Psalm 87–88

In Praise of Jerusalem^f

87 The Lord built his city on the sacred hill;^g

²more than any other place in Israel

he loves the city of Jerusalem.

³Listen, city of God,

to the wonderful things he says about you:

⁴“I will include Egypt and Babylonia

when I list the nations that obey me;

I will number among the inhabitants of Jerusalem

the people of Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia.”^h

⁵Of Zion it will be said

that all nations belong there

and that the Almighty will make her strong.

⁶The Lord will write a list of the peoples

and include them all as citizens of Jerusalem.

⁷They dance and sing,

“In Zion is the source of all our blessings.”

A Cry for Helpⁱ

88 Lord God, my saviour, I cry out all day,

and at night I come before you.

²Hear my prayer;

listen to my cry for help!

³So many troubles have fallen on me

that I am close to death.

⁴I am like all others who are about to die;

all my strength is gone.^j

⁵I am abandoned among the dead;

I am like the slain lying in their graves,

those you have forgotten completely,

who are beyond your help.

⁶You have thrown me into the depths of the tomb,

into the darkest and deepest pit.

⁷Your anger lies heavy on me,

and I am crushed beneath its waves.

⁸You have caused my friends to abandon me;

you have made me repulsive to them.

I am closed in and cannot escape;

⁹my eyes are weak from suffering.

and lift my hands to you in prayer.

¹⁰Do you perform miracles for the dead?

Do they rise up and praise you?

¹¹Is your constant love spoken of in the grave

or your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

¹²Are your miracles seen in that place of darkness

or your goodness in the land of the forgotten?

¹³Lord, I call to you for help;

every morning I pray to you.

¹⁴Why do you reject me, Lord?

Why do you turn away from me?

¹⁵Ever since I was young, I have suffered and been near death;

I am worn out^k from the burden of your punishments.

¹⁶Your furious anger crushes me;

your terrible attacks destroy me.

¹⁷All day long they surround me like a flood;

they close in on me from every side.

¹⁸You have made even my closest friends abandon me,

and darkness is my only companion.