Psalms 102

1 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.

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.

2 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.

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.

3 For my days have been consumed in smoke, And my bones have burned as a firebrand.

My days are wasted like smoke, and my bones are burned up as in a fire.

4 Struck as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.

My heart is broken; it has become dry and dead like grass, so that I give no thought to food.

5 From the voice of my sighing My bone has cleaved to my flesh.

Because of the voice of my sorrow, my flesh is wasted to the bone.

6 I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.

I am like a bird living by itself in the waste places; like the night-bird in a waste of sand.

7 I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.

I keep watch like a bird by itself on the house-top.

8 All the day my enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.

My haters say evil of me all day; those who are violent against me make use of my name as a curse.

9 Because I have eaten ashes as bread, And have mingled my drink with weeping,

I have had dust for bread and my drink has been mixed with weeping:

10 From Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up, And cast me down.

Because of your passion and your wrath, for I have been lifted up and then made low by you.

11 My days [are] stretched out as a shadow, And I am withered as the herb.

My days are like a shade which is stretched out; I am dry like the grass.

12 And You, O YHWH, abide for all time, And Your memorial from generation to generation.

But you, O Lord, are eternal; and your name will never come to an end.

13 You rise—You pity Zion, For the time to favor her, For the appointed time has come.

You will again get up and have mercy on Zion: for the time has come for her to be comforted.

14 For Your servants have been pleased with her stones, And they favor her dust.

For your servants take pleasure in her stones, looking with love on her dust.

15 And nations fear the Name of YHWH, And all kings of the earth Your glory,

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:

16 For YHWH has built Zion, He has been seen in His glory,

When the Lord has put up the walls of Zion, and has been been in his glory;

17 He turned to the prayer of the destitute, And He has not despised their prayer.

When he has given ear to the prayer of the poor, and has not put his request on one side.

18 This is written for a later generation, And the people created praise YAH.

This will be put in writing for the coming generation, and the people of the future will give praise to the Lord.

19 For He has looked From the high place of His sanctuary. YHWH looked attentively from the heavens to earth,

For from his holy place the Lord has seen, looking down on the earth from heaven;

20 To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,

Hearing the cry of the prisoner, making free those for whom death is ordered;

21 To declare in Zion the Name of YHWH, And His praise in Jerusalem,

So that they may give out the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

22 In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms—to serve YHWH.

When the peoples are come together, and the kingdoms, to give worship to the Lord.

23 He has humbled my power in the way, He has shortened my days.

He has taken my strength from me in the way; he has made short my days.

24 I say, “My God, do not take me up in the midst of my days,” Your years [are] through all generations.

I will say, O my God, take me not away before my time; your years go on through all generations:

25 You founded the earth before time, And the heavens [are] the work of Your hands.

In the past you put the earth on its base, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26 They perish, and You remain, And all of them become old as a garment, You change them as clothing, And they are changed.

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:

27 And You [are] the same, and Your years are not finished.

But you are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end.

28 The sons of Your servants continue, And their seed is established before You!

The children of your servants will have a safe resting-place, and their seed will be ever before you.