Psalms for Death and Dying

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, for he has heard the cry of my appeal; for he turned his ear to me in the day when I called him.

The snares of death had encompassed me, the pains of the netherworld seized me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called on the Lord’s name: ‘O Lord, I beseech you, save my life!’

Gracious is the Lord and just; our God is merciful. The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has been good to you.

He has kept my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I said: ‘I am sorely afflicted.’ What shall I return to the Lord for all he has given to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. O Lord, I am your servant; you have loosened my bonds.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Psalm 91

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty, say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”

For he will rescue you from the fowler’s snare, from the destroying plague. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a protecting shield.

You shall not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. You need only watch, you shall see the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your stronghold, no evil shall befall you, no affliction come near your tent.

For he will command his angels to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the asp and the viper; you will trample the lion and the dragon.

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and give him glory.

I will grant him length of days and save him from the power of the wicked.