88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;
you make me an appalling sight to them.
I am trapped and cannot get free. 1
88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.
I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;
I spread out my hands in prayer to you. 2
88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?
Do the departed spirits 3 rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)
88:11 Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the place of the dead? 4
88:12 Are your amazing deeds experienced 5 in the dark region, 6
or your deliverance in the land of oblivion? 7
88:13 As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;
in the morning my prayer confronts you.
88:14 O Lord, why do you reject me,
and pay no attention to me? 8
88:15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. 9
I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain. 10
88:16 Your anger overwhelms me; 11
your terrors destroy me.
88:17 They surround me like water all day long;
they join forces and encircle me. 12
88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; 13
those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. 14