Psalm 88
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 88
Prayer for Help in Despondency
A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. To the leader: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
at night, when I cry out before you,(A)
2 let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry.(B)
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.(C)
4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;
I am like those who have no help,(D)
5 like those forsaken among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.(E)
6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit,
in the regions dark and deep.(F)
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah(G)
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a thing of horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;(H)
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call on you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.(I)
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the shades rise up to praise you? Selah(J)
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness
or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?(K)
13 But I, O Lord, cry out to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.(L)
14 O Lord, why do you cast me off?
Why do you hide your face from me?(M)
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.[a](N)
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
from all sides they close in on me.(O)
18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;
my companions are in darkness.(P)
Footnotes
- 88.15 Meaning of Heb uncertain
Matthew 6:7-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.(A) 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
10 May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.(B)
11 Give us today our daily bread.[a](C)
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.(D)
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,[b]
but rescue us from the evil one.[c](E)
14 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,(F) 15 but if you do not forgive others,[d] neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.(G)
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Psalm 91
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 91
Assurance of God’s Protection
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,[a](A)
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”(B)
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter
and from the deadly pestilence;(C)
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and defense.(D)
5 You will not fear the terror of the night
or the arrow that flies by day(E)
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.(F)
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.(G)
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,[b]
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.(H)
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.(I)
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.(J)
Psalm 92
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 92
Thanksgiving for Vindication
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day.
1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High,(A)
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning
and your faithfulness by night,(B)
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.(C)
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!(D)
6 The dullard cannot know;
the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever,(E)
8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.(F)
9 For your enemies, O Lord,
for your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.(G)
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have anointed me with fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.(H)
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.(I)
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,(J)
15 showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.(K)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.