Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the Lord

A Prayer of David.

86 Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
Preserve my [a]life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
[b]Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
(A)For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For (B)You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.

(C)Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works.
All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and (D)do wondrous things;
(E)You alone are God.

11 (F)Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
[c]Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13 For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of [d]Sheol.

14 O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
15 But (G)You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 86:2 Lit. soul
  2. Psalm 86:4 Make glad
  3. Psalm 86:11 Give me singleness of heart
  4. Psalm 86:13 The abode of the dead

Slow to Anger, Full of Chesed

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.
Turn Your ear, Adonai, and answer me,
    for I am weak and needy.
Watch over my soul, for I am godly.
You are my God—
save Your servant who trusts in You.
Be gracious to me, my Lord,
for to You I cry all day.
Gladden the soul of Your servant,
for to You, my Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, my Lord, are good,
and ready to forgive
    and full of mercy to all who call upon You.
Give ear, Adonai, to my prayer,
listen to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I call upon You,
for You will answer me.

There is none like You among the gods,
my Lord, there are no deeds like Yours.
All nations You have made will come
and bow down before You, my Lord,
and they will glorify Your Name.
10 For You are great, and do wonders—
You alone are God.
11 Teach me Your way, Adonai,
    that I may walk in Your truth.
Give me an undivided heart to fear Your Name.
12 I praise You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and glorify Your Name forever.
13 For great is Your lovingkindness toward me.
You have delivered my soul from the lowest part of Sheol.

14 God, the proud have risen up against me
and a gang of ruthless people have sought my life,
and have not set You before them.
15 But You, my Lord,
are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, full of love and truth.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give Your strength to Your servant,
and save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Make me a sign for good,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed.
For You, Adonai, have helped me and comforted me.