New English Translation

Psalms 88:1-7

1 1 2 3O Lord God who delivers me! By day I cry out and at night I pray before you.

2Listen to my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help!

3For my life is filled with troubles and I am ready to enter Sheol.

4They treat me like those who descend into the grave. I am like a helpless man,

5adrift among the dead, like corpses lying in the grave, whom you remember no more, and who are cut off from your power.

6You place me in the lowest regions of the pit, in the dark places, in the watery depths.

7Your anger bears down on me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)

Notes

1. Psalms 88:1 Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope. ↩
2. Psalms 88:1 The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53. ↩
3. Psalms 88:1 The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7. ↩