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Incline Your Ear to My Cry

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

88 O Yahweh, the (A)God of my salvation,
I have (B)cried out by day and throughout the night before You.
Let my prayer (C)come before You;
(D)Incline Your ear to my cry of lamentation!
For my (E)soul has been saturated with calamities,
And (F)my life has reached Sheol.
I am counted among those who (G)go down to the pit;
I am like a man (H)without strength,
Released (I)among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are (J)cut off from Your hand.
You have put me in (K)the pit far below,
In (L)dark places, in the (M)depths.
Your wrath (N)lies upon me,
And You afflict me with (O)all Your breaking waves. [c]Selah.
You have removed (P)my acquaintances far from me;
You have set me as [d]an (Q)abomination to them;
I am (R)shut up and cannot go out.
My (S)eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have (T)called upon You every day, O Yahweh;
I have (U)spread out my [e]hands to You.

10 Will You do wonders for the dead?
Will (V)the [f]departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be recounted in the grave,
Your faithfulness in [g]Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be known in the (W)darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But as for me, O Yahweh, I have cried out (X)to You for help,
And (Y)in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Yahweh, why (Z)do You reject my soul?
Why do You (AA)hide Your face from me?
15 I have been afflicted and (AB)about to breathe my last from my youth on;
I bear (AC)Your terrors; I am [h]overcome.
16 Your (AD)burning anger has passed over me;
Your horrors have [i](AE)destroyed me.
17 They have (AF)surrounded me (AG)like water all day long;
They have (AH)encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed (AI)lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88 Title Possibly Contemplative, Didactic, Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 88 Title 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
  3. Psalm 88:7 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  4. Psalm 88:8 Lit abominations
  5. Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
  6. Psalm 88:10 Or ghosts, shades
  7. Psalm 88:11 Lit the realm of destruction
  8. Psalm 88:15 Or embarrassed
  9. Psalm 88:16 Or silenced