1 A Song. A Psalm. Of the sons of Korah. To the chief music-maker; put to Mahalath Leannoth. Maschil. Of Heman the Ezrahite.
2 \88:1\O Lord, God of my salvation, I have been crying to you for help by day and by night:
3 \88:2\Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry:
4 \88:3\For my soul is full of evils, and my life has come near to the underworld.
5 \88:4\I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help:
6 \88:5\My soul is among the dead, like those in the underworld, to whom you give no more thought; for they are cut off from your care.
7 \88:6\You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
8 \88:7\The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah.)
9 \88:8\You have sent my friends far away from me; you have made me a disgusting thing in their eyes: I am shut up, and not able to come out.
10 \88:9\My eyes are wasting away because of my trouble: Lord, my cry has gone up to you every day, my hands are stretched out to you.
11 \88:10\Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah.)
12 \88:11\Will the story of your mercy be given in the house of the dead? will news of your faith come to the place of destruction?
13 \88:12\May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
14 \88:13\But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
15 \88:14\Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
16 \88:15\I have been troubled and in fear of death from the time when I was young; your wrath is hard on me, and I have no strength.
17 \88:16\The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
18 \88:17\They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
19 \88:18\You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.