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 feeble, and before Jehovah poureth out his plaint. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, yea, my cry to Thee cometh.
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 Thou Thy face from me, In a day of mine adversity, Incline unto me Thine ear, In the day I call, haste, answer me.
3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
For consumed in smoke have been my days, And my bones as a fire-brand have burned.
4 My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
Smitten as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.
5 Through my loud groaning my flesh clings to my bones.
From the voice of my sighing Hath my bone cleaved to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.
7 I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears
Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled,
10 because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
From Thine indignation and Thy wrath, For Thou hast lifted me up, And dost cast me down.
11 My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I — as the herb I am withered.
12 But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
And Thou, O Jehovah, to the age abidest, And Thy memorial to 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 — Thou risest — Thou pitiest Zion, For the time to favour her, For the appointed time hath come.
14 For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.
For Thy servants have been pleased with her stones, And her dust they favour.
15 So the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
And nations fear the name of Jehovah, And all kings of the earth Thine honour,
16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
For Jehovah hath builded Zion, He hath been seen in His honour,
17 He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
He turned unto the prayer of the destitute, And He hath not despised their prayer.
18 Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
This is written for a later generation, And the people created do praise Jah.
19 For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
For He hath looked From the high place of His sanctuary. Jehovah from heaven unto earth looked attentively,
20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,
21 that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
To declare in Zion the name of Jehovah, And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples and kingdoms assemble to serve the LORD.
In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms — to serve Jehovah.
23 He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.
He hath humbled in the way my power, 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 say, 'My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations [are] Thine years.
25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
Beforetime the earth Thou didst found, And the work of Thy hands [are] the heavens.
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.
They — They perish, and Thou remainest, And all of them as a garment become old, As clothing Thou changest them, And they are changed.
27 But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished.
28 The children of Your servants will dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before You.”
The sons of Thy servants do continue, And their seed before Thee is established!
