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Psalm 116

I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!
Death wrapped its ropes around me;
    the terrors of the grave[a] overtook me.
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “Please, Lord, save me!”
How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
    So merciful, this God of ours!
The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
    I was facing death, and he saved me.
Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me.
He has saved me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling.
And so I walk in the Lord’s presence
    as I live here on earth!
10 I believed in you, so I said,
    “I am deeply troubled, Lord.”
11 In my anxiety I cried out to you,
    “These people are all liars!”
12 What can I offer the Lord
    for all he has done for me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.
14 I will keep my promises to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

15 The Lord cares deeply
    when his loved ones die.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
    yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
    you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
    and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people—
19 in the house of the Lord
    in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. 116:3 Hebrew of Sheol.

God, My Deliverer

116 I love the Lord
    because he has heard my prayer for mercy;[a]
for he listens to me whenever I call.
The ropes of death were wound around me
    and the anguish of Sheol[b] came upon me;
        I encountered distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord,
    Lord, please deliver me!”[c]

The Lord is gracious and righteous;
    our God is compassionate;
the Lord watches over the innocent;[d]
    I was brought low, and he delivered me.
Return to your resting place, my soul,
    for the Lord treated you generously.
Indeed, you delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from crying,[e]
        and my feet from stumbling.

I will walk in the Lord’s presence
    in the lands of the living.
10 I will continue to believe, even when I say,
    “I am greatly afflicted”
11 and speak hastily,
    “All people are liars!”

12 What will I return to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
13 I will raise my cup of deliverance
    and invoke the Lord’s name.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

15 In the sight of the Lord,
    the death of his faithful ones is valued.

16 Lord, I am indeed your servant.
    I am your servant.
I am the son of your handmaid.
    You have released my bonds.
17 I will bring you a thanksgiving offering
    and call on the name of the Lord!
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house,
    in your midst, Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 116:1 Lit. the voice of my supplication
  2. Psalm 116:3 I.e. the realm of the dead
  3. Psalm 116:4 Lit. deliver my soul
  4. Psalm 116:6 Or naive
  5. Psalm 116:8 Lit. tears