Psalm 86

Lament and Petition

A prayer of David.

Listen, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.(A)
Protect my life, for I am faithful.(B)
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.(C)
Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.(D)
Bring joy to your servant’s life,
because I appeal to you, Lord.(E)

For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,(F)
abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.(G)
Lord, hear my prayer;
listen to my cries for mercy.(H)
I call on you in the day of my distress,
for you will answer me.(I)

Lord, there is no one like you among the gods,
and there are no works like yours.(J)
All the nations you have made
will come and bow down before you, Lord,
and will honor your name.(K)
10 For you are great and perform wonders;
you alone are God.(L)

11 Teach me your way, Lord,
and I will live by your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.(M)
12 I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor your name forever.(N)
13 For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol.(O)

14 God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men intends to kill me.
They do not let you guide them.[a](P)
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.(Q)
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save the son of your female servant.(R)
17 Show me a sign of your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped and comforted me.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 86:14 Lit They do not set you in front of them

A Prayer for Help against Ruthless Men

A prayer of David.[a]

86 Incline, O Yahweh, your ear and answer me,
because I am poor and needy.
Watch over my life because I am faithful.
You are my God; save your servant.
I am the one who trusts you.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
because I call to you all day long.[b]
Make glad the soul of your servant,
because I desire you,[c] O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
and abundant in loyal love[d] for all who call to you.
Heed, O Yahweh, my prayer,
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I call to you,
because you answer me.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
and there are no works like yours.
All the nations that you have made will come
and bow down[e] before you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
10 For you are great and doing wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
that I may walk in your truth.
Unite my heart[f] to fear your name.
12 I will give you thanks, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
and glorify your name forever,
13 because your loyal love is great toward me,
and you will have delivered my life from Sheol[g] below.
14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
even a gang of ruthless men seek my life,
but they do not set you before them.[h]
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger[i] and abundant in loyal love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant,
and grant victory to the son[j] of your maidservant.
17 Do a sign that benefits me,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame,
because you, O Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 86:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 86:3 Literally “all the day”
  3. Psalm 86:4 Literally “I lift up my soul to you”
  4. Psalm 86:5 Hebrew “and great with respect to loyal love”
  5. Psalm 86:9 Or “worship”
  6. Psalm 86:11 That is, give singleness of heart
  7. Psalm 86:13 The nether world, the place of departed spirits.
  8. Psalm 86:14 That is, they do not factor God into their actions
  9. Psalm 86:15 Literally “long of nostrils”
  10. Psalm 86:16 Or “Save the son”