New International Version NIV
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.
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<A Song. A Psalm. Of the sons of Korah. To the chief music-maker; put to Mahalath Leannoth. Maschil. Of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, God of my salvation, I have been crying to you for help by day and by night:
2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.
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Let my prayer come before you; give ear to my cry:
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death.
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For my soul is full of evils, and my life has come near to the underworld.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength.
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I am numbered among those who go down into the earth; I have become like a man for whom there is no help:
5 I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care.
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My soul is among the dead, like those in the underworld, to whom you give no more thought; for they are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
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You have put me in the lowest deep, even in dark places.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
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The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah.)
8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape;
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You have sent my friends far away from me; you have made me a disgusting thing in their eyes: I am shut up, and not able to come out.
9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you.
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My eyes are wasting away because of my trouble: Lord, my cry has gone up to you every day, my hands are stretched out to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
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Will you do works of wonder for the dead? will the shades come back to give you praise? (Selah.)
11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction ?
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Will the story of your mercy be given in the house of the dead? will news of your faith come to the place of destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
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May there be knowledge of your wonders in the dark? or of your righteousness where memory is dead?
13 But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
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But to you did I send up my cry, O Lord; in the morning my prayer came before you.
14 Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?
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Lord, why have you sent away my soul? why is your face covered from me?
15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death; I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
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I have been troubled and in fear of death from the time when I was young; your wrath is hard on me, and I have no strength.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
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The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.
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They are round me all the day like water; they have made a circle about me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.
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You have sent my friends and lovers far from me; I am gone from the memory of those who are dear to me.
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The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.