I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to (B)Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil[a] of (C)Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, (D)God of my salvation,
    I (E)cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
    (F)incline your ear to my cry!

For my soul is full of troubles,
    and (G)my life draws near to (H)Sheol.
I am counted among those who (I)go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom (J)you remember no more,
    for they are (K)cut off from your hand.
You have put me in (L)the depths of the pit,
    in the (M)regions dark and (N)deep.
Your wrath (O)lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with (P)all your waves. Selah

You have caused (Q)my companions to shun me;
    you have made me (R)a horror[b] to them.
I am (S)shut in so that I cannot escape;
    (T)my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I (U)spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
    (V)Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your (W)wonders known in (X)the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of (Y)forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry (Z)to you;
    (AA)in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why (AB)do you cast my soul away?
    Why (AC)do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.[c]
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your (AD)dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They (AE)surround me like a flood (AF)all day long;
    they (AG)close in on me together.
18 You have caused (AH)my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.[d]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
  2. Psalm 88:8 Or an abomination
  3. Psalm 88:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  4. Psalm 88:18 Or darkness has become my only companion

37 (A)Who has spoken and it came to pass,
    unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 (B)Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
39 (C)Why should a living man complain,
    a man, about the punishment of his sins?

40 Let us test and examine our ways,
    (D)and return to the Lord!
41 (E)Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
42 (F)“We have transgressed and (G)rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven.

43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
    (H)killing without pity;
44 (I)you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
    so that no prayer can pass through.
45 (J)You have made us scum and garbage
    among the peoples.

46 (K)“All our enemies
    open their mouths against us;
47 (L)panic and pitfall have come upon us,
    devastation and (M)destruction;
48 (N)my eyes flow with rivers of tears
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

49 (O)“My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
50 (P)until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
51 my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

52 (Q)“I have been hunted (R)like a bird
    by those who were my enemies (S)without cause;
53 (T)they flung me alive into the pit
    (U)and cast stones on me;
54 (V)water closed over my head;
    I said, (W)‘I am lost.’

55 (X)“I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
56 (Y)you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
    your ear to my cry for help!’
57 (Z)You came near when I called on you;
    you said, (AA)‘Do not fear!’

58 “You have (AB)taken up my cause, (AC)O Lord;
    you have (AD)redeemed my life.

Read full chapter

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem (A)to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because (B)they were not united by faith with those who listened.[a] For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

(C)“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: (D)“And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,

(E)“They shall not enter my rest.”

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news (F)failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

(G)“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God[b] would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also (H)rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so (I)that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For (J)the word of God is living and (K)active, (L)sharper than any (M)two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and (N)discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And (O)no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are (P)naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

14 Since then we have (Q)a great high priest (R)who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, (S)let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest (T)who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been (U)tempted as we are, (V)yet without sin. 16 (W)Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 4:2 Some manuscripts it did not meet with faith in the hearers
  2. Hebrews 4:8 Greek he

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