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.
Yahweh, listen to what I am praying; hear me while I cry out to you!
2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
Do not (turn away/hide yourself) from me when I (have troubles/am distressed)! Listen to me, and answer me quickly now, when I am calling out to you!
3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
My life is ending, like smoke that disappears [SIM]; I have [a high fever which] burns my body like a fire burns [SIM].
4 My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
[I feel like] I am drying up like grass [SIM] that has been beaten/trampled down, and I no longer have a desire to eat food.
5 Through my loud groaning my flesh clings to my bones.
I groan loudly, and my bones can be seen under my skin [because I have become very thin].
6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
I am like a [lonely and despised] vulture in the desert, like an owl by itself in the abandoned ruins [of a building/city].
7 I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
I lie awake [at night]; [because there is no one to comfort me], I am like a lonely bird [sitting] on a housetop [SIM].
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
All during the day my enemies insult me; those who make fun of me mention my name [and say, “May you be like him”] when they curse people.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears
Because you are very angry [DOU] with me, now [I sit in] ashes [while I am suffering greatly]; and those ashes [fall on] the bread/food that I eat, and what I drink has my tears mixed with it. [It is as though] you have picked me up and thrown me away!
10 because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
11 My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
My time to remain alive is like an evening shadow [that will soon be gone] [SIM]. I am withering like grass withers [in the hot sun].
12 But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
But Yahweh, you are our king who rules [MTY] forever; people who are not yet born will remember you.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor— the appointed time has come.
You will arise and be merciful to [the people of] [MTY] Jerusalem; it is now time for you to do that; this is the time for you to be kind to them.
14 For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.
Even though (the city has been destroyed/our enemies have destroyed our city), we who serve you still love the stones that [were formerly] in the city walls; because now there is rubble everywhere, we, your people, are very sad when we see it.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
Yahweh, [some day the people of other] nations will revere you [MTY]; all the kings on earth will see that you are very glorious/great.
16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
You will rebuild Jerusalem, and you will appear there with your glory/brightness.
17 He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
You will listen to the prayers of your people who are homeless, and you will (not ignore them/do what they request) [LIT] when they plead with you to help them.
18 Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
Yahweh, [I want to] write these words in order that people in future years [will know what] you have done, in order that people who are not born yet will praise you.
19 For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
They will know that you looked down from your holy/sacred place in heaven [DOU] and saw [what was happening on] the earth.
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
They will know that you hear prisoners groaning and that you will set free those who have been told, “You will be executed.”
21 that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
As a result, people in Jerusalem will praise you [DOU] for what you [have done]
22 when peoples and kingdoms assemble to serve the LORD.
when many people [from other people-groups] and [those who are citizens of other] kingdoms gather to worship you.
23 He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.
[But now] you have caused me to become weak while I am still young; [I think that] I will (not live much longer/ very long/soon die).
24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
I say to you, “My God, do not cause me to die now, before I become old! You live forever!
25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
You created the world long ago, and you made (the heavens/everything in the sky) with your own 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.
The earth and the heavens/sky will disappear, but you will remain. They will wear out like clothes wear out. You will get rid of them like [people get rid of] old clothes, and they will no longer exist,
27 But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
but you are [not like the things that you created], [because you are] always the same; you never die.
28 The children of Your servants will dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before You.”
[Some day] our children will live safely [in Jerusalem], and their descendants will be protected in your presence.”
