Psalm 102

AFFLICTION IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY

A prayer of a suffering person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.d

1 Lord, hear my prayer;

let my cry for help come before you.e

2 Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble.

Listen closely to me;

answer me quickly when I call.f

3 For my days vanish like smoke,

and my bones burn like a furnace.g

4 My heart is suffering, withered like grass;h

I even forget to eat my food.i

5 Because of the sound of my groaning,

my flesh sticks to my bones.j

6 I am like an eagle owl,

like a little owl among the ruins.k

7 I stay awake;l

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

8 My enemies taunt me all day long;

they ridicule and use my name as a curse.m

9 I eat ashes like bread

and mingle my drinks with tearsn

10 because of your indignation and wrath;

for you have picked me up and thrown me aside.o

11 My days are like a lengthening shadow,

and I wither away like grass.p

12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;q

your fame endures to all generations.r

13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her—

the appointed time has come.s

14 For your servants take delight in its stones

and favor its dust.t

15 Then the nations will fear the name of the Lord,

and all the kings of the earth your glory,u

16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion;

he will appear in his glory.v

17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute

and will not despise their prayer.w

18 This will be written for a later generation,

and a people who have not yet been created will praise the Lord:x

19 He looked down from his holy heights—

the Lord gazed out from heaven to earthy—

20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning,

to set free those condemned to die,B,z

21 so that they might declare

the name of the Lord in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalemaa

22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled

to serve the Lord.ab

23 He has broken myC strength in midcourse;

he has shortened my days.ac

24 I say, “My God, do not take me

in the middle of my life!D

Your years continue through all generations.ad

25 Long ago you established the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.ae

26 They will perish, but you will endure;

all of them will wear out like clothing.

You will change them like a garment,

and they will pass away.af

27 But you are the same,

and your years will never end.ag

28 Your servants’ children will dwell securely,

and their offspring will be established before you.”ah

Psalm 103

THE FORGIVING GOD

Of David.

1 My soul, bless the Lord,

and all that is within me, bless his holy name.a

2 My soul, bless the Lord,

and do not forget all his benefits.b

3 He forgives all your iniquity;c

he heals all your diseases.d

4 He redeems your life from the Pit;e

he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.f

5 He satisfies youA with good things;g

your youth is renewed like the eagle.h

6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.i

7 He revealed his ways to Moses,j

his deeds to the people of Israel.k

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.l

9 He will not always accuse us

or be angry forever.m

10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve

or repaid us according to our iniquities.n

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his faithful love

toward those who fear him.o

12 As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed

our transgressions from us.p

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.q

14 For he knows what we are made of,

remembering that we are dust.r

15 As for man, his days are like grass—

he blooms like a flower of the field;s

16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,

and its place is no longer known.B,t

17 But from eternity to eternity

the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him,

and his righteousness toward the grandchildrenu

18 of those who keep his covenant,

who remember to observe his precepts.v

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.w

20 Bless the Lord,

all his angels of great strength,

who do his word,

obedient to his command.x

21 Bless the Lord, all his armies,

his servants who do his will.y

22 Bless the Lord, all his works

in all the places where he rules.z

My soul, bless the Lord!

Psalm 104

GOD THE CREATOR

1 My soul, bless the Lord!

Lord my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with majesty and splendor.aa

2 He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe,

spreading out the sky like a canopy,ab

3 laying the beams of his palace

on the waters above,ac

making the clouds his chariot,ad

walking on the wings of the wind,ae

4 and making the winds his messengers,C

flames of fire his servants.af

5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be shaken.ag

6 You covered it with the deep

as if it were a garment;

the water stood above the mountains.ah

7 At your rebuke the water fled;

at the sound of your thunder they hurried awayai—

8 mountains rose and valleys sankD—

to the place you established for them.aj

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;

they will never cover the earth again.a

10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;

they flow between the mountains.b

11 They supply water for every wild beast;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.c

12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs;

they make their voices heard among the foliage.d

13 He waters the mountains from his palace;

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor.e

14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock

and provides crops for man to cultivate,

producing food from the earth,f

15 wine that makes human hearts glad—

making his face shine with oil—

and bread that sustains human hearts.g

16 The trees of the Lord flourish,A

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.h

17 There the birds make their nests;

storks make their homes in the pine trees.i

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;

the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.j

19 He made the moon to mark theB festivals;C

the sun knows when to set.k

20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the forest animals stir.l

21 The young lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.m

22 The sun rises; they go back

and lie down in their dens.n

23 Man goes out to his work

and to his labor until evening.o

24 How countless are your works, Lord!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.D,p

25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,

teeming with creatures beyond number—

living things both large and small.q

26 There the ships move about,

and Leviathan, which you formed to play there.r

27 All of them wait for you

to give them their food at the right time.s

28 When you give it to them,

they gather it;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.t

29 When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.u

30 When you send your breath,E

they are created,*

and you renew the surface of the ground.v

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

may the Lord rejoice in his works.w

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;

he touches the mountains,

and they pour out smoke.x

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God while I live.y

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him;

I will rejoice in the Lord.z

35 May sinners vanish from the earth

and wicked people be no more.aa

My soul, bless the Lord!

Hallelujah!