Psalm verses asking for rescue and telling of it, grouped by where you are, with the full text and a printable sheet.
Deliverance in the psalms is rescue from something real: enemies, illness, deep water, a pit, a prison, the cords of death. The psalms come at it from two sides. Some are cries from inside the trouble, often a single urgent line. Others are told afterwards, by someone who got out and wants others to hear how. Reading both side by side is the point. Some psalms, like Psalm 116, do both: the cry is quoted inside the story of the rescue.
The first section is for asking, the second for hearing from people who were rescued. Then come verses for addiction and anything that holds you, and for breakthrough. Tick the verses you want and print them as one sheet.
Cries for deliverance, most of them a single line.
Hurry, God, to deliver me.Come quickly to help me, LORD.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.
Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me. The whole psalm is five verses, and the first line sets its pace.
Bow down your ear to me.Deliver me speedily.Be to me a strong rock,a house of defense to save me.
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
Bow down your ear, deliver me speedily, be a strong rock and a house of defense. The requests stack up in one breath.
Then I called on the LORD’s name:“LORD, I beg you, deliver my soul.”
Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
LORD, I beg you, deliver my soul. The psalm quotes its own prayer from the moment the cords of death were around the writer.
Deliver me out of the mire, and don’t let me sink.Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Deliver me out of the mire, and don't let me sink. The psalm opens with waters up to the neck, and this is the cry from inside them.
Testimonies written after the rescue, for when you want to hear from someone who got out.
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,out of the miry clay.He set my feet on a rock,and gave me a firm place to stand.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
A horrible pit, miry clay, then a rock and a firm place to stand. The rescue is described from the bottom up.
He brought me out also into a large place.He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
Brought out into a large place, because he delighted in me. After the cords and snares earlier in the psalm, the rescue ends in open space.
Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare.The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
Escaped like a bird from the fowler's snare. The psalm says the people would have been swallowed up if the LORD had not been on their side.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Many afflictions, and deliverance out of all of them. The verse does not deny the afflictions.
The psalms do not mention addiction. These verses speak of chains, prison and wrongdoing that takes control.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,and broke away their chains.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Brought out of darkness and the shadow of death, and their chains broken. The psalm says these prisoners cried to the LORD in their trouble first.
Bring my soul out of prison,that I may give thanks to your name.The righteous will surround me,for you will be good to me.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
Bring my soul out of prison. The heading places the psalm in a cave, and the verse ties leaving prison to giving thanks.
Establish my footsteps in your word.Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.
Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Don't let any iniquity have dominion over me. It asks for steady footsteps first, then for freedom from whatever would rule them.
LORD, truly I am your servant.I am your servant, the son of your servant girl.You have freed me from my chains.
O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
You have freed me from my chains. The writer calls himself God's servant before he says it, so freedom here comes with belonging.
For the moment the way opens.
For by you, I advance through a troop.By my God, I leap over a wall.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
Advancing through a troop and leaping over a wall. Two obstacles, both passed by God's help.
Out of my distress, I called on the LORD.The LORD answered me with freedom.
I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
Out of my distress I called, and the LORD answered me with freedom. The King James Version reads: set me in a large place.
You allowed men to ride over our heads.We went through fire and through water,but you brought us to the place of abundance.
Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
Through fire and through water, then out into a place of abundance. The psalm does not skip the fire or the water.
No single psalm owns the name. Psalm 18 comes closest: its heading says David spoke this song on the day the LORD delivered him from all his enemies and from Saul. Psalm 107 tells four rescue stories in a row, wanderers, prisoners, the sick and sailors, each with nearly the same refrain: they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out. Psalm 34 and Psalm 40 are personal testimonies of rescue.
Psalm 18 is the long song of deliverance, tied by its heading to David's rescue from Saul. Psalm 70 is a short prayer for it, only five verses.
No psalm names addiction. Psalm 107:14, Psalm 142:7 and Psalm 119:133 speak of chains, prison and iniquity having dominion, which is the nearest the psalms come.
Psalm 18:29 speaks of advancing through a troop and leaping over a wall. Psalm 118:5 says the LORD answered the writer with freedom.
Rescue from a real danger: enemies, illness, death, prison or deep water. The psalms describe it both as a request and, afterwards, as a story told to others.
Psalms for HelpPsalms for Enemies and People Who Are Against YouPsalms of Thanksgiving and ThankfulnessPsalms about SalvationPsalm Verses for ProtectionPsalms of Victory