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.
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:
2 Let my prayer, come into thy presence, Bow down thine ear to my loud cry.
Let my prayer come before thee: incline thy ear to my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth 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 hath 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 thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast laid me, In the lowest pit, In dark places, In the deeps:
Thou hast 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)
Thy wrath lieth heavy upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy 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!
Thou hast put away my acquaintance far from me; thou hast 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 mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands to thee.
10 For the dead, wilt thou perform a wonder? Or shall, the shades, arising, give thee thanks? (Selah)
Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? (Selah)
11 Shall Thy lovingkindness be recounted in the grave? Thy faithfulness, in destruction?
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall any wonder of thine, be known in the dark? Or, thy righteousness, in the land of forgetfulness?
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy 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 thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer come before thee.
14 Wherefore, O Yahweh, shouldst thou reject my soul? shouldst thou hide thy face from me?
LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy 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 thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Over me, have passed thy bursts of burning anger, The alarms of thee have put an end to me;
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They have surrounded me like waters, all the day, They have come circling against me together:
They came around me daily like water; they surrounded me together.
18 Thou hast far removed from me, lover and friend, Mine acquaintances, are in darkness.
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness.
