Psalm 116

Easy-to-Read Version

116 I love the Lord for hearing me,
    for listening to my prayers.
²Yes, he paid attention to me,
    so I will always call to him whenever I need help.
³Death’s ropes were around me.
    The grave was closing in on me.
    I was worried and afraid.
⁴Then I called on the Lord’s name.
    I said, “Lord, save me!”
⁵The Lord is good and merciful;
    our God is so kind.
⁶The Lord takes care of helpless people.
    I was without help, and he saved me.
⁷My soul, relax!
    The Lord is caring for you.
⁸Lord, you saved my soul from death.
    You stopped my tears.
    You kept me from falling.
⁹I will continue to serve the Lord
    in the land of the living.

¹⁰I continued believing even when I said,
“I am completely ruined!”
¹¹Yes, even when I was upset and said,
“There is no one I can trust!”

¹²What can I give the Lord
    for all that he has done for me?
¹³He saved me,
    so I will give him a drink offering,
    and I will call on the Lord’s name.
¹⁴I will give the Lord what I promised.
    I will go in front of all his people now.

¹⁵Very dear to the Lord are the lives of his followers.
    He cares when they face death.
¹⁶Lord, I am your servant!
    Yes, I am your slave, as my mother was.
    You set me free from the chains of death.
¹⁷I will give you a thank offering.
    I will call on the Lord’s name.
¹⁸I will stand before the gathering of his people
    and give the Lord what I promised.
¹⁹I will do this in Jerusalem,
    in the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple.