Psalm
Select chapter 116

Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.

1I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear]
My voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs).
2 
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.
3 
The cords and sorrows of death encompassed me,
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
4 
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, please save my life!”

5 
Gracious is the Lord, and [consistently] righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 
[a]The Lord protects the simple (childlike);
I was brought low [humbled and discouraged], and He saved me.
7 
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 
For You have rescued my life from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from stumbling and falling.
9 
I will walk [in submissive wonder] before the Lord
In the land of the living.
10 
I believed [and clung to my God] when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 
I said in my alarm,
“All men are liars.”

12 
What will I give to the Lord [in return]
For all His benefits toward me?
[How can I repay Him for His precious blessings?]
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,
Yes, in the presence of all His people.
15 
[b]Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].
16 
O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid;
You have unfastened my chains.
17 
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call on the name of the Lord.
18 
I will pay my vows to the Lord,
Yes, in the presence of all His people,
19 
In the courts of the Lord’s house (temple)—
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 116:6 In Jewish tradition this became a common saying to explain how some people could do ill-advised things and not suffer for them.
  2. Psalm 116:15 The ancient rabbis interpreted this verse to mean that it is hard for God to declare death upon the righteous.
Psalm 116