Psalms 102
1 A Prayer of the man who is in trouble, when he is overcome, and puts his grief before the Lord. Give ear to my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to 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 Let not your face be veiled from me in the day of my trouble; give ear to me, and let my cry be answered quickly.
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 My days are wasted like smoke, and my bones are burned up as in a fire.
For consumed in smoke have been my days, And my bones as a fire-brand have burned.
4 My heart is broken; it has become dry and dead like grass, so that I give no thought to food.
Smitten as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.
5 Because of the voice of my sorrow, my flesh is wasted to the bone.
From the voice of my sighing Hath my bone cleaved to my flesh.
6 I am like a bird living by itself in the waste places; like the night-bird in a waste of sand.
I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.
7 I keep watch like a bird by itself on the house-top.
I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.
8 My haters say evil of me all day; those who are violent against me make use of my name as a curse.
All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.
9 I have had dust for bread and my drink has been mixed with weeping:
Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled,
10 Because of your passion and your wrath, for I have been lifted up and then made low by you.
From Thine indignation and Thy wrath, For Thou hast lifted me up, And dost cast me down.
11 My days are like a shade which is stretched out; I am dry like the grass.
My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I — as the herb I am withered.
12 But you, O Lord, are eternal; and your name will never come to an end.
And Thou, O Jehovah, to the age abidest, And Thy memorial to all generations.
13 You will again get up and have mercy on Zion: for the time has come for her to be comforted.
Thou — Thou risest — Thou pitiest Zion, For the time to favour her, For the appointed time hath come.
14 For your servants take pleasure in her stones, looking with love on her dust.
For Thy servants have been pleased with her stones, And her dust they favour.
15 So the nations will give honour to the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will be in fear of his glory:
And nations fear the name of Jehovah, And all kings of the earth Thine honour,
16 When the Lord has put up the walls of Zion, and has been been in his glory;
For Jehovah hath builded Zion, He hath been seen in His honour,
17 When he has given ear to the prayer of the poor, and has not put his request on one side.
He turned unto the prayer of the destitute, And He hath not despised their prayer.
18 This will be put in writing for the coming generation, and the people of the future will give praise to the Lord.
This is written for a later generation, And the people created do praise Jah.
19 For from his holy place the Lord has seen, looking down on the earth from heaven;
For He hath looked From the high place of His sanctuary. Jehovah from heaven unto earth looked attentively,
20 Hearing the cry of the prisoner, making free those for whom death is ordered;
To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,
21 So that they may give out the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
To declare in Zion the name of Jehovah, And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are come together, and the kingdoms, to give worship to the Lord.
In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms — to serve Jehovah.
23 He has taken my strength from me in the way; he has made short my days.
He hath humbled in the way my power, He hath shortened my days.
24 I will say, O my God, take me not away before my time; 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 past you put the earth on its base, 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 come to an end, but you will still go on; they all will become old like a coat, and like a robe they will be changed:
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 are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end.
And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished.
28 The children of your servants will have a safe resting-place, and their seed will be ever before you.
The sons of Thy servants do continue, And their seed before Thee is established!
