PSALM 88

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O Lord, my God, I call for helpt by day;

I cry out in the night before thee.

2 Let my prayer come before thee,

incline thy ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

5 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.

6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,

and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves. [Selah]

8 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;

9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;

I spread out my hands to thee.

10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?

Do the shades rise up to praise thee? [Selah]

11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,

or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,

or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;

in the morning my prayer comes before thee.

14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?

Why dost thou hide thy face from me?

15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.u

16 Thy wrath has swept over me;

thy dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

they close in upon me together.

18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;

my companions are in darkness.

PSALM 27

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strongholdd of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me,

uttering slanders against me,e

my adversaries and foes,

they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though a host encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent,

he will set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies round about me;

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,

be gracious to me and answer me!

8 Thou hast said, “Seek ye my face.”

My heart says to thee,

“Thy face, Lord, do I seek.”

9 Hide not thy face from me.

Turn not thy servant away in anger,

thou who hast been my help.

Cast me not off, forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will take me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord;

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

yea, wait for the Lord!

PSALM 28

A Psalm of David.

1 To thee, O Lord, I call;

my rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if thou be silent to me,

I become like those who go down to the Pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplication,

as I cry to thee for help,

as I lift up my hands

toward thy most holy sanctuary.f

3 Take me not off with the wicked,

with those who are workers of evil,

who speak peace with their neighbors,

while mischief is in their hearts.

4 Requite them according to their work,

and according to the evil of their deeds;

requite them according to the work of their hands;

render them their due reward.

5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,

or the work of his hands,

he will break them down and build them up no more.

6 Blessed be the Lord!

for he has heard the voice of my supplications.

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts;

so I am helped, and my heart exults,

and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people,

he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

9 O save thy people, and bless thy heritage;

be thou their shepherd, and carry them for ever.