Font Size
Psalm 102-104
The Message
Psalm 102-104
The Message
102 1-2 God, listen! Listen to my prayer,
listen to the pain in my cries.
Don’t turn your back on me
just when I need you so desperately.
Pay attention! This is a cry for help!
And hurry—this can’t wait!
3-11 I’m wasting away to nothing,
I’m burning up with fever.
I’m a ghost of my former self,
half-consumed already by terminal illness.
My jaws ache from gritting my teeth;
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
I’m like a buzzard in the desert,
a crow perched on the rubble.
Insomniac, I twitter away,
mournful as a sparrow in the gutter.
All day long my enemies taunt me,
while others just curse.
They bring in meals—casseroles of ashes!
I draw drink from a barrel of my tears.
And all because of your furious anger;
you swept me up and threw me out.
There’s nothing left of me—
a withered weed, swept clean from the path.
12-17 Yet you, God, are sovereign still,
always and ever sovereign.
You’ll get up from your throne and help Zion—
it’s time for compassionate help.
Oh, how your servants love this city’s rubble
and weep with compassion over its dust!
The godless nations will sit up and take notice
—see your glory, worship your name—
When God rebuilds Zion,
when he shows up in all his glory,
When he attends to the prayer of the wretched.
He won’t dismiss their prayer.
18-22 Write this down for the next generation
so people not yet born will praise God:
“God looked out from his high holy place;
from heaven he surveyed the earth.
He listened to the groans of the doomed,
he opened the doors of their death cells.”
Write it so the story can be told in Zion,
so God’s praise will be sung in Jerusalem’s streets
And wherever people gather together
along with their rulers to worship him.
23-28 God sovereignly brought me to my knees,
he cut me down in my prime.
“Oh, don’t,” I prayed, “please don’t let me die.
You have more years than you know what to do with!
You laid earth’s foundations a long time ago,
and handcrafted the very heavens;
You’ll still be around when they’re long gone,
threadbare and discarded like an old suit of clothes.
You’ll throw them away like a worn-out coat,
but year after year you’re as good as new.
Your servants’ children will have a good place to live
and their children will be at home with you.”
103 1-2 O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
6-18 God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.
19-22 God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by God.
And you, O my soul, bless God!
104 1-14 O my soul, bless God!
God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly reservoirs;
earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
hay for the animals that plow the ground.
14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
a people well-fed and hearty.
God’s trees are well-watered—
the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
the sun is in charge of each day.
When it’s dark and night takes over,
all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I’m so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
no more godless men and women!
O my soul, bless God!
Psalm 102-104
New International Version
Psalm 102-104
New International Version
Psalm 102[a]
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer,(A) Lord;
let my cry for help(B) come to you.
2 Do not hide your face(C) from me
when I am in distress.
Turn your ear(D) to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.
3 For my days vanish like smoke;(E)
my bones(F) burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;(G)
I forget to eat my food.(H)
5 In my distress I groan aloud(I)
and am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,(J)
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake;(K) I have become
like a bird alone(L) on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies(M) taunt me;(N)
those who rail against me use my name as a curse.(O)
9 For I eat ashes(P) as my food
and mingle my drink with tears(Q)
10 because of your great wrath,(R)
for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;(S)
I wither(T) away like grass.
12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;(U)
your renown endures(V) through all generations.(W)
13 You will arise(X) and have compassion(Y) on Zion,
for it is time(Z) to show favor(AA) to her;
the appointed time(AB) has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear(AC) the name of the Lord,
all the kings(AD) of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion(AE)
and appear in his glory.(AF)
17 He will respond to the prayer(AG) of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written(AH) for a future generation,
that a people not yet created(AI) may praise the Lord:
19 “The Lord looked down(AJ) from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners(AK)
and release those condemned to death.”
21 So the name of the Lord will be declared(AL) in Zion
and his praise(AM) in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship(AN) the Lord.
23 In the course of my life[b] he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.(AO)
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on(AP) through all generations.
25 In the beginning(AQ) you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens(AR) are the work of your hands.(AS)
26 They will perish,(AT) but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,(AU)
and your years will never end.(AV)
28 The children of your servants(AW) will live in your presence;
their descendants(AX) will be established before you.”
Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the Lord,(AY) my soul;(AZ)
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(BA)
2 Praise the Lord,(BB) my soul,
and forget not(BC) all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins(BD)
and heals(BE) all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life(BF) from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,(BG)
5 who satisfies(BH) your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed(BI) like the eagle’s.(BJ)
7 He made known(BM) his ways(BN) to Moses,
his deeds(BO) to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(BP)
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;(BQ)
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve(BR)
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love(BS) for those who fear him;(BT)
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions(BU) from us.
13 As a father has compassion(BV) on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,(BW)
he remembers that we are dust.(BX)
15 The life of mortals is like grass,(BY)
they flourish like a flower(BZ) of the field;
16 the wind blows(CA) over it and it is gone,
and its place(CB) remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children(CC)—
18 with those who keep his covenant(CD)
and remember(CE) to obey his precepts.(CF)
20 Praise the Lord,(CI) you his angels,(CJ)
you mighty ones(CK) who do his bidding,(CL)
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(CM)
you his servants(CN) who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works(CO)
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.(CP)
Psalm 104
1 Praise the Lord, my soul.(CQ)
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.(CR)
2 The Lord wraps(CS) himself in light(CT) as with a garment;
he stretches(CU) out the heavens(CV) like a tent(CW)
3 and lays the beams(CX) of his upper chambers on their waters.(CY)
He makes the clouds(CZ) his chariot(DA)
and rides on the wings of the wind.(DB)
4 He makes winds his messengers,[c](DC)
flames of fire(DD) his servants.
5 He set the earth(DE) on its foundations;(DF)
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it(DG) with the watery depths(DH) as with a garment;
the waters stood(DI) above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke(DJ) the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder(DK) they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned(DL) for them.
9 You set a boundary(DM) they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
10 He makes springs(DN) pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water(DO) to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys(DP) quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky(DQ) nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.(DR)
13 He waters the mountains(DS) from his upper chambers;(DT)
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.(DU)
14 He makes grass grow(DV) for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food(DW) from the earth:
15 wine(DX) that gladdens human hearts,
oil(DY) to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains(DZ) their hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord(EA) are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon(EB) that he planted.
17 There the birds(EC) make their nests;
the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;(ED)
the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.(EE)
19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,(EF)
and the sun(EG) knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness,(EH) it becomes night,(EI)
and all the beasts of the forest(EJ) prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey(EK)
and seek their food from God.(EL)
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.(EM)
23 Then people go out to their work,(EN)
to their labor until evening.(EO)
24 How many are your works,(EP) Lord!
In wisdom you made(EQ) them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.(ER)
25 There is the sea,(ES) vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.(ET)
26 There the ships(EU) go to and fro,
and Leviathan,(EV) which you formed to frolic(EW) there.(EX)
27 All creatures look to you
to give them their food(EY) at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied(EZ) with good things.
29 When you hide your face,(FA)
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.(FB)
30 When you send your Spirit,(FC)
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord(FD) endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works(FE)—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,(FF)
who touches the mountains,(FG) and they smoke.(FH)
33 I will sing(FI) to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice(FJ) in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish(FK) from the earth
and the wicked be no more.(FL)
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Footnotes
- Psalm 102:1 In Hebrew texts 102:1-28 is numbered 102:2-29.
- Psalm 102:23 Or By his power
- Psalm 104:4 Or angels
- Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.