Psalms 88
1 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.
A Song, a Melody. For the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. On "Mahalath." For alternate Song. An Instructive Psalm. By Heman the Ezrahite. O Yahweh, God of my salvation, By day, have I made outcry, In the night, [also] before thee.
2 May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
Let my prayer, come into thy presence, Bow down thine ear to my loud cry.
For my soul, is sated with misfortunes, And, my life—unto Hades, hath drawn near; (Sheol h7585)
4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
I am counted with them who descend into the pit, I have become as a man that is without help;
5 I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.
Among the dead, is my couch, —Like the slain that lie in the grave, Where thou rememberest them no more, Yea, they, from thy hand, are cut off;
6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.
Thou hast laid me, In the lowest pit, In dark places, In the deeps:
7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me.
Upon me, hath rested thine indignation, And, with all thy breakers, hast thou caused affliction. (Selah)
8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.
Thou hast far removed mine acquaintances from me, —Thou hast made me an abomination unto them, Shut up, and I cannot go forth!
9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.
Mine eye, hath dimmed through affliction; I have called upon thee, O Yahweh, all day long, I have spread out, unto thee, my hands.
10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?
For the dead, wilt thou perform a wonder? Or shall, the shades, arising, give thee thanks? (Selah)
11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Shall Thy lovingkindness be recounted in the grave? Thy faithfulness, in destruction?
12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
Shall any wonder of thine, be known in the dark? Or, thy righteousness, in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
But, I, unto thee, O Yahweh, have cried for help, And, in the morning, my prayer will confront thee!
14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?
Wherefore, O Yahweh, shouldst thou reject my soul? shouldst thou hide thy face from me?
15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
Afflicted have I been, and dying, from youth, I have borne the terror of thee—I shall be distracted!
16 Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
Over me, have passed thy bursts of burning anger, The alarms of thee have put an end to me;
17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
They have surrounded me like waters, all the day, They have come circling against me together:
18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
Thou hast far removed from me, lover and friend, Mine acquaintances, are in darkness.
