Psalms 88
1 A Song, a Melody. For the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. On "Mahalath." For alternate Song. An Instructive Psalm. By Heman the Ezrahite. O Yahweh, God of my salvation, By day, have I made outcry, In the night, [also] before thee.
O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you:
2 Let my prayer, come into thy presence, Bow down thine ear to my loud cry.
Let my prayer come before you: incline your ear to my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draws near to the grave. (Sheol h7585)
4 I am counted with them who descend into the pit, I have become as a man that is without help;
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that has no strength:
5 Among the dead, is my couch, —Like the slain that lie in the grave, Where thou rememberest them no more, Yea, they, from thy hand, are cut off;
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.
6 Thou hast laid me, In the lowest pit, In dark places, In the deeps:
You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7 Upon me, hath rested thine indignation, And, with all thy breakers, hast thou caused affliction. (Selah)
Your wrath lies hard on me, and you have afflicted me with all your waves. (Selah)
8 Thou hast far removed mine acquaintances from me, —Thou hast made me an abomination unto them, Shut up, and I cannot go forth!
You have put away my acquaintance far from me; you have made me an abomination to them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 Mine eye, hath dimmed through affliction; I have called upon thee, O Yahweh, all day long, I have spread out, unto thee, my hands.
My eye mourns by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily on you, I have stretched out my hands to you.
10 For the dead, wilt thou perform a wonder? Or shall, the shades, arising, give thee thanks? (Selah)
Will you show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise you? (Selah)
11 Shall Thy lovingkindness be recounted in the grave? Thy faithfulness, in destruction?
Shall your loving kindness be declared in the grave? or your faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall any wonder of thine, be known in the dark? Or, thy righteousness, in the land of forgetfulness?
Shall your wonders be known in the dark? and your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But, I, unto thee, O Yahweh, have cried for help, And, in the morning, my prayer will confront thee!
But to you have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent you.
14 Wherefore, O Yahweh, shouldst thou reject my soul? shouldst thou hide thy face from me?
LORD, why cast you off my soul? why hide you your face from me?
15 Afflicted have I been, and dying, from youth, I have borne the terror of thee—I shall be distracted!
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer your terrors I am distracted.
16 Over me, have passed thy bursts of burning anger, The alarms of thee have put an end to me;
Your fierce wrath goes over me; your terrors have cut me off.
17 They have surrounded me like waters, all the day, They have come circling against me together:
They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 Thou hast far removed from me, lover and friend, Mine acquaintances, are in darkness.
Lover and friend have you put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness.
