¹⁷ The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord,
    for they have gone into the silence of the grave.

⁵ For the dead do not remember you.
    Who can praise you from the grave?^[a]

¹⁰ Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

¹¹ Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?^[a]
12 Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?

¹⁸ For the dead^[a] cannot praise you;
    they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to the grave
    can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
¹⁹ Only the living can praise you as I do today.
    Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.

¹⁷ Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,
    for I call out to you for help.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
    let them lie silent in the grave.^[a]

⁹ “What will you gain if I die,
    if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
    Can it tell of your faithfulness?

⁹ “He will protect his faithful ones,
    but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.