Psalms 88
1 A Song. A Psalm. Of the sons of Korah. To the chief music-maker; put to Mahalath Leannoth. Maschil. Of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, God of my salvation, I have been crying to you for help by day and by night:
A Song [or] Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day [and] night before thee:
2 Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry:
Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. (Sheol h7585)
4 I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help:
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man [that hath] no strength:
5 My soul is among the dead, like those in the underworld, to whom you give no more thought; for they are cut off from your care.
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7 The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah)
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. (Selah)
8 You have sent my friends far away from me; you have made me a disgusting thing in their eyes: I am shut up, and not able to come out.
Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: [I am] shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 My eyes are wasting away because of my trouble: Lord, my cry has gone up to you every day, my hands are stretched out to you.
Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
10 Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah)
Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise [and] praise thee? (Selah)
11 Will the story of your mercy be given in the house of the dead? will news of your faith come to the place of destruction?
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14 Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
LORD, why castest thou off my soul? [why] hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I have been troubled and in fear of death from the time when I was young; your wrath is hard on me, and I have no strength.
I [am] afflicted and ready to die from [my] youth up: [while] I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16 The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness.
