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.

1 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

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

2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

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

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

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

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

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

6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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