Psalm 88
Legacy Standard Bible
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.
2 Let my prayer (C)come before You;
(D)Incline Your ear to my cry of lamentation!
3 For my (E)soul has been saturated with calamities,
And (F)my life has reached Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who (G)go down to the pit;
I am like a man (H)without strength,
5 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.
6 You have put me in (K)the pit far below,
In (L)dark places, in the (M)depths.
7 Your wrath (N)lies upon me,
And You afflict me with (O)all Your breaking waves. [c]Selah.
8 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.
9 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
- Psalm 88 Title Possibly Contemplative, Didactic, Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 88 Title 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
- Psalm 88:7 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
- Psalm 88:8 Lit abominations
- Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
- Psalm 88:10 Or ghosts, shades
- Psalm 88:11 Lit the realm of destruction
- Psalm 88:15 Or embarrassed
- Psalm 88:16 Or silenced
Psalm 88
New American Standard Bible 1995
A Petition to Be Saved from Death.
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 Lord, the (A)God of my salvation,
I have (B)cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer (C)come before You;
(D)Incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my (E)soul has [c]had enough troubles,
And (F)my life has drawn near to [d]Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who (G)go down to the pit;
I have become like a man (H)without strength,
5 [e]Forsaken (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.
6 You have put me in (K)the lowest pit,
In (L)dark places, in the (M)depths.
7 Your wrath (N)has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with (O)all Your waves. [f]Selah.
8 You have removed (P)my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an [g](Q)object of loathing to them;
I am (R)shut up and cannot go out.
9 My (S)eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have (T)called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have (U)spread out my [h]hands to You.
10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Will (V)the [i]departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in [j]Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the (W)darkness?
And Your [k]righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, have cried out (X)to You for help,
And (Y)in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Lord, why (Z)do You reject my soul?
Why do You (AA)hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and (AB)about to die from my youth on;
I suffer (AC)Your terrors; I am [l]overcome.
16 Your (AD)burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have [m](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
- Psalm 88:1 Possibly, Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 88:1 1 Kin 4:31; 1 Chr 2:6; Ps 89: title
- Psalm 88:3 Or been satisfied with
- Psalm 88:3 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 88:5 Lit A freed one among the dead
- Psalm 88:7 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 88:8 Lit abomination to them
- Psalm 88:9 Lit palms
- Psalm 88:10 Or ghosts, shades
- Psalm 88:11 I.e. place of destruction
- Psalm 88:12 I.e. faithfulness to His gracious promises
- Psalm 88:15 Or embarrassed
- Psalm 88:16 Or silenced
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