Psalms 88
1 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.
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 Listen [IDM] to my prayer [DOU], while I cry out to you [for help]!
Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry:
3 I have experienced many troubles/difficulties, and I am about to die [MTY] and go where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
For my soul is full of evils, and my life has come near to the underworld. (Sheol h7585)
4 Because I have no more strength, [other people also] consider that I will soon die.
I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help:
5 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.
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 [It is as though] you have thrown me into a deep, dark pit, into a place where they throw corpses.
You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
7 [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].
The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah)
8 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.
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 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].
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 You certainly do not [RHQ] perform miracles for dead people! Their spirits do not [RHQ] arise to praise you!
Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah)
11 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].
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 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.
May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
13 But [as for me], Yahweh, I cry out to you [to help me]; each morning I pray to you.
But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
14 Yahweh, why do you reject me [RHQ]? Why do you turn away from me [RHQ]?
Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
15 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.
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 [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.
The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
17 [I feel as though] they surround me like a flood [SIM]; they are (closing in on/crushing) me from all sides.
They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
18 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.
You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
