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Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness

I love the Lord because he has heard
    my voice and my supplications.(A)
Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.(B)
The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.(C)
Then I called on the name of the Lord,
    “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

Gracious is the Lord and righteous;
    our God is merciful.(D)
The Lord protects the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.(E)

For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling.(F)
I walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.
10 [a]I kept my faith, even when I said,
    “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation,
    “Everyone is a liar.”(G)

12 What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord;
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.(H)
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful ones.(I)
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
    You have loosed my bonds.(J)
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
    and call on the name of the Lord.(K)
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!(L)

Footnotes

  1. 116.10 Some early witnesses begin a new psalm here

Psalm 116

Deliverance From Death

Overview

I love the Lord, because he hears my voice.
He hears my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call to him all my days.
The ropes of death entangled me.
The walls of the grave hemmed me in.[a]
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Ah, Lord, please save my life!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous,
and our God is compassionate.
The Lord protects the inexperienced.[b]
In my weakness he saves me too.

Past Deliverance

Return, my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has accomplished his purpose for you.
Indeed, you have delivered my soul from death,
my eye from weeping, my foot from stumbling,
so that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed. Therefore, I have spoken:
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 In my haste I said:
“All people are deceptive.”

Future Devotion

12 How can I repay the Lord for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation,
and I will call on[c] the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord,
now in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his favored ones.
16 Ah, Lord, truly I am your servant.
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You opened my chains.
17 To you I will sacrifice a thank offering,
and I will call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    here in the presence of all his people,
19     in the courtyards of the house of the Lord,
    in the middle of Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 116:3 Or, more literally, caught up with me
  2. Psalm 116:6 Or those with a childlike faith
  3. Psalm 116:13 Or proclaim