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This psalm is a song that the sons of Korah wrote for the music leader. Use special music. It is a special song by Heman the Ezrahite.

A sad cry [ a ]

88 Lord , you are the God who rescues me.
I call out to you in the day,
and I pray for help at night.
2 Please listen to my prayer!
I am calling to you for help!
3 There is a lot of trouble in my life.
I feel that I am near to death.
4 People see me as if I am already in my grave.
I feel completely helpless.
5 I am the same as people who have died.
Their bodies already lie in their graves.
You do not remember them any more
You cannot use your power to help them.
6 You have put me in the deep hole of death,
far down in a very dark place.
7 Your anger is very heavy on me.
It is like the waves of the sea that knock me down.
8 You have caused my best friends
to keep away from me.
They do not even want to look at me.
A trap has caught me
and I cannot escape.
9 My eyes have become weak
because I am so sad.
Lord , every day I call to you for help.
I lift my hands up to you as I pray.
10 Your great miracles do not help dead people!
Dead people cannot get up and praise you!
Selah.
11 People in their graves
cannot talk about your faithful love!
In the world of death,
they cannot say how faithful you are.
12 In those dark places,
they do not see your miracles.
In that place where people forget everything,
they cannot know about the good things that you do.
13 But as for me, Lord ,
I call to you for help.
Every morning I pray to you.
14 Lord , why do you throw me out?
Why do you turn away from me?
15 Since I was young, I have been in pain.
I have always been near to death.
You have caused bad troubles to frighten me,
so that I feel helpless.
16 Your anger is too much for me!
You are attacking me and destroying me!
17 The troubles that you send are all round me,
like a flood of deep water.
They come very near to me,
on every side.
18 You cause my friends and my neighbours
to stay away from me.
All that I have near to me is darkness.

Footnotes

  1. 88:1 This psalm is the saddest of the psalms. The writer prays, but God does not seem to listen. God seems only to send more trouble to him. He cannot see how things may get better. If we sometimes feel the same way, it is good to use this psalm to speak to God. It helps us to speak aloud what we feel.

A song from the Korah family. To the director: About a painful sickness. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

88 Lord God, you are my Savior.
I have been praying to you day and night.
2 Please pay attention to my prayers.
Listen to my prayers for mercy.
3 My soul has had enough of this pain!
I am ready to die.
4 People already treat me like a dead man,
like someone too weak to live.
5 Look for me among the dead,
like a body in the grave.
I am one of those you have forgotten,
cut off from you and your care.
6 You put me in that hole in the ground.
Yes, you put me in that dark place.
7 Your anger presses down on me like a heavy weight.
It’s like one wave after another pounding against me. Selah

8 You made my friends leave me.
They all avoid me like someone no one wants to touch.
Like a prisoner in my house, I cannot go out.
9 My eyes hurt from crying.
Lord , I pray to you constantly!
I lift my arms in prayer to you.
10 Do you do miracles for the dead?
Do ghosts rise up and praise you? No! Selah

11 The dead in their graves cannot talk about your faithful love.
People in the world of the dead [ a ] cannot talk about your faithfulness.
12 The dead who lie in darkness cannot see the amazing things you do.
Those in the world of the forgotten cannot talk about your goodness.
13 Lord , I am asking you to help me!
Early each morning I pray to you.
14 Lord , why have you abandoned me?
Why do you refuse to listen to me?
15 I have been sick and weak since I was young.
I have suffered your anger, and I am helpless.
16 Your anger covers me like a flood.
Your attacks are killing me.
17 They surround me on every side.
I feel like a drowning man.
18 You caused my friends and loved ones to leave me.
Now darkness is my closest friend.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88:11 the world of the dead Or “Abaddon,” a Hebrew name meaning “death” or “destruction.” See Rev. 9:11.

88 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.

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

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

88 Lord , the ( A ) God of my salvation,
I have ( B ) cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer ( C ) come before You;
( D ) Incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my ( E ) soul has [ c ] had enough troubles,
And ( F ) my life has approached [ d ] Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who ( G ) go down to the pit;
I have become like a man ( H ) without strength,
5 [ e ] Abandoned ( I ) among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
And they are ( J ) cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in ( K ) the lowest pit,
In ( L ) dark places, in the ( M ) depths.
7 Your wrath ( N ) has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with ( O ) all Your waves. Selah
8 You have removed ( P ) my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an [ f ] ( Q ) object of loathing to them;
I am ( R ) shut up and cannot go out.
9 My ( S ) eye grows dim from misery;
I have ( T ) called upon You every day, Lord ;
I have ( U ) spread out my [ g ] hands to You.

10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Or will ( V ) the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah
11 Will Your graciousness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in [ h ] Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the ( W ) darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, Lord , have cried out ( X ) to You for help,
And ( Y ) in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Lord , why ( Z ) do You reject my soul?
Why do You ( AA ) hide Your face from me?
15 I was miserable and ( AB ) about to die from my youth on;
I suffer ( AC ) Your terrors; I grow weary.
16 Your ( AD ) burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have [ i ] ( AE ) destroyed me.
17 They have ( AF ) surrounded me ( AG ) like water all day long;
They have ( AH ) encircled me altogether.
18 You have removed ( AI ) lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in a hiding place.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88 Title Possibly, Contemplative ; or Didactic ; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 88 Title 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 netherworld
  5. Psalm 88:5 Lit A freed one among the dead
  6. Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them
  7. Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
  8. Psalm 88:11 I.e., place of destruction
  9. Psalm 88:16 Or silenced

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

  1. Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
  2. Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
  3. Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  4. Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
  5. Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
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