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 D o 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.

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 are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned 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 stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.

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

5 B ecause of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin.

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

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

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

7 I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.

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

8 M y enemies reproach me all day long; Those who deride me swear an oath against me.

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

9 F or I have eaten ashes like bread, And 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 lifted 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 a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.

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

12 B ut You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name 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 on Zion; For the time to favor 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 her stones, And show favor to her dust.

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

15 S o the nations shall fear 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 F or the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.

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

17 H e shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.

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

18 T his will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may 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 the Lord viewed 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 groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,

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

21 T o 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 the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

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

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

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

24 I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.

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

25 O f old You laid the foundation of the earth, And 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 will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.

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 are the same, And Your years will have no end.

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

28 T he children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You.”

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