Read the Bible

¹ I love the Lord because he hears my voice
    and my prayer for mercy.
² Because he bends down to listen,
    I will pray as long as I have breath!
³ Death wrapped its ropes around me;
    the terrors of the grave^[a] overtook me.
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    "Please, Lord, save me!"
⁵ How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
    So merciful, this God of ours!
⁶ The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
    I was facing death, and he saved me.
⁷ Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me.
⁸ He has saved me from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling.
⁹ 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!