Psalm 102-106

English Standard Version

³ For my days ^(J)pass away like smoke,
    and my ^(K)bones burn like a furnace.
⁴ My heart is ^(L)struck down like grass and ^(M)has withered;
    I ^(N)forget to eat my bread.
⁵ Because of my loud groaning
    my ^(O)bones cling to my flesh.
⁶ I am like ^(P)a desert owl of the wilderness,
    like an owl^[a] of the waste places;
⁷ I ^(Q)lie awake;
    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
⁸ All the day my enemies taunt me;
    those who ^(R)deride me ^(S)use my name for a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes like bread
    and ^(T)mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰ because of your indignation and anger;
    for you have ^(U)taken me up and ^(V)thrown me down.
¹¹ My days are like ^(W)an evening shadow;
    I ^(X)wither away like grass.

¹² But you, O Lord, are ^(Y)enthroned forever;
    you ^(Z)are remembered throughout all generations.
¹³ You will ^(AA)arise and have ^(AB)pity on Zion;
    it is the time to favor her;
    ^(AC)the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For your servants hold her ^(AD)stones dear
    and have pity on her dust.
¹⁵ Nations will ^(AE)fear the name of the Lord,
    and all ^(AF)the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord ^(AG)builds up Zion;
    he ^(AH)appears in his glory;
¹⁷ he ^(AI)regards the prayer of the destitute
    and does not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be ^(AJ)recorded for ^(AK)a generation to come,
    so that ^(AL)a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
¹⁹ that he ^(AM)looked down from his holy height;
    from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰ to hear ^(AN)the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free ^(AO)those who were doomed to die,
²¹ that they may ^(AP)declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
    and in Jerusalem his praise,
²² when ^(AQ)peoples gather together,
    and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³ He has broken my strength in midcourse;
    he ^(AR)has shortened my days.
²⁴ “O my God,” ^(AS)I say, “take me not away
    in the midst of my days—
^(AT)you whose years endure
    throughout all generations!”

^25 (AU)Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
    and ^(AV)the heavens are the work of your hands.
^26 (AW)They will perish, but ^(AX)you will remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
²⁷     but ^(AY)you are the same, and your years have no end.
^28 (AZ)The children of your servants ^(BA)shall dwell secure;
    ^(BB)their offspring shall be established before you.

⁶ The Lord works ^(BL)righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ^(BM)ways to Moses,
    his ^(BN)acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is ^(BO)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
^9 (BP)He will not always chide,
    nor will he ^(BQ)keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us ^(BR)according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For ^(BS)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his ^(BT)steadfast love toward ^(BU)those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he ^(BV)remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As ^(BW)a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion ^(BX)to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;^[b]
    he ^(BY)remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like ^(BZ)grass;
    he flourishes like ^(CA)a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for ^(CB)the wind passes over it, and ^(CC)it is gone,
    and ^(CD)its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But ^(CE)the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on ^(CF)those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to ^(CG)children's children,
¹⁸ to those who ^(CH)keep his covenant
    and ^(CI)remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has ^(CJ)established his throne in the heavens,
    and his ^(CK)kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you ^(CL)his angels,
    you ^(CM)mighty ones who ^(CN)do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his ^(CO)hosts,
    his ^(CP)ministers, who do his will!
^22 (CQ)Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
^(CR)Bless the Lord, O my soul!

