Psalm 102–104
A Prayer of the Afflicted, aWhen He is Overwhelmed and Pours Out His Complaint Before the Lord.
And let my cry come to You.
2 bDo not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days 1are cconsumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my 2skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the 3nations shall dfear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion;
eHe shall appear in His glory.
17 fHe shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
18 This will be gwritten for the generation to come,
That ha people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
19 For He ilooked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
20 jTo hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
21 To kdeclare the name of the Lord in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 lWhen the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He weakened my strength in the way;
He mshortened my days.
24 nI said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
oYour years are throughout all generations.
25 pOf old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 qThey will perish, but You will 4endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But rYou are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 sThe children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
A Psalm of David.
1 Bless athe Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
And forget not all His benefits:
3 bWho forgives all your iniquities,
Who cheals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
dWho crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that eyour youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 fHe made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 gThe Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 hHe will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 iHe has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He jremoved our transgressions from us.
13 kAs a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He 1knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, lhis days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 mFor the wind passes over it, and it is 2gone,
And nits place remembers it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 oTo such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And pHis kingdom rules over all.
20 qBless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who rdo His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
sYou 3ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise to the Sovereign Lord For His Creation and Providence
1 Bless athe Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
3 bHe lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His 1ministers a flame of fire.
5 You who 2laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You ccovered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 3They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9 You have dset a boundary that they may not pass over,
eThat they may not return to cover the earth.
10 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13 fHe waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with gthe fruit of Your works.
14 hHe causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth ifood from the earth,
15 And jwine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the krock 4badgers.
19 lHe appointed the moon for seasons;
The msun knows its going down.
20 nYou make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 oThe young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
23 Man goes out to phis work
And to his labor until the evening.
24 qO Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your rpossessions—
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26 There the ships sail about;
Which You have 6made to play there.
27 tThese all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
28 What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;
uYou take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 vYou send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord wrejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth, and it xtrembles;
yHe touches the hills, and they smoke.
33 zI will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my ameditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
35 May bsinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
7Praise the Lord!