Prayer for the Falsely Accused | Psalm 30 and Saint Marina of the Qadisha

A Psalm for the Falsely Accused, with Saint Marina

The Lebanese tradition says Marina lived as the monk Marinos, accepted a false accusation without defending herself, and was cleared only at her death. No prayer of her own has come down to us in the sources used for this site. So this page does not invent one. It offers a psalm that fits her story: a just man crying to God under slander. It is a fitting choice, not her words.

The church of the Monastery of Qannoubine, carved into the Qadisha Valley cliff

The Monastery of Qannoubine in the Qadisha Valley - where the tradition says Marina lived and died as the monk Marinos. CC0, Hussein Sabboury, via Wikimedia Commons.

Psalm 30 for Those Falsely Accused

This is Psalm 30 in the Vulgate numbering used by the Douay-Rheims Bible (Psalm 31 in modern Bibles), in the public-domain Douay-Rheims translation, printed without change except that the verse numbers are left out. The Douay-Rheims heading calls it “a prayer of a just man under affliction.” It is a traditional psalm that suits her story. Marina is not known to have prayed it or written it.

Psalm 30: In Thee, O Lord, Have I Hoped

Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.

In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice. Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me. For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth. Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord: I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses. And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly: For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed. I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me. I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed. For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God. My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy. Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell. Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city. But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly. Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Purpose: A prayer of trust for someone who is slandered, shunned or accused unjustly. It asks God to be refuge and judge when a person cannot clear their own name.
How to pray: Slowly, a section at a time, aloud if you can. Stop at “Into thy hands I commend my spirit,” the line Christ prayed on the cross (Luke 23:46), and say it in your own words about the matter on your heart.
When & how long: In a season of false accusation, gossip or shame, or on her feast, July 17. About three minutes.
Source & tradition: Psalm 30 (Psalm 31 in Hebrew and modern numbering), Douay-Rheims Bible, from the Douay-Rheims online at drbo.org; public domain. Labeled a fitting traditional psalm. It is not a prayer of Saint Marina and no source used here ties it to her.
Spiritual fruit: Patience under unjust blame and trust that God sees what others do not. The psalm does not tell anyone to stay silent about real harm.

How to Pray with Saint Marina

1. Start with her story

Read her page first. The tradition says she confessed to a sin she had not committed and lived at the monastery gate for years.

2. Pray the psalm as a psalm

It was written long before her. Pray it as the Church prays any psalm, in the voice of one under trial.

3. Name the situation

After “Into thy hands I commend my spirit,” say plainly what you are carrying: the accusation, the person, the fear.

4. Seek help as well

Prayer sits beside honest action. If you are accused of something serious, talk to someone you trust and, where needed, a lawyer or counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Saint Marina write or pray this psalm?

Nothing in the sources used here says so. The psalm is offered because it fits her story of false accusation. It is a traditional psalm, not her prayer.

Is there a prayer of her own?

This page found none in the sources used. The accounts of her life are hagiographic tradition, and they report her silence, not a text. If a verified prayer turns up, it can be added.

Why Psalm 30 and not Psalm 31?

They are the same psalm. The Douay-Rheims follows the Greek and Latin numbering, which is one number behind the Hebrew numbering used in most modern Bibles.

Is the story of Marina historical?

Her life comes down as hagiographic tradition rather than modern documentation, and accounts differ on her century. Her page explains this.

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