Psalm 88 good news bible

Here is Psalm 88 in the Good News Bible (GNB):

Psalm 88

A Prayer of Destruction

O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day; at night, too, I cry out to you. Have you forgotten me? Have you left me behind, like a boat abandoned at sea?

You are as silent as the deep sea, as quiet as the dead. You have hidden your face from me, and I am filled with fear.

Your wrath is over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they swirl around me; they surround me like a flood.

You have taken away my friends and neighbors— darkness is my only companion.

The Darkness Deepens

I am as good as dead, as if I had never been born. I am like a man who has no strength, like a man who has no help. My eyes are worn out from crying, my soul is parched like the desert.

My enemies taunt me all day long; those who hate me swear at me. I eat ashes like bread, and my tears are my food.

The Darkness Remains

Because of your anger, my soul is sick; because of your wrath, I am weak. My heart is like wax, melting away. My strength is gone, like the night that is gone.

But even in death, you will not spare me; in the underworld, you will not keep me alive. You will not give me back to see your world again, nor will you look after me in the land of the living.

The Darkness Is Complete

You will not restore my life to the morning light; I will be like a shadow, cut off from the land. You will not give me back to see your world again, nor will you look after me in the land of the living.

I am as good as dead, as if I had never been born.

This psalm is often referred to as a "psalm of destruction" because of its themes of despair, darkness, and the feeling of being abandoned by God. It is a powerful expression of the depths of human suffering and the struggle to maintain faith in the face of overwhelming adversity.