[1] O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. [2] Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. [3] For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. [4] I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left. [5] They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. [6] You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths. [7] Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude [8] You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape. [9] My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O LORD; I lift my hands to you for mercy. [10] Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude [11] Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love? Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction? [12] Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness? [13] O LORD, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day. [14] O LORD, why do you reject me? Why do you turn your face from me? [15] I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors. [16] Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me. [17] They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long. They have engulfed me completely. [18] You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.
