He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

" Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.

Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

"keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing [the guilty,] visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

For You, Lord, [are] good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

But You, O Lord, [are] a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity; Receive [us] graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.

" I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.

Who [is] a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights [in] mercy.

You will give truth to Jacob [And] mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old.

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.

If they obey and serve [Him,] They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.

Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.

"What profit [is there] in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, [And] established my steps.

Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You [are] my rock and my fortress.

For great [is] Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Indeed [it was] for [my own] peace [That] I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly [delivered] my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I [do] this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children.

[Is] Ephraim My dear son? [Is he] a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.

" As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom';

None [of them] can by any means redeem [his] brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him --

For the redemption of their souls [is] costly, And it shall cease forever --

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, [like] silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [received] by tradition from your fathers,

but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.