< Psalms 102 >
1 A Prayer for the Poor; when he is deeply afflicted, and pours out his supplication before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to you.
A PRAYER OF THE AFFLICTED WHEN HE IS FEEBLE, AND POURS OUT HIS COMPLAINT BEFORE YHWH. O YHWH, hear my prayer, indeed, my cry comes to You.
2 Turn not away your face from me: in the day [when] I am afflicted, incline your ear to me: in the day [when] I shall call upon you, speedily hear me.
Do not hide Your face from me, In a day of my adversity, Incline Your ear to me, In the day I call, hurry, answer me.
3 For my days have vanished like smoke, and my bones have been parched like a stick.
For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have burned as a firebrand.
4 I am blighted like grass, and my heart is dried up; for I have forgotten to eat my bread.
Struck as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bone has cleaved to my flesh.
From the voice of my sighing My bone has cleaved to my flesh.
6 I have become like a pelican of the wilderness;
I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.
7 I have become like an owl in a ruined house. I have watched, and am become as a sparrow dwelling alone on a roof.
I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.
8 All the day long mine enemies have reproached me; and they that praised me have sworn against me.
All the day my enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes as it were bread, and mingled my drink with weeping;
Because I have eaten ashes as bread, And have mingled my drink with weeping,
10 because of your anger and your wrath: for you have lifted me up, and dashed me down.
From Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up, And cast me down.
11 My days have declined like a shadow; and I am withered like grass.
My days [are] stretched out as a shadow, And I am withered as the herb.
12 But you, Lord, endure for ever, and your memorial to generation and generation.
And You, O YHWH, abide for all time, And Your memorial from generation to generation.
13 You shall arise, and have mercy upon Sion: for [it is] time to have mercy upon her, for the set time is come.
You rise—You pity Zion, For the time to favor her, For the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants have taken pleasure in her stones, and they shall pity her dust.
For Your servants have been pleased with her stones, And they favor her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear your name, O Lord, and all kings your glory.
And nations fear the Name of YHWH, And all kings of the earth Your glory,
16 For the Lord shall build up Sion, and shall appear in his glory.
For YHWH has built Zion, He has been seen in His glory,
17 He has had regard to the prayer of the lowly, and has not despised their petition.
He turned to the prayer of the destitute, And He has not despised their prayer.
18 Let this be written for another generation; and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord.
This is written for a later generation, And the people created praise YAH.
19 For he has looked out from the height of his sanctuary; the Lord looked upon the earth from heaven;
For He has looked From the high place of His sanctuary. YHWH looked attentively from the heavens to earth,
20 to hear the groaning of the fettered ones, to loosen the sons of the slain;
To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,
21 to proclaim the name of the Lord in Sion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
To declare in Zion the Name of YHWH, And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 when the people are gathered together, and the kings, to serve the Lord.
In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms—to serve YHWH.
23 He answered him in the way of his strength: tell me the fewness of my days.
He has humbled my power in the way, He has shortened my days.
24 Take me not away in the midst of my days: your years [are] through all generations.
I say, “My God, do not take me up in the midst of my days,” Your years [are] through all generations.
25 In the beginning you, O Lord, did lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of your hands.
You founded the earth before time, And the heavens [are] the work of Your hands.
26 They shall perish, but you remain: and [they all] shall wax old as a garment; and as a vesture shall you fold them, and they shall be changed.
They perish, and You remain, And all of them become old as a garment, You change them as clothing, And they are changed.
27 But you are the same, and your years shall not fail.
And You [are] the same, and Your years are not finished.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell [securely], and their seed shall prosper for ever.
The sons of Your servants continue, And their seed is established before You!