1 H ear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You.

A Prayer of the afflicted when he is feeble, and before Jehovah poureth out his plaint. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, yea, my cry to Thee cometh.

2 H ide not Your face from me in the day when I am in distress! Incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily.

Hide not Thou Thy face from me, In a day of mine adversity, Incline unto me Thine ear, In the day I call, haste, answer me.

3 F or my days consume away like smoke, and my bones burn like a firebrand or like a hearth.

For consumed in smoke have been my days, And my bones as a fire-brand have burned.

4 M y heart is smitten like grass and withered, so that I forget to eat my food.

Smitten as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.

5 B y reason of my loud groaning my flesh cleaves to my bones.

From the voice of my sighing Hath my bone cleaved to my flesh.

6 I am like a melancholy pelican or vulture of the wilderness; I am like a owl of the waste places.

I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.

7 I am sleepless and lie awake, like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.

I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.

8 M y adversaries taunt and reproach me all the day; and they who are angry with me use my name as a curse.

All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.

9 F or I have eaten the ashes as if they were bread and have mingled my drink with weeping

Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled,

10 B ecause of Your indignation and Your wrath, for You have taken me up and cast me away.

From Thine indignation and Thy wrath, For Thou hast lifted me up, And dost cast me down.

11 M y days are like an evening shadow that stretches out and declines; and I am withered like grass.

My days as a shadow stretched out, And I -- as the herb I am withered.

12 B ut You, O Lord, are enthroned forever; and the fame of Your name endures to all generations.

And Thou, O Jehovah, to the age abidest, And Thy memorial to all generations.

13 Y ou will arise and have mercy and loving-kindness for Zion, for it is time to have pity and compassion for her; yes, the set time has come.

Thou -- Thou risest -- Thou pitiest Zion, For the time to favour her, For the appointed time hath come.

14 F or Your servants take pleasure in the stones and show pity for her dust.

For Thy servants have been pleased with her stones, And her dust they favour.

15 S o the nations shall fear and worshipfully revere the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

And nations fear the name of Jehovah, And all kings of the earth Thine honour,

16 W hen the Lord builds up Zion, He will appear in His glory;

For Jehovah hath builded Zion, He hath been seen in His honour,

17 H e will regard the plea of the destitute and will not despise their prayer.

He turned unto the prayer of the destitute, And He hath not despised their prayer.

18 L et this be recorded for the generation yet unborn, that a people yet to be created shall praise the Lord.

This is written for a later generation, And the people created do praise Jah.

19 F or He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold the earth,

For He hath looked From the high place of His sanctuary. Jehovah from heaven unto earth looked attentively,

20 T o hear the sighing and groaning of the prisoner, to loose those who are appointed to death,

To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,

21 S o that men may declare the name of the Lord in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem

To declare in Zion the name of Jehovah, And His praise in Jerusalem,

22 W hen peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to worship and serve the Lord.

In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms -- to serve Jehovah.

23 H e has afflicted and weakened my strength, humbling and bringing me low in the way; He has shortened my days.

He hath humbled in the way my power, He hath shortened my days.

24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, You Whose years continue throughout all generations.

I say, `My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations Thine years.

25 A t the beginning You existed and laid the foundations of the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Beforetime the earth Thou didst found, And the work of Thy hands the heavens.

26 T hey shall perish, but You shall remain and endure; yes, all of them shall wear out and become old like a garment. Like clothing You shall change them, and they shall be changed and pass away.

They -- They perish, and Thou remainest, And all of them as a garment become old, As clothing Thou changest them, And they are changed.

27 B ut You remain the same, and Your years shall have no end.

And Thou the same, and Thine years are not finished.

28 T he children of Your servants shall dwell safely and continue, and their descendants shall be established before You.

The sons of Thy servants do continue, And their seed before Thee is established!