Psalms 88
1 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
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:
2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry:
For my soul is full of evils, and my life has come near to the underworld. (Sheol h7585)
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help:
5 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.
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.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. (Selah)
The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah)
8 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.
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.
9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
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.
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? (Selah)
Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah)
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
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?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
14 Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
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.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
