Psalms 88
1 A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah; for the chief musician; set to the Mahalath Leannoth style. A maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. Yahweh, God of my salvation, I cry out 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 Listen to my prayer; pay attention to 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 People treat me like those who go down into the pit; I am a man with 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 I am abandoned among the dead; I am like the dead who lie in the grave, about whom you care no more because they are cut off from your power.
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 place me in the lowest part of the pit, in the dark and deep places.
You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
7 Your wrath lies heavy on me, and all your waves crash over me. (Selah)
The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah)
8 Because of you, my acquaintances avoid me. You have made me a shocking sight to them. I am hemmed in and I 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 grow weary from trouble; All day long I call out to you, Yahweh; I spread out my hands to 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 do wonders for the dead? Will those who have died rise and praise you? (Selah)
Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah)
11 Will your covenant faithfulness be proclaimed in the grave, your loyalty in the place of the dead?
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 Will your wonderful deeds be known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the place of forgetfulness?
May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
13 But I cry to you, Yahweh; in the morning my prayer comes before 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? Why do you hide your face from me?
Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
15 I have always been afflicted and on the verge of death since my youth. I have suffered from your terrors; I am in despair.
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 angry actions have passed over me, and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.
The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
17 They surround me like water all the day long; they have all encircled me.
They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
18 You have removed every friend and acquaintance from me. My only acquaintance is the darkness.
You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
