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102 (0) Prayer of a sufferer overcome by weakness and pouring out his complaint before Adonai:

(1) Adonai, hear my prayer!
Let my cry for help reach you!
(2) Don’t hide your face from me
when I am in such distress!
Turn your ear toward me;
when I call, be quick to reply!

(3) For my days are vanishing like smoke,
my bones are burning like a furnace.
(4) I am stricken and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.
(5) Because of my loud groaning,
I am just skin and bones.
(6) I am like a great owl in the desert,
I’ve become like an owl in the ruins.
(7) I lie awake and become
like a bird alone on the roof.

(8) My enemies taunt me all day long;
mad with rage, they make my name a curse.
10 (9) For I have been eating ashes like bread
and mingling tears with my drink
11 (10) because of your furious anger,
since you picked me up just to toss me aside.
12 (11) My days decline like an evening shadow;
I am drying up like grass.

13 (12) But you, Adonai, are enthroned forever;
your renown will endure through all generations.
14 (13) You will arise and take pity on Tziyon,
for the time has come to have mercy on her;
the time determined has come.
15 (14) For your servants love her very stones;
they take pity even on her dust.

16 (15) The nations will fear the name of Adonai
and all the kings on earth your glory,
17 (16) when Adonai has rebuilt Tziyon,
and shows himself in his glory,
18 (17) when he has heeded the plea of the poor
and not despised their prayer.
19 (18) May this be put on record for a future generation;
may a people yet to be created praise Adonai.

20 (19) For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary;
from heaven Adonai surveys the earth
21 (20) to listen to the sighing of the prisoner,
to set free those who are sentenced to death,
22 (21) to proclaim the name of Adonai in Tziyon
and his praise in Yerushalayim
23 (22) when peoples and kingdoms have been gathered together
to serve Adonai.

24 (23) He has broken my strength in midcourse,
he has cut short my days.
25 (24) I plead, “God, your years last through all generations;
so don’t take me away when my life is half over!

26 (25) In the beginning, you laid the foundations of the earth;
heaven is the work of your hands.
27 (26) They will vanish, but you will remain;
like clothing, they will all grow old;
yes, you will change them like clothing,
and they will pass away.
28 (27) But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
29 (28) The children of your servants will live securely
and their descendants be established in your presence.”

103 (0) By David:

(1) Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!

He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

Adonai brings vindication and justice
to all who are oppressed.
He made his ways known to Moshe,
his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.
Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in grace.
He will not always accuse,
he will not keep his anger forever.
10 He has not treated us as our sins deserve
or paid us back for our offenses,
11 because his mercy toward those who fear him
is as far above earth as heaven.
12 He has removed our sins from us
as far as the east is from the west.

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he understands how we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,
he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —
16 but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear him
is from eternity past to eternity future,
and his righteousness extends
to his children’s children,
18 provided they keep his covenant
and remember to follow his precepts.

19 Adonai has established his throne in heaven;
his kingly power rules everything.
20 Bless Adonai, you angels of his,
you mighty warriors who obey his word,
who carry out his orders!
21 Bless Adonai, all his troops,
who serve him and do what he wants!
22 Bless Adonai, all his works,
in every place where he rules!
Bless Adonai, my soul!

104 Bless Adonai, my soul!
Adonai, my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with glory and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a robe.
You spread out the heavens like a curtain,
you laid the beams of your palace on the water.
You make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind.
You make winds your messengers,
fiery flames your servants.

You fixed the earth on its foundations,
never to be moved.
You covered it with the deep like a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they rushed away,
flowing over hills, pouring into valleys,
down to the place you had fixed for them.
You determined a boundary they could not cross;
they were never to cover the earth again.

10 You make springs gush forth in the vadis;
they flow between the hills,
11 supplying water to all the wild animals;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 On their banks the birds of the air build their nests;
among the branches they sing.
13 You water the mountains from your palace;
the earth is satisfied with how you provide —
14 You grow grass for the cattle;
and for people you grow the plants they need
to bring forth bread from the earth,
15 wine that gladdens the human heart,
oil to make faces glow,
and food to sustain their strength.

16 Adonai’s trees are satisfied —
the cedars of the L’vanon, which he has planted.
17 In them sparrows build their nests,
while storks live in the fir trees.
18 For the wild goats there are the high mountains,
while the coneys find refuge in the rocks.

19 You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
20 You bring darkness, and it is night,
the time when all forest animals prowl.
21 The young lions roar after their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, they slink away
and lie down to rest in their dens;
23 while people go out to their work,
laboring on till evening.

24 What variety there is in your works, Adonai!
How many [of them there are]!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creations.

25 Look at the sea, so great, so wide!
It teems with countless creatures,
living beings, both large and small.
26 The ships are there, sailing to and fro;
Livyatan, which you formed to play there.

27 All of them look to you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are well satisfied.
29 If you hide your face, they vanish;
if you hold back their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
30 If you send out your breath, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of Adonai last forever!
May Adonai rejoice in his works!
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles;
when he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to Adonai as long as I live,
sing praise to my God all my life.
34 May my musings be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in Adonai.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more!
Bless Adonai, my soul!

Halleluyah!

Psalm 102[a]

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

Hear my prayer,(A) Lord;
    let my cry for help(B) come to you.
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.

For my days vanish like smoke;(E)
    my bones(F) burn like glowing embers.
My heart is blighted and withered like grass;(G)
    I forget to eat my food.(H)
In my distress I groan aloud(I)
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
I am like a desert owl,(J)
    like an owl among the ruins.
I lie awake;(K) I have become
    like a bird alone(L) on a roof.
All day long my enemies(M) taunt me;(N)
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.(O)
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.

Praise the Lord,(AY) my soul;(AZ)
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.(BA)
Praise the Lord,(BB) my soul,
    and forget not(BC) all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins(BD)
    and heals(BE) all your diseases,
who redeems your life(BF) from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,(BG)
who satisfies(BH) your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed(BI) like the eagle’s.(BJ)

The Lord works righteousness(BK)
    and justice for all the oppressed.(BL)

He made known(BM) his ways(BN) to Moses,
    his deeds(BO) to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(BP)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
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)

19 The Lord has established his throne(CG) in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules(CH) over all.

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

Praise the Lord, my soul.(CQ)

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.(CR)

The Lord wraps(CS) himself in light(CT) as with a garment;
    he stretches(CU) out the heavens(CV) like a tent(CW)
    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)
He makes winds his messengers,[c](DC)
    flames of fire(DD) his servants.

He set the earth(DE) on its foundations;(DF)
    it can never be moved.
You covered it(DG) with the watery depths(DH) as with a garment;
    the waters stood(DI) above the mountains.
But at your rebuke(DJ) the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder(DK) they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned(DL) for them.
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.

Praise the Lord.[d](FM)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:1 In Hebrew texts 102:1-28 is numbered 102:2-29.
  2. Psalm 102:23 Or By his power
  3. Psalm 104:4 Or angels
  4. Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

102 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.

Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.

I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

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

10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

12 But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

16 When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.

19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;

20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.

24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

104 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.

10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

17 Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.

18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works.

32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.