Psalms 87

¹A Canticle Psalm to the sons of Korah. Unto the end. For Mahalath, to answer the understanding of Heman the Ezrahite.

²O Lord, God of my salvation: I have cried out, day and night, in your presence.

³Let my prayer enter in your sight. Incline your ear to my petition.

⁴For my soul has been filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to Hell.

⁵I am considered to be among those who will descend into the pit. I have become like a man without assistance,

⁶idle among the dead. I am like the wounded sleeping in sepulchers, whom you no longer remember, and who have been repelled by your hand.

⁷They have lain me in the lower pit: in dark places and in the shadow of death.

⁸Your fury has been confirmed over me. And you have brought all your waves upon me.

⁹You have sent my acquaintances far from me. They have set me as an abomination to themselves. I was handed over, yet I did not depart.

¹⁰My eyes languished before destitution. All day long, I cried out to you, O Lord. I stretched out my hands to you.

¹¹Will you perform wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise to life, and so confess to you?

¹²Could anyone declare your mercy in the sepulcher, or your truth from within perdition?

¹³Will your wonders be known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion?

¹⁴And I have cried out to you, O Lord, and in early morning, my prayer will come before you.

¹⁵Lord, why do you reject my prayer? Why do you turn your face away from me?

¹⁶I am poor, and I have been amid hardships from my youth. And, though I have been exalted, I am humbled and disturbed.

¹⁷Your wrath has crossed into me, and your terrors have disturbed me.

¹⁸They have surrounded me like water, all day long. They have surrounded me, all at once.

¹⁹Friend and neighbor, and my acquaintances, you have sent far away from me, away from misery.

¹A canticle of a psalm for the sons of Core: unto the end, for Maheleth, to answer understanding of Eman the Ezrahite.

²O Lord, the God of my salvation: I have cried in the day, and in the night before thee.

³Let my prayer come in before thee: incline thy ear to my petition.

⁴For my soul is filled with evils: and my life hath drawn nigh to hell.

⁵I am counted among them that go down to the pit: I am become as a man without help,

⁶Free among the dead. Like the slain sleeping in the sepulchres, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

⁷They have laid me in the lower pit: in the dark places, and in the shadow of death.

⁸Thy wrath is strong over me: and all thy waves thou hast brought in upon me.

⁹Thou hast put away my acquaintance far from me: they have set me an abomination to themselves. I was delivered up, and came not forth:

¹⁰My eyes languished through poverty. All the day I cried to thee, O Lord: I stretched out my hands to thee.

¹¹Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? or shall physicians raise to life, and give praise to thee?

¹²Shall any one in the sepulchre declare thy mercy: and thy truth in destruction?

¹³Shall thy wonders be known in the dark; and thy justice in the land of forgetfulness?

¹⁴But I, O Lord, have cried to thee: and in the morning my prayer shall prevent thee.

¹⁵Lord, why castest thou off my prayer: why turnest thou away thy face from me?

¹⁶I am poor, and in labours from my youth: and being exalted have been humbled and troubled.

¹⁷Thy wrath hath come upon me: and thy terrors have troubled me.

¹⁸They have come round about me like water all the day: they have compassed me about together.

¹⁹Friend and neighbour thou hast put far from me: and my acquaintance, because of misery.