Psalm 88
King James Version
88 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14 Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Psalm 88
1599 Geneva Bible
88 1 A grievous complaint of the faithful, sore afflicted by sickness, persecutions and adversity, 7 Being as it were left of God without any consolation. 13 Yet he calleth on God by faith, and striveth against desperation. 18 Complaining himself to be forsaken of all earthly help.
A song or Psalm of (A)Heman the Ezrahite to give instruction, committed to the sons of Korah for him that excelleth upon Mahalath [a]Leannoth.
1 O Lord God of my salvation, I cry day and night [b]before thee.
2 Let my prayer enter into thy presence: incline thine ear unto my cry.
3 For my soul is filled with evils, and my life draweth near to the grave.
4 I am counted among them that go down unto the pit, and am as a man without strength,
5 [c]Free among the dead, like the slain laying in the grave, when thou rememberest no more, and they are cut off from thy [d]hand.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, and in the deep.
7 Thine indignation lieth upon me, and thou hast vexed me with all thy [e]waves. Selah.
8 Thou hast put away mine [f]acquaintance far from me, and made me to be abhorred of them: [g]I am shut up, and cannot get forth.
9 [h]Mine eye is sorrowful through mine affliction: Lord, I call daily upon thee: I stretch out mine hands unto thee.
10 Wilt thou show [i]a miracle to the dead? or shall the dead rise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wondrous works be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land [j]of oblivion?
13 But unto thee, have I cried, O Lord, and early shall my prayer come before thee.
14 Lord, why dost thou reject my soul, and hidest thy face from me?
15 I am afflicted and at the point of death: [k]from my youth I suffer thy terrors, doubting of my life.
16 Thine indignations go over me, and thy fear hath cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water, and compassed me together.
18 My lovers and friends hast thou put away from me, and mine acquaintance [l]hid themselves.
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:1 That is, to humble. It was the beginning of a song, by the tune whereof this Psalm was sung.
- Psalm 88:1 Though many cry in their sorrows, yet they cry not earnestly to God for remedy, as he did whom he confessed to be the author of his salvation.
- Psalm 88:5 For he that is dead, is free from all cares and business of this life: and thus he saith, because he was unprofitable for all matters concerning man’s life, and as it were cut off from this world.
- Psalm 88:5 That is, from thy providence and care, which is meant according to the judgment of the flesh.
- Psalm 88:7 The storms of thy wrath have overwhelmed me.
- Psalm 88:8 He attributeth the loss and displeasure of his friends to God’s providence, whereby he partly punisheth and partly trieth his.
- Psalm 88:8 I see none end of my sorrows.
- Psalm 88:9 Mine eyes and face declare my sorrows.
- Psalm 88:10 He showeth that the time is more convenient for God to help, when men call unto him in their dangers, than to tarry till they be dead, and then raise them up again.
- Psalm 88:12 That is, in the grave, where only the body lieth without all sense and remembrance.
- Psalm 88:15 I am ever in great dangers and sorrows, as though my life should utterly be cut off every moment.
- Psalm 88:18 Hebrew, were in darkness.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
