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Psalm 86

Guard My Life

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A prayer by David.

David’s Need and David’s Faith

Turn your ear, O Lord.
Answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am favored by you.[a]
You are my God.
Save your servant, who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

God’s Grace

Indeed, you, Lord, are good and forgiving
and abounding in mercy to all who call to you.
Give ear to my prayer, O Lord.
Pay attention to the sound of my cries for mercy.

God’s Ruling Power

In the day of my distress I will call to you,
    because you will answer me.
There is no one like you among the gods, O Lord.
There are no deeds like your deeds.
All the nations you have made will come.
They will bow before you, O Lord,
and they will give glory to your name,
10 because you are great and do marvelous deeds.
You alone are God.

God’s Praise

11 Teach me your way, O Lord.
I will walk in your truth.
Give me wholehearted commitment to fear your name.
12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your mercy toward me,
and you have delivered my soul from “the lowest hell.”[b]

The Plea Repeated

14 God, the arrogant rise against me.
A mob of ruthless men seeks my life.
They pay no attention to you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me.
Give your strength to your servant.
Save the son of your maidservant.
17 Give a sign of your goodness for me.
Then those who hate me will see it and be put to shame,
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 86:2 Or I am loyal to you
  2. Psalm 86:13 Or have delivered my life from the depths of the grave

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”