Psalm 88[a]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[b] A maskil[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;(A)
day and night I cry out(B) to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles(C)
and my life draws near to death.(D)
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;(E)
I am like one without strength.(F)
5 I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off(G) from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.(H)
7 Your wrath(I) lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[d](J)
8 You have taken from me my closest friends(K)
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined(L) and cannot escape;(M)
9 my eyes(N) are dim with grief.
I call(O) to you, Lord, every day;
I spread out my hands(P) to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?(Q)
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness(R) in Destruction[e]?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help,(S) Lord;
in the morning(T) my prayer comes before you.(U)
14 Why, Lord, do you reject(V) me
and hide your face(W) from me?
15 From my youth(X) I have suffered(Y) and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors(Z) and am in despair.(AA)
16 Your wrath(AB) has swept over me;
your terrors(AC) have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;(AD)
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend(AE) and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
- Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
Cross references
- Psalm 88:1 : S Ps 51:14
- Psalm 88:1 : Ps 3:4; 22:2; Lk 18:7
- Psalm 88:3 : Ps 6:3; 25:17
- Psalm 88:3 : S Job 33:22
- Psalm 88:4 : S Ps 31:12
- Psalm 88:4 : Ps 18:1
- Psalm 88:5 : S Ps 31:22
- Psalm 88:6 : Ps 30:1; S 69:15; La 3:55; Jnh 2:3
- Psalm 88:7 : Ps 7:11
- Psalm 88:7 : S Ps 42:7
- Psalm 88:8 : S Job 19:13; Ps 31:11
- Psalm 88:8 : Jer 32:2; 33:1
- Psalm 88:8 : S Job 3:23
- Psalm 88:9 : S Ps 38:10
- Psalm 88:9 : Ps 5:2
- Psalm 88:9 : Job 11:13; Ps 143:6
- Psalm 88:10 : S Ps 6:5
- Psalm 88:11 : S Ps 30:9
- Psalm 88:13 : S Ps 30:2
- Psalm 88:13 : Ps 5:3; S 55:17
- Psalm 88:13 : Ps 119:147
- Psalm 88:14 : S Ps 43:2
- Psalm 88:14 : Ps 13:1
- Psalm 88:15 : Ps 129:1; Jer 22:21; Eze 16:22; Hos 2:15
- Psalm 88:15 : Ps 9:12
- Psalm 88:15 : Job 6:4; S 18:11
- Psalm 88:15 : 2Co 4:8
- Psalm 88:16 : Ps 7:11
- Psalm 88:16 : Job 6:4
- Psalm 88:17 : Ps 124:4
- Psalm 88:18 : ver 8; Ps 38:11