The Daily Audio Bible
א (Alef)[a]
The Prophet Speaks
3 I am the man[b] who has experienced[c] affliction
from the rod[d] of theLord’s wrath.
2 He drove me into captivity[e] and made me walk[f]
in darkness and not light.
3 He repeatedly[g] attacks me;
he turns his hand[h] against me all day long.[i]
ב (Bet)
4 He has made my mortal skin[j] waste away;
he has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged[k] and surrounded[l] me
with bitter hardship.[m]
6 He has made me reside in deepest darkness[n]
like those who died long ago.
ג (Gimel)
7 He has walled me in[o] so that I cannot get out;
he has weighted me down with heavy prison chains.[p]
8 Also, when I cry out desperately[q] for help,[r]
he has shut out my prayer.[s]
9 He has blocked[t] every road I take[u] with a wall of hewn stones;
he has made every path impassable.[v]
ד (Dalet)
10 To me he is like a bear lying in ambush,[w]
like a hidden lion[x] stalking its prey.[y]
11 He has obstructed my paths[z] and torn me to pieces;[aa]
he has made me desolate.
12 He drew[ab] his bow and made me[ac]
the target for his arrow.
ה (He)
13 He shot[ad] his arrows[ae]
into my heart.[af]
14 I have become the laughingstock of all people,[ag]
their mocking song[ah] all day long.[ai]
15 He has given me my fill of bitter herbs
and made me drunk with bitterness.[aj]
ו (Vav)
16 He ground[ak] my teeth in gravel;
he trampled[al] me in the dust.
17 I[am] am deprived[an] of peace;[ao]
I have forgotten what happiness[ap] is.
18 So I said, “My endurance has expired;
I have lost all hope of deliverance[aq] from the Lord.”
ז (Zayin)
19 Remember[ar] my impoverished and homeless condition,[as]
which is a bitter poison.[at]
20 I[au] continually think about[av] this,
and I[aw] am depressed.[ax]
21 But this I call[ay] to mind;[az]
therefore I have hope:
ח (Khet)
22 The Lord’s loyal kindness[ba] never ceases;[bb]
his compassions[bc] never end.
23 They are fresh[bd] every morning;
your faithfulness is abundant![be]
24 “My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself,[bf]
so I will put my hope in him.
ט (Tet)
25 The Lord is good to those who trust in[bg] him,
to the one[bh] who seeks him.
26 It is good to wait patiently[bi]
for deliverance from the Lord.[bj]
27 It is good for a man[bk]
to bear[bl] the yoke[bm] while he is young.[bn]
י (Yod)
28 Let a person[bo] sit alone in silence,
when the Lord[bp] is disciplining him.[bq]
29 Let him bury his face in the dust;[br]
perhaps there is hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who hits him;[bs]
let him have his fill of insults.
כ (Kaf)
31 For the Lord[bt] will not
reject us forever.[bu]
32 Though he causes us[bv] grief, he then has compassion on us[bw]
according to the abundance of his loyal kindness.[bx]
33 For he is not predisposed to afflict[by]
or to grieve people.[bz]
ל (Lamed)
34 To crush underfoot
all the earth’s prisoners,[ca]
35 to deprive a person[cb] of his rights[cc]
in the presence of the Most High,
36 to defraud a person in a lawsuit—
the Lord[cd] does not approve[ce] of such things!
מ (Mem)
37 Whose command was ever fulfilled[cf]
unless the Lord[cg] decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes—
both calamity and blessing?[ch]
39 Why should any living person[ci] complain
when punished for his sins?[cj]
נ (Nun)
40 Let us carefully examine our ways,[ck]
and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts[cl] and our hands
to God in heaven:
42 “We[cm] have blatantly rebelled;[cn]
you[co] have not forgiven.”
ס (Samek)
43 You shrouded yourself[cp] with anger and then pursued us;
you killed without mercy.
44 You shrouded yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer could get through.
45 You make us like filthy scum[cq]
in the estimation[cr] of the nations.