⁵ He ^(DE)set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
⁶ You ^(DF)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ At ^(DG)your rebuke they fled;
    at ^(DH)the sound of your thunder they ^(DI)took to flight.
⁸ The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you ^(DJ)appointed for them.
⁹ You set ^(DK)a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they ^(DL)might not again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
¹¹ they ^(DM)give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
^13 (DN)From your lofty abode you ^(DO)water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴ You cause ^(DP)the grass to grow for the livestock
    and ^(DQ)plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth ^(DR)food from the earth
¹⁵     and ^(DS)wine to gladden the heart of man,
^(DT)oil to make his face shine
    and bread to ^(DU)strengthen man's heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    ^(DV)the cedars of Lebanon ^(DW)that he planted.
¹⁷ In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for ^(DX)the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for ^(DY)the rock badgers.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the ^(DZ)seasons;^[c]
    the sun knows its time for setting.
^20 (EA)You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
^21 (EB)The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their ^(EC)dens.
^23 (ED)Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In ^(EE)wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the sea, great and wide,
    ^(EF)which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships,
    and ^(EG)Leviathan, which you formed to ^(EH)play in it.^[d]

²⁷ These ^(EI)all look to you,
    to ^(EJ)give them their food in due season.
²⁸ When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you ^(EK)open your hand, they are filled with good things.
²⁹ When you ^(EL)hide your face, they are ^(EM)dismayed;
    when you ^(EN)take away their breath, they die
    and ^(EO)return to their dust.
³⁰ When you ^(EP)send forth your Spirit,^[e] they are created,
    and you ^(EQ)renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord ^(ER)endure forever;
    may the Lord ^(ES)rejoice in his works,
³² who looks on the earth and it ^(ET)trembles,
    who ^(EU)touches the mountains and they smoke!
³³ I will sing to the Lord ^(EV)as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
³⁴ May my ^(EW)meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ Let ^(EX)sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
^(EY)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
^(EZ)Praise the Lord!

⁷ He is the Lord our God;
    his ^(FK)judgments are in all the earth.
⁸ He ^(FL)remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for ^(FM)a thousand generations,
^9 (FN)the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his ^(FO)sworn promise to Isaac,
¹⁰ which he confirmed to ^(FP)Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
¹¹ saying, ^(FQ)“To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as ^(FR)your portion for an inheritance.”

¹² When they were ^(FS)few in number,
    of little account, and ^(FT)sojourners in it,
¹³ wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
¹⁴ he ^(FU)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he ^(FV)rebuked kings on their account,
¹⁵ saying, ^(FW)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

¹⁶ When he ^(FX)summoned a famine on the land
    and ^(FY)broke all supply^[f] of bread,
¹⁷ he had ^(FZ)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was ^(GA)sold as a slave.
¹⁸ His ^(GB)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
¹⁹ until ^(GC)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord ^(GD)tested him.
^20 (GE)The king sent and ^(GF)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
²¹ he ^(GG)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
²² to bind^[g] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then ^(GH)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob ^(GI)sojourned in ^(GJ)the land of Ham.
²⁴ And the Lord ^(GK)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
²⁵ He ^(GL)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to ^(GM)deal craftily with his servants.

²⁶ He ^(GN)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, ^(GO)whom he had chosen.
^27 (GP)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in ^(GQ)the land of Ham.
²⁸ He ^(GR)sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they ^(GS)did not rebel^[h] against his words.
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood
    and ^(GT)caused their fish to die.
³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in ^(GU)the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke, and there came ^(GV)swarms of flies,
    ^(GW)and gnats throughout their country.
³² He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery ^(GX)lightning bolts through their land.
³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and ^(GY)shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke, and the ^(GZ)locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
³⁵ which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
³⁶ He ^(HA)struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    ^(HB)the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then he brought out Israel with ^(HC)silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
^38 (HD)Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for ^(HE)dread of them had fallen upon it.

³⁹ He ^(HF)spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
^40 (HG)They asked, and he ^(HH)brought quail,
    and gave them ^(HI)bread from heaven in abundance.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and ^(HJ)water gushed out;
    it flowed through ^(HK)the desert like a river.
⁴² For he ^(HL)remembered his holy promise,
    and ^(HM)Abraham, his servant.

⁴³ So he brought his people out with joy,
    his ^(HN)chosen ones with ^(HO)singing.
⁴⁴ And he ^(HP)gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
⁴⁵ that they might ^(HQ)keep his statutes
    and ^(HR)observe his laws.
^(HS)Praise the Lord!

