患难中的祈祷

受苦之人的祷告,在疲惫不堪时向耶和华的倾诉。

102 耶和华啊,求你听我的祷告,
垂听我的呼求!
我在危难的时候,
求你不要掩面不理我。
求你垂听我的呼求,
赶快应允我。
我的年日如烟消散,
我全身如火焚烧。
我的心被摧残,如草枯萎,
以致我不思饮食。
我因哀叹而瘦骨嶙峋。
我就像旷野中的鸮鸟,
又像废墟中的猫头鹰。
我无法入睡,
我就像屋顶上一只孤伶伶的麻雀。
我的仇敌终日辱骂我,
嘲笑我的用我的名字咒诅人。
我以炉灰为食物,
眼泪拌着水喝,
10 因为你向我大发烈怒,
把我抓起来丢在一边。
11 我的生命就像黄昏的影子,
又如枯干的草芥。

12 耶和华啊!唯有你永远做王,
你的大名万代长存。
13 你必怜悯锡安,
因为现在是你恩待她的时候了,时候到了。
14 你的仆人们喜爱城中的石头,
怜惜城中的尘土。
15 列国敬畏耶和华的名,
世上的君王都因祂的荣耀而战抖。
16 因为耶和华必重建锡安,
带着荣耀显现。
17 祂必垂听穷人的祷告,
不藐视他们的祈求。

18 要为后代记下这一切,
好让将来的人赞美耶和华。
19 耶和华从至高的圣所俯视人间,
从天上察看大地,
20 要垂听被囚之人的哀叹,
释放被判死刑的人。
21-22 这样,万族万国聚集、敬拜
耶和华时,
人们必在锡安传扬祂的名,
在耶路撒冷赞美祂。

23 祂使我未老先衰,
缩短了我的岁月。
24 我说:“我的上帝啊,
你世代长存,
求你不要叫我中年早逝。
25 太初你奠立大地的根基,
亲手创造诸天。
26 天地都要消亡,
但你永远长存。
天地都会像外衣渐渐破旧,
你必更换天地,如同更换衣服,
天地都要消逝。
27 但你永远不变,
你的年日永无穷尽。
28 你仆人的后代必生生不息,
在你面前安然居住。”

A Plea for Personal and National Help

A prayer of one afflicted, when he grows faint

and pours out his lament before Yahweh.[a]

102 O Yahweh, hear my prayer,
and let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my trouble.
Incline your ear to me.
In the day I call, answer me quickly,
for my days vanish in smoke,
and my bones are charred like a hearth.
My heart is struck like grass and withers.
Indeed, I forget to eat[b] my bread.
Because of the sound of my groaning
my bones[c] cling to my skin.[d]
I am like an owl[e] of the wilderness;
I am like a little owl of the ruins.
I lie awake and I am
like a lone bird on a roof.
All the day my enemies reproach me;
those who mock me swear oaths against me.
Indeed, I eat ashes like bread
and mix my drink with tears[f]
10 because of your indignation and anger,
for you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a lengthened shadow,
and I wither like grass.
12 But you, O Yahweh, abide[g] forever,
and your remembrance[h] from generation to generation.[i]
13 You rise up and take pity on Zion,
because it is time to favor it,
for the appointed time has come.
14 Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
and show favor to its dust.
15 Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For Yahweh will rebuild Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will turn his attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be written for the next generation,
so that a people yet to be created may praise Yah,[j]
19 that he looked down from his holy height.
Yahweh looked from heaven over the earth
20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner,
to liberate those destined to die,[k]
21 so that they[l] may make known in Zion the name of Yahweh,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when the peoples assemble,
together with[m] kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 He has broken my strength along the way;
he has cut short my days.
24 I say, “My God, do not carry me off
from my life in the middle of my days.”
Your years continue throughout all generations.
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will endure.
And like a garment they will all wear out,
you will replace them like clothing, and they will be set aside.
27 But you are the same,
and your years do not end.
28 The children of your servants will continue,
and their descendants[n] will be established before you.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 102:4 A rare homonym might yield “I am too wilted to eat”
  3. Psalm 102:5 Hebrew “bone”
  4. Psalm 102:5 Hebrew “flesh”
  5. Psalm 102:6 The identity of the birds in this verse is uncertain
  6. Psalm 102:9 Hebrew “weeping”
  7. Psalm 102:12 Or “sit enthroned”
  8. Psalm 102:12 Or “name”
  9. Psalm 102:12 Literally “to a generation and a generation”
  10. Psalm 102:18 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
  11. Psalm 102:20 Hebrew “the sons of death”
  12. Psalm 102:21 That is, the generation that reads what is written
  13. Psalm 102:22 Hebrew “and”
  14. Psalm 102:28 Literally “seed”