Psalm
Select chapter 88

Psalm 88

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A [a]Maskil of Heman [b]the Ezrahite.

1O Lord, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul has [c]had enough troubles,
And my life has drawn near to [d]Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,
5 [e]Forsaken among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. [f]Selah.
8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an [g]object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.
9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have spread out my [h]hands to You.

10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Will the [i]departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in [j]Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?
And Your [k]righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Lord, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I am [l]overcome.
16 Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have [m]destroyed me.
17 They have surrounded me like water all day long;
They have encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88:1 Possibly, Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 88:1 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
  3. Psalm 88:3 Or been satisfied with
  4. Psalm 88:3 I.e. the nether world
  5. Psalm 88:5 Lit A freed one among the dead
  6. Psalm 88:7 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  7. Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them
  8. Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
  9. Psalm 88:10 Or ghosts, shades
  10. Psalm 88:11 I.e. place of destruction
  11. Psalm 88:12 I.e. faithfulness to His gracious promises
  12. Psalm 88:15 Or embarrassed
  13. Psalm 88:16 Or silenced
Psalm 88