פ (Pe)
46 All our enemies have gloated over us;[cs]
47 panic and pitfall[ct] have come upon us,
devastation and destruction.[cu]
48 Streams[cv] of tears flow from my eyes[cw]
because my people[cx] are destroyed.[cy]
ע (Ayin)
49 Tears flow from my eyes[cz] and will not stop;
there will be no break[da]
50 until the Lord looks down from heaven
and sees what has happened.[db]
51 What my eyes see[dc] grieves me[dd]—
all the suffering of the daughters in my city.[de]
צ (Tsade)
52 For no good reason[df] my enemies
hunted me down[dg] like a bird.
53 They shut me[dh] up in a pit
and threw stones at me.
54 The waters closed over my head;
I thought[di] I was about to die.[dj]
ק (Qof)
55 I have called on your name, O Lord,
from the deepest pit.[dk]
56 You heard[dl] my plea:[dm]
“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”[dn]
57 You came near[do] on the day I called to you;
you said,[dp] “Do not fear!”
ר (Resh)
58 O Lord,[dq] you championed[dr] my cause;[ds]
you redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
pronounce judgment on my behalf![dt]
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
all their plots against me.[du]
ש (Sin/Shin)
61 You have heard[dv] their taunts, O Lord,
all their plots against me.
62 My assailants revile and conspire[dw]
against me all day long.
63 Watch them from morning to evening;[dx]
I am the object of their mocking songs.
ת (Tav)
Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son
1 After God spoke long ago[a] in various portions[b] and in various ways[c] to our ancestors[d] through the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son,[e] whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.[f] 3 The Son is[g] the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word,[h] and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.[i] 4 Thus he became[j] so far better than the angels as[k] he has inherited a name superior to theirs.
The Son Is Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did God[l] ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”?[m] And in another place[n] he says,[o] “I will be his father and he will be my son.”[p] 6 But when he again brings[q] his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!”[r] 7 And he says[s] of the angels, “He makes[t] his angels winds[u] and his ministers a flame of fire,”[v] 8 but of[w] the Son he says,[x]
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,[y]
and a righteous scepter[z] is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.
So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions[aa] with the oil of rejoicing.”[ab]
10 And,
“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord,[ac]
and the heavens are the works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you continue.
And they will all grow old like a garment,
12 and like a robe you will fold them up
and like a garment[ad] they will be changed,
but you are the same and your years will never run out.”[ae]
13 But to which of the angels[af] has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?[ag] 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those[ah] who will inherit salvation?
Psalm 102[a]
The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.
102 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my cry for help.[b]
2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble.[c]
Listen to me.[d]
When I call out to you, quickly answer me.
3 For my days go up in smoke,[e]
and my bones are charred as in a fireplace.[f]
4 My heart is parched[g] and withered like grass,
for I am unable[h] to eat food.[i]
5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,
my bones protrude from my skin.[j]
6 I am like an owl[k] in the wilderness;
I am like a screech owl[l] among the ruins.[m]
7 I stay awake;[n]
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses.[o]
9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread,[p]
and mix my drink with my tears,[q]
10 because of your anger and raging fury.
Indeed,[r] you pick me up and throw me away.
11 My days are coming to an end,[s]
and I am withered like grass.
12 But you, O Lord, rule forever,[t]
and your reputation endures.[u]
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.[v]
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
14 Indeed,[w] your servants take delight in her stones,
and feel compassion for[x] the dust of her ruins.[y]
15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord,[z]
and all the kings of the earth will respect[aa] his splendor,
16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,[ab]
and does not reject[ac] their request.[ad]
18 The account of his intervention[ae] will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born[af] will praise the Lord.
19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above;[ag]
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,[ah]
20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die,[ai]
21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him[aj] in Jerusalem,
22 when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord.[ak]
23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;[al]
he has cut short my days.
24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life.[am]
You endure through all generations.[an]
25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
26 They will perish,
but you will endure.[ao]
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.[ap]
27 But you remain;[aq]
your years do not come to an end.
28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants[ar] will live securely in your presence.”[as]
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