Psalms 102
1 A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You.
“A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out before the Lord his complaint.” O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
Hide not thy face from me on the day when I am distressed; incline unto me thy ear; on the day when I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
For my days vanish in smoke, and my bones are burning like a hearth.
4 My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
Struck [by heat] like the herb and dried up is my heart; for I forget to eat my bread.
5 Through my loud groaning my flesh clings to my bones.
Because of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
I am like the pelican of the wilderness: I am become like the owl amid ruins.
7 I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
I watch, and I am become like a [night-]bird sitting alone upon the housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
All the day my enemies reproach me: they that mock me swear by me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears
For ashes do I eat like bread, and my drink I mingle with weeping;
10 because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
Because of thy indignation and thy wrath; for thou hadst lifted me up, and hast cast me down.
11 My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and like the herb I wither.
12 But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
But thou, O Lord, wilt sit enthroned for ever; and thy memorial is unto all generations.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor— the appointed time has come.
Thou wilt indeed arise; thou wilt have mercy upon Zion; for it is time to favor her, for the appointed time is coming.
14 For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.
For thy servants hold dear her stones, and her very dust they cherish.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
Then shall nations fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory:
16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
When the Lord shalt have built up Zion, he appeareth in his glory;
17 He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
[When] he hath regarded the prayer of the forsaken, and doth not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
This shall be written down for the latest generation; and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.
19 For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; the Lord hath cast from heaven his view to the earth:
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
To hear the sighing of the prisoner; to loosen those that are doomed to death:
21 that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
That men may proclaim in Zion the name of the Lord, and his praise in Jerusalem;
22 when peoples and kingdoms assemble to serve the LORD.
When people are gathered together, and kingdoms, to serve the Lord.—
23 He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.
He hath weakened on the way my strength; he hath shortened my days.
24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
I will say, O my God! take me not away in the midst of my days: throughout all generations are thy years.
25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
In olden times didst thou lay the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them, and they will be passed on.
These will indeed perish, but thou wilt ever exist: yea, all of them will wear out like a garment; as a vesture wilt thou change them, and they will be changed;
27 But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
But thou art ever the same, and thy years will have no end.
28 The children of Your servants will dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before You.”
The children of thy servants will dwell [securely], and their seed will be firmly established before thee.
