< 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 psalm of the sons of Korah; for the chief musician; set to the Mahalath Leannoth style. A maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. Yahweh, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.
2 May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
Listen to my prayer; pay attention to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. (Sheol )
For I am filled with troubles, and my life has reached Sheol. (Sheol )
4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
People treat me like those who go down into the pit; I am a man with no strength.
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.
I am abandoned among the dead; I am like the dead who lie in the grave, about whom you care no more because they are cut off from your power.
6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.
You place me in the lowest part of the pit, in the dark and deep places.
7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me.
Your wrath lies heavy on me, and all your waves crash over me. (Selah)
8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.
Because of you, my acquaintances avoid me. You have made me a shocking sight to them. I am hemmed in and I cannot escape.
9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.
My eyes grow weary from trouble; All day long I call out to you, Yahweh; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?
Will you do wonders for the dead? Will those who have died rise and praise you? (Selah)
11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Will your covenant faithfulness be proclaimed in the grave, your loyalty in the place of the dead?
12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
Will your wonderful deeds be known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the place of forgetfulness?
13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
But I cry to you, Yahweh; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?
Yahweh, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
I have always been afflicted and on the verge of death since my youth. I have suffered from your terrors; I am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
Your angry actions have passed over me, and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.
17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
They surround me like water all the day long; they have all encircled me.
18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
You have removed every friend and acquaintance from me. My only acquaintance is the darkness.