[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.