Psalms 88
The psalmist cries out to God in desperation, feeling abandoned and surrounded by darkness and death. He laments that his life has been filled with evil and that he is considered among those who will descend into the pit. The psalmist questions whether God will perform wonders for the dead or if anyone can declare God's mercy in the sepulcher. He expresses his frustration and sorrow, feeling rejected by God and humbled despite having been exalted in the past.
A Canticle Psalm to the sons of Korah. Unto the end. For Mahalath, to answer the understanding of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, God of my salvation: I have cried out, day and night, in your presenceLet my prayer enter in your sight. Incline your ear to my petitionFor my soul has been filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to HellI am considered to be among those who will descend into the pit. I have become like a man without assistanceidle among the dead. I am like the wounded sleeping in sepulchers, whom you no longer remember, and who have been repelled by your handThey have lain me in the lower pit: in dark places and in the shadow of deathYour fury has been confirmed over me. And you have brought all your waves upon meYou have sent my acquaintances far from me. They have set me as an abomination to themselves. I was handed over, yet I did not departMy eyes languished before destitution. All day long, I cried out to you, O Lord. I stretched out my hands to youWill you perform wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise to life, and so confess to youCould anyone declare your mercy in the sepulcher, or your truth from within perditionWill your wonders be known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivionAnd I have cried out to you, O Lord, and in early morning, my prayer will come before youLord, why do you reject my prayer? Why do you turn your face away from meI am poor, and I have been amid hardships from my youth. And, though I have been exalted, I am humbled and disturbedYour wrath has crossed into me, and your terrors have disturbed meThey have surrounded me like water, all day long. They have surrounded me, all at onceFriend and neighbor, and my acquaintances, you have sent far away from me, away from misery
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