Psalm 102

A prayer of a person who is suffering. This is for when he feels weak and wants to tell his complaints to the Lord.

¹Lord, hear my prayer. Listen to my cry for help. ²Lord, don’t turn away from me when I have troubles. Listen to me. When I cry for help, quickly answer me. ³My life is passing away like smoke. My life is like a fire slowly burning out. ⁴My strength is gone—I am like dry, dying grass. I even forget to eat my food. ⁵Because of my sadness, I am losing weight.* ⁶I am lonely like an owl living in the desert. I am alone like an owl living in old ruined buildings. ⁷I can’t sleep. I am like a lonely bird on a roof. ⁸My enemies always insult me. They make fun of me and curse me. ⁹My great sadness is my only food. My tears fall into my drinks. ¹⁰Why? Because you are angry at me, Lord. You lifted me up and then you threw me away. ¹¹My life is almost finished, like the long shadows at the end of the day. I am like dry and dying grass. ¹²But Lord, you will live forever! Your name will continue forever and ever! ¹³You will rise and comfort Zion.* The time is coming when you will be kind to Zion. ¹⁴Your servants love her (Zion‘s) stones. They love even the dust of that city! ¹⁵People will worship the Lord’s name. God, all the kings on earth will honor you. ¹⁶The Lord will build Zion again. People will again see her glory. ¹⁷God will answer the prayers of the people he left alive. God will listen to their prayers. ¹⁸Write these things for the future generation. And in the future, those people will praise the Lord. ¹⁹The Lord will look down from his Holy Place above. The Lord will look down at the earth from heaven. ²⁰And he will hear the prisoner’s prayers. He will free the people who were condemned to die. ²¹Then people in Zion will tell about the Lord. They will praise his name in Jerusalem. ²²Nations will be gathered together. Kingdoms will come to serve the Lord. ²³My strength failed me. My life is cut short. ²⁴So I said, “Don’t let me die while I am still young. God, you will live forever and ever! ²⁵Long ago, you made the world. You made the sky with your own hands! ²⁶The world and sky will end, but you will live forever! They will wear out like clothes. And, like clothes, you will change them. They will all be changed. ²⁷But you, God, never change. You will live forever! ²⁸We are your servants {today}. Our children will live here. And even their descendants will be here to worship you.

I am losing weight Literally, “my bones stick to my skin.” Zion The southeast part of the mountain Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the people of God living in Jerusalem.

Psalm 103

A song of David.*

¹My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! ²My soul, praise the Lord! And don’t forget that he is truly kind. ³God forgives us for all the sins we do. He heals all our sicknesses. ⁴God saves our life from the grave. And he gives us love and compassion. ⁵God gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle. ⁶The Lord is fair. God brings justice to people that have been hurt by other people. ⁷God taught his laws to Moses. God let Israel see the powerful things he can do! ⁸The Lord is compassionate and merciful. God is patient and full of love. ⁹The Lord does not always criticize. The Lord does not stay angry at us forever. ¹⁰We sinned against God but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. ¹¹God’s love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. ¹²And God has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. ¹³The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children. ¹⁴God knows all about us. God knows we are made from dust. ¹⁵God knows our lives are short. He knows our lives are like grass. ¹⁶God knows we are like a little wildflower. That flower grows quickly. Then the hot wind blows and the flower dies. Soon, you can’t even tell where the flower was growing. ¹⁷But the Lord has always loved his followers. And he will continue to love his followers forever and ever! God will be good to their children and to their children’s children. ¹⁸God is good to people who obey his Agreement. God is good to people who obey his commands. ¹⁹God’s throne is in heaven. And he rules over everything. ²⁰Angels, praise the Lord! You angels are the powerful soldiers who obey God’s commands. You listen to God and obey his commands. ²¹Praise the Lord, all his armies.* You are his servants. You do the things that God wants. ²²The Lord made everything in every place. God rules everything in every place. And all those things should praise the Lord! My soul, praise the Lord!

A song of David Or, “A song dedicated to David.” armies This word can mean, “armies,” “angels,” or the “stars and planets.” This word is part of the name translated, “Lord All-Powerful.” It shows God is in control of all the powers in the universe.