The LORD is my light and my salvation.Whom shall I fear?The LORD is the strength of my life.Of whom shall I be afraid?When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh,even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.Though an army should encamp against me,my heart shall not fear.Though war should rise against me,even then I will be confident.One thing I have asked of the LORD, that I will seek after:that I may dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life,to see the LORD’s beauty,and to inquire in his temple.For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion.In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me.He will lift me up on a rock.Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me.I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent.I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Hear, LORD, when I cry with my voice.Have mercy also on me, and answer me.When you said, “Seek my face,”my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, LORD.”Don’t hide your face from me.Don’t put your servant away in anger.You have been my help.Don’t abandon me,neither forsake me, God of my salvation.When my father and my mother forsake me,then the LORD will take me up.Teach me your way, LORD.Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,for false witnesses have risen up against me,such as breathe out cruelty.I am still confident of this:I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.Wait for the LORD.Be strong, and let your heart take courage.Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27, World English Bible Updated edition, which is in the public domain.
Which funeral services use it
- Catholic, US (Lectionary for Masses for the Dead): Psalm 27:1, 4, 7 and 8b and 9a, 13-14, as a responsorial psalm.
- Catholic, England and Wales (Order of Christian Funerals): Psalm 26 (27):1, 4, 7-9, 13-14.
- Church of England (Common Worship funeral readings): Psalm 27.
The Catholic lists use selected verses; this page and the booklet print the whole psalm, as the Church of England list gives it. If the parish wants only the Catholic verses, add them with “Use your own words” in step 5 instead.
Where it comes in the service
At a Catholic funeral Mass a psalm is sung or said as the responsorial psalm, after the first reading. In a Church of England funeral a psalm should normally be used, and it may be said, sung, or replaced by a metrical or hymn version.
At a Catholic Mass the reader uses the parish Lectionary, which is a different translation from the one printed here, and in the US its text may not be reproduced without permission. You may prefer to print only the reference and the reader in the running order, for example "Responsorial psalm: Psalm 27, read by Anne Hughes".
Add Psalm 27 to your booklet, typeset in full, with the order of service around it. You can see the whole booklet before paying anything.
Put Psalm 27 in my bookletAbout this translation
The words here are the World English Bible, a modern English translation whose translators dedicated it to the public domain, so it can be printed in a booklet in the US and the UK without permission or a fee. The King James Version is public domain in the US but is covered by Crown letters patent in the UK, which is why it is not used here. If your church prefers another translation, add it in step 5 with "Use your own words".
Funeral lists checked on September 28, 2026 against the USCCB, the Liturgy Office of England and Wales and the Church of England's Common Worship pages.