Psalm 102[a]

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

Hear my prayer,(A) Lord;
    let my cry for help(B) come to you.
Do not hide your face(C) from me
    when I am in distress.
Turn your ear(D) to me;
    when I call, answer me quickly.

For my days vanish like smoke;(E)
    my bones(F) burn like glowing embers.
My heart is blighted and withered like grass;(G)
    I forget to eat my food.(H)
In my distress I groan aloud(I)
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
I am like a desert owl,(J)
    like an owl among the ruins.
I lie awake;(K) I have become
    like a bird alone(L) on a roof.
All day long my enemies(M) taunt me;(N)
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.(O)
For I eat ashes(P) as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears(Q)
10 because of your great wrath,(R)
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;(S)
    I wither(T) away like grass.

12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;(U)
    your renown endures(V) through all generations.(W)
13 You will arise(X) and have compassion(Y) on Zion,
    for it is time(Z) to show favor(AA) to her;
    the appointed time(AB) has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear(AC) the name of the Lord,
    all the kings(AD) of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion(AE)
    and appear in his glory.(AF)
17 He will respond to the prayer(AG) of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

18 Let this be written(AH) for a future generation,
    that a people not yet created(AI) may praise the Lord:
19 “The Lord looked down(AJ) from his sanctuary on high,
    from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners(AK)
    and release those condemned to death.”
21 So the name of the Lord will be declared(AL) in Zion
    and his praise(AM) in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship(AN) the Lord.

23 In the course of my life[b] he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.(AO)
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on(AP) through all generations.
25 In the beginning(AQ) you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens(AR) are the work of your hands.(AS)
26 They will perish,(AT) but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,(AU)
    and your years will never end.(AV)
28 The children of your servants(AW) will live in your presence;
    their descendants(AX) will be established before you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:1 In Hebrew texts 102:1-28 is numbered 102:2-29.
  2. Psalm 102:23 Or By his power

102 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.

Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.

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

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.

10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

12 But thou, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

16 When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.

19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;

20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

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

24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

The Collection for the Lord’s People

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian(A) churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.(B) For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,(C) and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing(D) in this service(E) to the Lord’s people.(F) And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged(G) Titus,(H) just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion(I) this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything(J)—in faith, in speech, in knowledge,(K) in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you,(L) but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace(M) of our Lord Jesus Christ,(N) that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,(O) so that you through his poverty might become rich.(P)

10 And here is my judgment(Q) about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.(R) 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness(S) to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has,(T) not according to what one does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need,(U) so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”[b](V)

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection

16 Thanks be to God,(W) who put into the heart(X) of Titus(Y) the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.(Z) 18 And we are sending along with him the brother(AA) who is praised by all the churches(AB) for his service to the gospel.(AC) 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us(AD) as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.(AE) 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.(AF)

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus,(AG) he is my partner(AH) and co-worker(AI) among you; as for our brothers,(AJ) they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you,(AK) so that the churches can see it.

There is no need(AL) for me to write to you about this service(AM) to the Lord’s people.(AN) For I know your eagerness to help,(AO) and I have been boasting(AP) about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year(AQ) you in Achaia(AR) were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers(AS) in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.(AT) For if any Macedonians(AU) come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers(AV) to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift,(AW) not as one grudgingly given.(AX)

Generosity Encouraged

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.(AY) Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,(AZ) not reluctantly or under compulsion,(BA) for God loves a cheerful giver.(BB) And God is able(BC) to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,(BD) you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts(BE) to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”[c](BF)

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food(BG) will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.(BH) 11 You will be enriched(BI) in every way so that you can be generous(BJ) on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.(BK)

12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs(BL) of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.(BM) 13 Because of the service(BN) by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God(BO) for the obedience that accompanies your confession(BP) of the gospel of Christ,(BQ) and for your generosity(BR) in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God(BS) for his indescribable gift!(BT)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts and in your love for us
  2. 2 Corinthians 8:15 Exodus 16:18
  3. 2 Corinthians 9:9 Psalm 112:9

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

16 But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.

18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;

19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

20 Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:

21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.

23 Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.

For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.

Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:

Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;

14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.