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.
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 Listen to my prayer; pay attention to 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 People treat me like those who go down into the pit; I am a man with no strength.
Because I have no more strength, [other people also] consider that I will soon die.
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.
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 You place me in the lowest part of the pit, in the dark and deep places.
[It is as though] you have thrown me into a deep, dark pit, into a place where they throw corpses.
7 Your wrath lies heavy on me, and all your waves crash over me. (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 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 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 My eyes grow weary from trouble; All day long I call out to you, Yahweh; I spread out my hands to you.
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 Will you do wonders for the dead? Will those who have died rise and praise you? (Selah)
You certainly do not [RHQ] perform miracles for dead people! Their spirits do not [RHQ] arise to praise you!
11 Will your covenant faithfulness be proclaimed in the grave, your loyalty in the place of the dead?
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 Will your wonderful deeds be known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the place 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 I cry to you, Yahweh; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
But [as for me], Yahweh, I cry out to you [to help me]; each morning I pray to you.
14 Yahweh, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me?
Yahweh, why do you reject me [RHQ]? Why do you turn away from me [RHQ]?
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.
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 Your angry actions have passed over me, and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.
[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 surround me like water all the day long; they have all encircled me.
[I feel as though] they surround me like a flood [SIM]; they are (closing in on/crushing) me from all sides.
18 You have removed every friend and acquaintance from me. My only acquaintance is the 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.
