Psalm 87-88 New American Standard Bible

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

87 His ^(A)foundation is in the holy mountains.
²The Lord ^(B)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
³^(C)Glorious things are spoken of you,
^(D)City of God. Selah
⁴“I shall mention ^[a]^(E)Rahab and Babylon ^[b]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and ^(F)Tyre with ^[c]^(G)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
⁵But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will ^(H)establish her.
⁶The Lord will count when He ^(I)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
⁷Then those who ^(J)sing as well as those who ^[d]^(K)play the flutes will say,
“All my ^(L)springs of joy are in you.”

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 ^[e]Maskil of Heman ^[f]the Ezrahite.

88 Lord, the ^(M)God of my salvation,
I have ^(N)cried out by day and in the night before You.
²Let my prayer ^(O)come before You;
^(P)Incline Your ear to my cry!
³For my ^(Q)soul has ^[g]had enough troubles,
And ^(R)my life has approached ^[h]Sheol.
⁴I am counted among those who ^(S)go down to the pit;
I have become like a man ^(T)without strength,
⁵^[i]Abandoned ^(U)among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
And they are ^(V)cut off from Your hand.
⁶You have put me in ^(W)the lowest pit,
In ^(X)dark places, in the ^(Y)depths.
⁷Your wrath ^(Z)has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with ^(AA)all Your waves. Selah
⁸You have removed ^(AB)my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an ^[j]^(AC)object of loathing to them;
I am ^(AD)shut up and cannot go out.
⁹My ^(AE)eye grows dim from misery;
I have ^(AF)called upon You every day, Lord;
I have ^(AG)spread out my ^[k]hands to You.

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

¹³But I, Lord, have cried out ^(AJ)to You for help,
And ^(AK)in the morning my prayer comes before You.
¹⁴Lord, why ^(AL)do You reject my soul?
Why do You ^(AM)hide Your face from me?
¹⁵I was miserable and ^(AN)about to die from my youth on;
I suffer ^(AO)Your terrors; I grow weary.
¹⁶Your ^(AP)burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have ^[m]^(AQ)destroyed me.
¹⁷They have ^(AR)surrounded me ^(AS)like water all day long;
They have ^(AT)encircled me altogether.
¹⁸You have removed ^(AU)lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in a hiding place.

Footnotes

Psalm 87:4 I.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
Psalm 87:4 Or as
Psalm 87:4 Or Ethiopia
Psalm 87:7 Or dance
Psalm 88 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 88 Title 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
Psalm 88:3 Or been satisfied with
Psalm 88:3 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 88:5 Lit A freed one among the dead
Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them
Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
Psalm 88:11 I.e., place of destruction
Psalm 88:16 Or silenced