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Psalm 88

The psalmist is near death, abandoned by friends, and overwhelmed by God's wrath. Unlike other laments, it ends in darkness with no resolution. It is a raw cry from the pit of despair.

PsalmsPsalm 88 of 15018 versesBerean Standard Bible

If God speaks to you through Psalm 88, record what He said in Doxa and come back to it.

A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1

O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.

2

May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.

3

For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.

4

I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.

5

I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.

6

You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.

7

Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah

8

You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

9

My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.

10

Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah

11

Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12

Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13

But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14

Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?

15

From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

16

Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.

17

All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.

18

You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.

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Cross-references for Psalm 88

  • Psalm 88:1Isaiah 12:2

    “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.””

  • Psalm 88:1Psalm 22:2

    “I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.”

  • Psalm 88:4Psalm 28:1

    “To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.”

  • Psalm 88:13Psalm 5:3

    “In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.”

  • Psalm 88:13Mark 1:35

    “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray.”

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, licensed CC BY.

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