^4 (HY)Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you save them,^[i]
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your ^(HZ)chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory with your inheritance.

^6 (IA)Both we and ^(IB)our fathers have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
⁷ Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
    did not consider your wondrous works;
they ^(IC)did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
    but ^(ID)rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
⁸ Yet he saved them ^(IE)for his name's sake,
    ^(IF)that he might make known his mighty power.
⁹ He ^(IG)rebuked the Red Sea, and it ^(IH)became dry,
    and he ^(II)led them through the deep as through a desert.
¹⁰ So he ^(IJ)saved them from the hand of the foe
    and ^(IK)redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
¹¹ And ^(IL)the waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them was left.
¹² Then ^(IM)they believed his words;
    they ^(IN)sang his praise.

¹³ But they soon ^(IO)forgot his works;
    they did not wait for ^(IP)his counsel.
¹⁴ But they had ^(IQ)a wanton craving in the wilderness,
    and ^(IR)put God to the test in the desert;
¹⁵ he ^(IS)gave them what they asked,
    but sent ^(IT)a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶ When men in the camp ^(IU)were jealous of Moses
    and Aaron, ^(IV)the holy one of the Lord,
^17 (IW)the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
    and covered the company of Abiram.
^18 (IX)Fire also broke out in their company;
    the flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹ They ^(IY)made a calf in Horeb
    and worshiped a metal image.
²⁰ They ^(IZ)exchanged the glory of God^[j]
    for the image of an ox that eats grass.
²¹ They ^(JA)forgot God, their Savior,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
²² wondrous works in ^(JB)the land of Ham,
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³ Therefore ^(JC)he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his ^(JD)chosen one,
^(JE)stood in the breach before him,
    to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they ^(JF)despised ^(JG)the pleasant land,
    having ^(JH)no faith in his promise.
²⁵ They ^(JI)murmured in their tents,
    and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
²⁶ Therefore he ^(JJ)raised his hand and swore to them
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
²⁷ and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
    ^(JK)scattering them among the lands.

²⁸ Then they ^(JL)yoked themselves to the ^(JM)Baal of Peor,
    and ate sacrifices offered to ^(JN)the dead;
²⁹ they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰ Then ^(JO)Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was stayed.
³¹ And that was ^(JP)counted to him as righteousness
    from generation to generation forever.

³² They ^(JQ)angered him at the waters of Meribah,
    and it went ill with Moses on their account,
³³ for they ^(JR)made his spirit bitter,^[k]
    and he ^(JS)spoke rashly with his lips.

³⁴ They did not ^(JT)destroy the peoples,
    ^(JU)as the Lord commanded them,
³⁵ but they ^(JV)mixed with the nations
    and learned to do as they did.
³⁶ They served their idols,
    which became ^(JW)a snare to them.
³⁷ They ^(JX)sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to ^(JY)the demons;
³⁸ they poured out innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was ^(JZ)polluted with blood.
³⁹ Thus they ^(KA)became unclean by their acts,
    and ^(KB)played the whore in their deeds.

⁴⁰ Then ^(KC)the anger of the Lord was kindled against ^(KD)his people,
    and he abhorred his ^(KE)heritage;
⁴¹ he ^(KF)gave them into the hand of the nations,
    so that those who hated them ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies ^(KG)oppressed them,
    and they were brought into subjection under their power.
^43 (KH)Many times he delivered them,
    but they were rebellious in their ^(KI)purposes
    and were ^(KJ)brought low through their iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
    when he ^(KK)heard their cry.
⁴⁵ For their sake he ^(KL)remembered his covenant,
    and ^(KM)relented according to ^(KN)the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁴⁶ He caused them to be ^(KO)pitied
    by all those who held them captive.

^47 (KP)Save us, O Lord our God,
    and ^(KQ)gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

^48 (KR)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
^(KS)And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    ^(KT)Praise the Lord!