Psalms 88

1 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.

2 May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.

3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.

5 I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.

6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.

7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah

8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.

10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah

11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

16 Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.

17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.

18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.

1 ¶ 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 before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man [that hath] no strength:

5 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 darkness, in the deeps.

7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah.

8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: [I am] shut up, and I cannot come forth.

9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

10 ¶ Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise [and] praise thee? Selah.

11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction?

12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? [why] hidest thou thy face from me?

15 I [am] afflicted and ready to die from [my] youth up: [while] I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness.

1 A psalm-song of the children of Korah, to be sung, of the infirmities of the wretched. An instruction of Heman the Ezrahite.

2 O LORD God, my Saviour, I cry before thee day and night.

3 Let my prayer come before thee; incline thine ear unto my cry.

4 For my soul is full of sorrow, and my life is nigh unto hell.

5 I am esteemed like unto them that go down to hell: I am like a man that hath no help.

6 I lie forsaken among the dead, as the slain that lie in the grave, of whom thou rememberest no more, and they are separated from thy hand.

7 Thou hast laid me down in the pit, in darkness, and in the deep.

8 thy wrath oppresseth me, and presseth me with all thy floods. Sela.

9 Thou hast put my friends far from me: thou hast made me an abomination unto them. I lie captive, and cannot get along.

10 My form is pitiful with misery. O Lord, I call upon thee daily; I stretch forth my hands unto thee.

11 Wilt thou then do wonders among the dead, or shall the dead arise and thank thee? Sela.

12 Shall thy goodness be told in graves, and thy faithfulness in destruction?

13 May thy wonders be known in darkness, or thy righteousness in the land that is not remembered?

14 But I cry unto thee, O LORD; and my prayer cometh early before thee,

15 Why hast thou, O LORD, cast off my soul, and hid thy face from me?

16 I am wretched and faint, that I am so cast down; and I suffer thy terror, that I am almost consumed.

17 Thy wrath is upon me; Thy terror oppresseth me. They compass me about daily as waters, And compass me about together.

19 Thou makest my friends, and my neighbours, and my kinsmen, to depart from me, because of this affliction.