Psalms 88
1 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:
Yahweh God, you who rescues me, all during each day I call out [to you] to help me, and I cry out to you during each night also.
2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Listen [IDM] to my prayer [DOU], while I cry out to you [for help]!
I have experienced many troubles/difficulties, and I am about to die [MTY] and go where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man [that hath] no strength:
Because I have no more strength, [other people also] consider that I will soon die.
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.
I am like a corpse that has been abandoned; I am like dead people who lie in their graves, people who have been completely forgotten, because you do not take care of them any more.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
[It is as though] you have thrown me into a deep, dark pit, into a place where they throw corpses.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. (Selah)
[It seems like] you are very angry with me, and [it is as though] you have crushed me like [ocean] waves [crash down on people] [MET].
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 caused my friends to (avoid/stay away from) me; I have become repulsive to them. [It is as though] I am in a prison and cannot escape.
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 cannot see well because I cry very much. Yahweh, every day I call out to you [to help me]; I lift up my hands to you [while I pray].
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise [and] praise thee? (Selah)
You certainly do not [RHQ] perform miracles for dead people! Their spirits do not [RHQ] arise to praise you!
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction?
Corpses in the grave certainly do not tell about your faithfully loving us [RHQ], and in the place where people are finally destroyed, no one tells about what you faithfully [do for us] [RHQ].
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
No one in the deep dark pit ever sees the miracles that you perform [RHQ], and no one in the place where people have been completely forgotten tells about your being good to us.
13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
But [as for me], Yahweh, I cry out to you [to help me]; each morning I pray to you.
14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? [why] hidest thou thy face from me?
Yahweh, why do you reject me [RHQ]? Why do you turn away from me [RHQ]?
15 I [am] afflicted and ready to die from [my] youth up: [while] I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
All the time since I was young, I have suffered and have often almost died; I am (in despair/very discouraged) because of enduring the terrible things that you have done to me.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
[I feel that] you have crushed me because of your being angry with me; the terrible things that you are doing to me are almost destroying me.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
[I feel as though] they surround me like a flood [SIM]; they are (closing in on/crushing) me from all sides.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness.
You have caused [even] my friends and others whom I love to avoid me, and [it is as though] the only friend that I have is darkness.
