[1] A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to
Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. [2] O LORD, my God, I
call for help by day; I cry out in the night before thee. [3] Let my prayer
come before thee, incline thy ear to my cry! [4] For my soul is full of
troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. [5] I am reckoned among those
who go down to the Pit; I am a man who has no strength, [6] like one
forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those
whom thou dost remember no more, for they are cut off from thy hand. [7]
Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.
[8] Thy wrath lies heavy upon me, and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy
waves. [Selah] [9] Thou hast caused my companions to shun me; thou hast
made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
[10] my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon thee, O LORD; I
spread out my hands to thee. [11] Dost thou work wonders for the dead? Do
the shades rise up to praise thee? [Selah] [12] Is thy steadfast love
declared in the grave, or thy faithfulness in Abaddon? [13] Are thy wonders
known in the darkness, or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
[14] But I, O LORD, cry to thee; in the morning my prayer comes before
thee. [15] O LORD, why dost thou cast me off? Why dost thou hide thy face
from me? [16] Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer thy
terrors; I am helpless. [17] Thy wrath has swept over me; thy dread
assaults destroy me. [18] They surround me like a flood all day long; they
close in upon me together. [ (Psalms 88:19) Thou hast caused lover and
friend to shun me; my companions are in darkness. ]