Psalms 88
1 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you:
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 you: incline your 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 has 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 you remember no more: and they are cut off from your 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 You have laid me in the low pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
7 Your wrath lies hard upon me, and you have afflicted me with all your waves. (Selah)
The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah)
8 You have put away mine acquaintance far from me; you have 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 mourns by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon you, I have stretched out my hands unto you.
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 Will you show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise you? (Selah)
Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah)
11 Shall your loving kindness be declared in the grave? or your 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 your wonders be known in the dark? and your 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 you have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent you.
But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
14 LORD, why cast you off my soul? why hide you your 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 your 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 Your fierce wrath goes over me; your 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 have you 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.
