has already become a classic, is included in daily morning rule to read. Knowing what sin the holy prophet David committed, and the words in which he expressed his regret and repentance about this, recorded in the 50th Psalm, you begin to understand the feelings conveyed in the psalms much better.
These prayerful appeals to the Lord are filled with love and thanksgiving and instill in the hearts of people a feeling of reverence and empathy, repentance and joy in the Lord.

Happened to me, the author of the article interesting case in an Aeroport. Our flight was delayed. Just like the previous flight of the same airline, which was supposed to fly to the same destination as us, but an hour earlier, was postponed. We are sitting, waiting for departure. My wife took out a psalter and began to read psalms. I read several psalms and suddenly, the passengers of our flight are asked to board. Our plane nevertheless departed on time, and the departure of the previous flight, unfortunately, was again postponed.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian wrote about the psalms:

Psalm – driving away demons.
The psalm is a weapon against the fear of the night.
Psalm - calmness from the day's labors. Psalm - safety of babies.
The psalm is a consolation for the elderly, the most decent decoration for women. He makes the holidays bright, he produces sorrow for God.
The psalm also brings tears from a heart of stone.
Psalm is the work of Angels, heavenly residence, spiritual censer. It enlightens the mind, it lifts people to heaven, it makes people interlocutors with God, it delights the soul, it stops judgment, it humbles those at war. Where there is a psalm of contrition, there is God with the Angels.

ABBREVIATIONS IN THE PSALMTER

The abbreviations written in the text of the Psalter mean the following:

• Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to You, O God. (Thrice).
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times).
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

At the end of the kathisma, in the last Gloryreads only:

• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

In prayers at the end of any kathisma it is written:
Trisagion. Holy Trinity… Our Father…

• Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. ( Three times)
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times)
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

After"Our Father" the troparion indicated in the psalter is read, then"Lord have mercy" ( 40 times) and prayer.

• Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
• Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
• Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God. (Bow)

If you finish reading the psalter on this day, then read sequentially:

• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times)
• Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross and the holy heavenly powers, disembodied, and our reverend and God-bearing fathers, and the Holy Prophet David, and all the saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am good and Lover of humanity. Amen.

On the Internet you can find descriptions of situations in which reading psalms helps - which one will save you from toothache, for have a good marriage, obtaining housing, etc. These are special cases and perhaps they helped someone, but that is not the main point.

The main idea of ​​the psalms, why they exist, this is repentance for one’s sins and gratitude to God for His mercies towards us people. The texts of the psalms also often contain prayers to the Lord for help in difficult circumstances and for protection from enemies. At the same time, the holy fathers point out that the enemies mentioned in the psalter are precisely internal enemies of a person: pride, anger, hatred etc. Having eradicated them (internal problems), the rest of the troubles, by God’s grace, will leave you alone.

read a psalm of gratitude or glorifying God, then you need to sincerely repent of your sins, perhaps even some specific ones for which God teaches you, creating a certain unpleasant situation that you want to resolve. After the repentant psalm, they usually read a psalm about help or intercession, and then again a psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Prayer set for different life cases everyone can have their own. In your choice, it is very useful to read the interpretation of the psalms, the history of their origin, and then your soul will help you choose the most understandable and close psalms.

For example, Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly (Sidorenko; † 1992), who is revered as an ascetic, gave the following instructions to his children: before leaving the house you need to read Psalms 26, 50 and 90, and after each psalm you need to read “ Rejoice to the Virgin Mary“, these prayers will help protect you from trouble.

The Holy Scriptures are the source of spiritual strength and faith for every Christian. The Psalter is a book used in worship, in which prayers and hymns are written that tell about the most different feelings of a believer. By reading a prayer, we communicate with God and draw closer to him. She gives us strength and gives us hope for the best. Prayers are read both for the health of living people and for the repose of departed souls. The most effective in these cases are considered to be prayers from the never-ending psalter.

Why you order an everlasting psalter, how to order the reading of the prayers written in the psalter, and also how to correctly read the psalter about health and peace yourself, you can find out in this article.

The meaning of the psalter

Many clergy psalter called a “collection of hymns”, since it is the basis of all liturgical life Orthodox Church and her prayer rules.

The Psalter was created at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th centuries.. The book is a collection of psalms, which are divided into three groups:

• instructive (intended to teach people Divine Revelation and the main law of life);
• laudatory (teaching a person’s gratitude to the Lord);
• repentant (they contain prayers for human repentance and requests for help).

The Psalter tells about the past, explains the present and teaches a person to be happy and humble in the future. The Holy Fathers called this book filled with the grace of God.

The authorship of most of the psalms in this edition belongs to King David and is included in the canonical bible books. In addition, his psalms are recognized by all orthodox Christian denominations and are included in the Torah of the Jews.

Any Christian will benefit refer to this book, since it helps determine the meaning of Holy Scripture. It is believed that the words put into David’s mouth by Our Lord contribute to the development of the soul and when a person pronounces them, he fills his heart and the space around him with light “hidden from human eyes.”

But how is the indefatigable psalter so different from other prayers? This name explains the special rite performed only in monasteries. The very word “indestructible” implies that the prayer is read around the clock. Therefore, it is very difficult to do this at home, but in monasteries monks replace each other and, thus, turning to the Lord goes on continuously. According to the holy elders, during the reading of this prayer a pillar is formed from the earth to the very sky.

