Psalms 102
1 Yahweh, listen to what I am praying; hear me while I cry out to you!
A Prayer for the Humbled One when he is about to faint, and, before Yahweh, poureth out his grief. O Yahweh, hear thou my prayer, and let, my cry for help, unto thee, enter in.
2 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!
Do not hide thy face from me, In the day when I am in distress, —Bend down unto me thine ear, In the day when I call, speedily answer me.
3 My life is ending, like smoke that disappears [SIM]; I have [a high fever which] burns my body like a fire burns [SIM].
For, consumed in smoke, are my days, And, my bones, like a burning mass, are scorched through;
4 [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.
Smitten like herbage, so is my heart dried up, For I have forgotten to eat my food.
5 I groan loudly, and my bones can be seen under my skin [because I have become very thin].
At the noise of my groaning, my bone, hath cleaved, to my flesh:
6 I am like a [lonely and despised] vulture in the desert, like an owl by itself in the abandoned ruins [of a building/city].
I am like the pelican of the desert, I have become as an owl among ruins.
7 I lie awake [at night]; [because there is no one to comfort me], I am like a lonely bird [sitting] on a housetop [SIM].
I have watched and am become, Like a bird sitting alone upon a housetop.
8 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.
All the day, have mine enemies, reproached me, And, they who are mad against me, by me, have sworn.
9 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!
For, ashes—like bread, have I eaten, And, my drink—with my tears, have I mingled;
Because of thine indignation and thy wrath, For thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 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].
My days, are like a shadow extended, And, I, as green herbage, do wither.
12 But Yahweh, you are our king who rules [MTY] forever; people who are not yet born will remember you.
But, thou, O Yahweh, age-abidingly wilt remain, And the memorial of thee, to generation after generation.
13 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.
Thou, wilt arise, wilt have compassion upon Zion, Surely it is time to favour her, Surely the time appointed, hath come;
14 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.
Seeing that thy servants, take pleasure, in her stones, And, her dust, they favour:
15 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.
That the nations may revere thy Name, O Yahweh, And all the kings of the earth, thy glory.
16 You will rebuild Jerusalem, and you will appear there with your glory/brightness.
When Yahweh, hath built up, Zion, Hath appeared in his glory;
17 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.
Hath turned towards the prayer of the destitute, And not despised their prayer,
18 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.
This, shall be written, for a later generation, And, a people to be created, will give praise unto Yah: —
19 They will know that you looked down from your holy/sacred place in heaven [DOU] and saw [what was happening on] the earth.
That he looked down, out of his holy height, Yahweh, from the heavens unto the earth, directed his gaze; —
20 They will know that you hear prisoners groaning and that you will set free those who have been told, “You will be executed.”
To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free, them who were appointed to death.
21 As a result, people in Jerusalem will praise you [DOU] for what you [have done]
To the end the Name of Yahweh, might be celebrated in Zion, And his praise in Jerusalem:
22 when many people [from other people-groups] and [those who are citizens of other] kingdoms gather to worship you.
When the peoples, gather themselves together, And the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 [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).
He hath prostrated, in the way, my strength, —He hath shortened my days.
24 I say to you, “My God, do not cause me to die now, before I become old! You live forever!
I said, O my GOD, do not remove me in the midst of my days, Throughout the generation of generations, are thy years;
25 You created the world long ago, and you made (the heavens/everything in the sky) with your own hands.
Of old—the earth, thou didst found, And, the work of thy hands, are the heavens;
26 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,
They, shall perish, But, thou, wilt abide; And, they all, like a garment, shall fall in pieces, As a vesture, wilt thou change them and they shall vanish;
27 but you are [not like the things that you created], [because you are] always the same; you never die.
But, thou, art, the same, —And, thy years, shall have no end:
28 [Some day] our children will live safely [in Jerusalem], and their descendants will be protected in your presence.”
The children of thy servants, shall continue, —And, their seed, before thee, be established.
