Keraia
Wisdom and Poetry

Psalm 102

The Prayer of the Afflicted

1A 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.

1A Prayer of one afflicted, when he grows weak and pours out his complaint before YHWH. O YHWH, may You hear my prayer and may my cry come to You!

2Do not hide Your face from me

in my day of distress.

Incline Your ear to me;

answer me quickly when I call.

2Do not hide Your face from me, in the day of distress for me! Incline to me Your ear; on the day that I call may You hurry and answer me!

3For my days vanish like smoke,

and my bones burn like glowing embers.

3For my days come to an end like smoke, and my bones like a burning wick have been charred.

4My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass;

I even forget to eat my bread.

4My heart has been struck like the grass and has withered, so that I forget to eat my bread.

5Through my loud groaning

my skin hangs on my bones.

5From the voice of my groaning, my bone has clung to my flesh.

6I am like a desert owl,

like an owl among the ruins.

6I am like a vulture of the desert; I have become like an owl of the wasteland.

7I lie awake;

I am like a lone bird on a housetop.

7I stay awake, and I am like a bird alone on the housetop.

8All day long my enemies taunt me;

they ridicule me and curse me.

8All the day my enemies the taunt me; those shouting boastfully swear against me.

9For I have eaten ashes like bread

and mixed my drink with tears

9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and my drink I have mingled with weeping,

10because of Your indignation and wrath,

for You have picked me up and cast me aside.

10from the face of Your anger and Your wrath, for You have lifted me up and cast me away.

11My days are like lengthening shadows,

and I wither away like grass.

11My days are like a shadow stretching out; and I, like the grass, wither away.

12But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

Your renown endures to all generations.

12But You, O YHWH, dwell forever, and Your memorial to generation and generation.

13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show her favor—

the appointed time has come.

13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion—for the time to show her favor, indeed, the appointed time, has come.

14For Your servants delight in her stones

and take pity on her dust.

14How Your servants take delight in her stones—even her dust they favor!

15So the nations will fear the name of the LORD,

and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.

15And the nations will fear the name of YHWH, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

16For the LORD will rebuild Zion;

He has appeared in His glory.

16For YHWH has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory.

17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute;

He will not despise their prayer.

17He has turned toward the prayer of the destitute, and He will not despise their prayer.

18Let this be written for the generation to come,

so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.

18This will be written for the generation to come, and a people yet to be created will praise YAH.

19For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary;

the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth

19For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, YHWH looked out from the heavens to the earth,

20to hear a prisoner’s groaning,

to release those condemned to death,

20to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release the sons of death;

21that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion

and praise Him in Jerusalem,

21to declare in Zion the name of YHWH, and His praise in Jerusalem,

22when peoples and kingdoms assemble

to serve the LORD.

22in the gathering of the peoples together—and the kingdoms—to serve YHWH.

23He has broken my strength on the way;

He has cut short my days.

23He has broken my strength on the way; He has shortened my days.

24I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days!

Your years go on through all generations.

24I said, “O my God, do not take me up in the midst of my days; Your years are generation to generations.

25In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

25Before time You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26They 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.

26They will perish, but You will stand; and all of them will wear out like a garment—like clothing, You will pass them on, and they will pass away.

27But You remain the same,

and Your years will never end.

27And You are the same, and Your years will not end.

28The children of Your servants will dwell securely,

and their descendants will be established before You.”

28The sons of Your servants will settle down, and their seed will be established before Your face.”