Initial reading of the psalter originated precisely thanks to monasticism in the first Egyptian, Syrian and Palestinian communities. Over the course of a day, the monks read the entire book, which includes 150 psalms (in Orthodoxy they are divided into twenty so-called kathismas).

What is the help?

It is generally accepted that the life of monks is based on the desire to become like heavenly angels. They constantly read prayers, sing praises to the Creator and live a life in which they renounce everything earthly for the sake of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the “angelic singing” of the monks helps in the following:

• endows a person powerful protection from evil spirits;
• bestows physical health, which confirms the correction of the soul;
• helps to pacify passions (for example, fornication, alcohol, greed, overeating and any kind of intemperance).

The Psalter is, first of all, prayer rule for monastic, cell life. This book is read in both male and female monasteries, however, not every monk is able to do this. Reading it is regarded as a reward, and only monks with high mental organization are allowed to read it.

The abbot appoints a sequence in which the monks read out the kathismas and replace each other. Each inhabitant has his own time of day and his own period of time.

The reading of the prayer is carried out in the temple or in a cell specially designated for this purpose. Church Slavonic language. After each utterance of “Glory to the Lord,” the monk says the names of those people for whom prayer is ordered.

If you want to read this prayer yourself, you can use Russian Synodal translation Holy Scripture, it is more understandable. Even if you cannot re-read all the psalms in one day, this does not mean that simply reading the psalms is useless. The Lord sees the efforts of a sincere believer, which means that he will also be given the strength he needs.

How and where can you order a memorial

So, you can order the reading of the psalter only in monasteries. In this case, it does not matter what gender the person who will be commemorated is, and it does not matter whether it is a nunnery or a men’s monastery. You can always submit a note about a man in a nunnery or vice versa.

You can order the reading of the psalter not only about health, but also about repose. To do this, you need to submit a note with the names of people who need God's help.

It is also important to know that during the reading of continuous prayer it is forbidden to remember the unbaptized, suicides and people of other faiths.

You can order the psalter for the following dates:

• 40 days;
• 6 months;
• 1 year.

If desired, the reading of the prayer can be extended. The price or amount of the donation is determined by the monastery. Also in some monasteries it is possible to accept petitions via the Internet (about 400 rubles for one name for a period of 40 days). You can also order an indefinite memorial; you need to find out the price of such a service on the spot.

Non-monetary assistance is also allowed. It is quite possible to help the monastery with food, things, building materials or assistance in resolving any issues. After all, it is not the amount itself that is important, but the desire to contribute to the bright life of the holy fathers and monks who support the whole world with constant prayers.

To order the reading of the psalter You can contact Russian monasteries from the following suggested list:

• Monastery of Saints royal passion-bearers In Ekaterinburg;
• Optina Monastery in Kozelsk, Kaluga region;
• Sretensky or St. Danilov Monastery, as well as Pokrovsky convent Saint Matrona in Moscow.

Practiced this type prayers in other monasteries, you just need to take the trouble to go to the nearest temple and ask. But do not forget that this type of prayer for health is not a guarantee of easy and happy life. Therefore, in addition to the fact that the monks will read the psalms and mention the ordered names, it is necessary for the believers to support this spiritual action by reading at least a few lines from the psalter every day.

For various reasons, not everyone can afford to go to the monastery. However, do not despair, because you can help your relatives or loved ones at home. To do this, you need to read prayers yourself and follow church rules.

Any person can turn to God, and he will hear him. But for this you need to have unshakable faith and pure thoughts. We trust in the mercy of the Lord, because we understand that it is difficult for us to fight various diseases and misfortunes on our own. And when trouble happens in life, we turn to our Savior as the last resort, hoping that he will hear, understand and help.

Often, in order to strengthen the incessant prayer, the psalter is read in a group, distributing the psalter (kathisma) and reading time among themselves. This method of uniting believers is especially effective during periods of trials and tribulations. They also read one kathisma at a time, allotting a certain time for this. This is difficult for one person to do, but any desire to read the psalter is commendable.

With the correct reading of the psalter at home, everyone who believes will be able to gain spiritual strength and impart it to others. After all, a person’s faith is strong only when the will and spirit of a person are not broken by anyone or anything, when the heart and mind are one whole, and the soul strives for the eternal.

How prayer removes damage

Sometimes it happens that a person seems reasonable and healthy, but something still weighs on him and does not allow him to live in peace. And when no examinations and all sorts of “earthly” methods help improve health, a person seeks help in the temple, realizing that he is being controlled by “ devilry”, which seeks to capture not only the body, but also the soul.

Reading this scripture best removes damage, since the main objective This prayer is to pacify and drive out the demons that have captured the mind and heart and give a person peace.

This prayer can remove damage various types. Unfortunately, many do not believe in the existence of this problem, but it is never too late to think about it. Human thoughts are material, and once you think sinfully, you can bring upon yourself the enormous power of demons. They have enormous power, and it is almost impossible to cope with them alone, which can lead to bad consequences. And in this case, reading the psalter is not only necessary, but is the only way to help a suffering person.