Psalm 88

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

1 O LORD, a God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
1 Incline Your ear to my cry.

3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life b draws near to the grave.
4 I am counted with those who c go 2 down to the pit;
d I am like a man who has no strength,
5 3 Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all e Your waves. Selah

8 f You have 4 put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
g I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
9 My eye wastes away because of affliction.
h LORD, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall 5 the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But to You I have cried out, O LORD,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 LORD, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have 6 cut me off.
17 They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18 i Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.

  1. Cross References
    Psalms 27:9
    Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
    Luke 18:7
    And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
  2. Cross References
    Psalms 107:18
    Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.
  3. Cross References
    Psalms 28:1
    To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 31:12
    I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 42:7
    Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
  6. Cross References
    Job 19:13
    He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
    Job 19:19
    All my close friends abhor me, And those whom I love have turned against me.
    Psalms 31:11
    I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.
    Psalms 142:4
    Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.
  7. Cross References
    Lamentations 3:7
    He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy.
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 86:3
    Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.
  9. Cross References
    Job 19:13
    He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
    Psalms 31:11
    I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.
    Psalms 38:11
    My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Previous Book Next Book