Psalm 10214

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help!1

102:2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble!2

Listen to me!3

When I call out to you, quickly answer me!

102:3 For my days go up in smoke,4

and my bones are charred like a fireplace.5

102:4 My heart is parched6 and withered like grass,

for I am unable7 to eat food.8

102:5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,

my bones protrude from my skin.9

102:6 I am like an owl10 in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl11 among the ruins.12

102:7 I stay awake;13

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who mock me use my name in their curses.14

102:9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread,15

and mix my drink with my tears,16

102:10 because of your anger and raging fury.

Indeed,17 you pick me up and throw me away.

102:11 My days are coming to an end,18

and I am withered like grass.

102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever,19

and your reputation endures.20

102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.21

For it is time to have mercy on her,

for the appointed time has come.

102:14 Indeed,22 your servants take delight in her stones,

and feel compassion for23 the dust of her ruins.24

102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord,25

and all the kings of the earth will respect26 his splendor,

102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,27

and does not reject28 their request.29

102:18 The account of his intervention30 will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above;31

from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,32

102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,

and to set free those condemned to die,33

102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,

and praise him34 in Jerusalem,35

102:22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord.36

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;37

he has cut short my days.

102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life!38

You endure through all generations.39

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure.40

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.41

102:27 But you remain;42

your years do not come to an end.

102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants43 will live securely in your presence.”44

Psalm 10345

By David.

103:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise1 his holy name!

103:2 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not forget all his kind deeds!2

103:3 He is the one who forgives all your sins,

who heals all your diseases,3

103:4 who delivers4 your life from the Pit,5

who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

103:5 who satisfies your life with good things,6

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.7

103:6 The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed.8

103:7 The Lord revealed his faithful acts9 to Moses,

his deeds to the Israelites.

103:8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful;

he is patient10 and demonstrates great loyal love.11

103:9 He does not always accuse,

and does not stay angry.12

103:10 He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;13

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.14

103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers15 over his faithful followers.16

103:12 As far as the eastern horizon17 is from the west,18

so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions19 from us.

103:13 As a father has compassion on his children,20

so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.21

103:14 For he knows what we are made of;22

he realizes23 we are made of clay.24

103:15 A person’s life is like grass.25

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

103:16 but when the hot wind26 blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,27

and is faithful to their descendants,28

103:18 to those who keep his covenant,

who are careful to obey his commands.29

103:19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything.30

103:20 Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders!31

103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,32

you servants of his who carry out his desires!33

103:22 Praise the Lord, all that he has made,34

in all the regions35 of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 10436

104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, you are magnificent.1

You are robed in splendor and majesty.

104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.

He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,

104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds.2

He makes the clouds his chariot,

and travels along on the wings of the wind.3

104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,

and the flaming fire his attendant.4

104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;

it will never be upended.

104:6 The watery deep covered it5 like a garment;

the waters reached6 above the mountains.7

104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;

at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—

104:8 as the mountains rose up,

and the valleys went down—

to the place you appointed for them.8

104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again.9

104:10 He turns springs into streams;10

they flow between the mountains.

104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;

they chirp among the bushes.11

104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace;12

the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow.13

104:14 He provides grass14 for the cattle,

and crops for people to cultivate,15

so they can produce food from the ground,16

104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good,17

and so they can have oil to make their faces shine,18

as well as food that sustains people’s lives.19

104:16 The trees of the Lord20 receive all the rain they need,21

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

104:17 where the birds make nests,

near the evergreens in which the herons live.22

104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains;23

the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.

104:19 He made the moon to mark the months,24

and the sun sets according to a regular schedule.25

104:20 You make it dark and night comes,26

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God.27

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep28 in their dens.

104:23 Men then go out to do their work,

and labor away until evening.29

104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord!30

You have exhibited great skill in making all of them;31

the earth is full of the living things you have made.

104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea,32

which teems with innumerable swimming creatures,33

living things both small and large.

104:26 The ships travel there,

and over here swims the whale34 you made to play in it.

104:27 All of your creatures35 wait for you

to provide them with food on a regular basis.36

104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;

you open your hand and they are filled with food.37

104:29 When you ignore them, they panic.38

When you take away their life’s breath, they die

and return to dust.

104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,

and you replenish the surface of the ground.

104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure!39

May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made!40

104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;

he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.

104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist!41

104:34 May my thoughts42 be pleasing to him!

I will rejoice in the Lord.

104:35 May sinners disappear43 from the earth,

and the wicked vanish!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 10544

105:1 Give thanks to the Lord!

Call on his name!

Make known his accomplishments among the nations!

105:2 Sing to him!

Make music to him!

Tell about all his miraculous deeds!

105:3 Boast about his holy name!

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

105:4 Seek the Lord and the strength he gives!

Seek his presence continually!

105:5 Recall the miraculous deeds he performed,

his mighty acts and the judgments he decreed,1

105:6 O children2 of Abraham,3 God’s4 servant,

you descendants5 of Jacob, God’s6 chosen ones!

105:7 He is the Lord our God;

he carries out judgment throughout the earth.7

105:8 He always remembers his covenantal decree,

the promise he made8 to a thousand generations—

105:9 the promise9 he made to Abraham,

the promise he made by oath to Isaac!

105:10 He gave it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as a lasting promise,10

105:11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

105:12 When they were few in number,

just a very few, and resident aliens within it,

105:13 they wandered from nation to nation,

and from one kingdom to another.11

105:14 He let no one oppress them;

he disciplined kings for their sake,

105:15 saying,12 “Don’t touch my chosen13 ones!

Don’t harm my prophets!”

105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;

he cut off all the food supply.14

105:17 He sent a man ahead of them15—

Joseph was sold as a servant.

105:18 The shackles hurt his feet;16

his neck was placed in an iron collar,17

105:19 until the time when his prediction18 came true.

The Lord’s word19 proved him right.20

105:20 The king authorized his release;21

the ruler of nations set him free.

105:21 He put him in charge of his palace,22

and made him manager of all his property,

105:22 giving him authority to imprison his officials23

and to teach his advisers.24

105:23 Israel moved to25 Egypt;

Jacob lived for a time26 in the land of Ham.

105:24 The Lord27 made his people very fruitful,

and made them28 more numerous than their29 enemies.

105:25 He caused them30 to hate his people,

and to mistreat31 his servants.

105:26 He sent his servant Moses,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

105:27 They executed his miraculous signs among them,32

and his amazing deeds in the land of Ham.

105:28 He made it dark;33

they did not disobey his orders.34

105:29 He turned their water into blood,

and killed their fish.

105:30 Their land was overrun by frogs,

which even got into the rooms of their kings.

105:31 He ordered flies to come;35

gnats invaded their whole territory.

105:32 He sent hail along with the rain;36

there was lightning in their land.37

105:33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees,

and broke the trees throughout their territory.

105:34 He ordered locusts to come,38

innumerable grasshoppers.

105:35 They ate all the vegetation in their land,

and devoured the crops of their fields.39

105:36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of their reproductive power.40

105:37 He brought his people41 out enriched42 with silver and gold;

none of his tribes stumbled.

105:38 Egypt was happy when they left,

for they were afraid of them.43

105:39 He spread out a cloud for a cover,44

and provided a fire to light up the night.

105:40 They asked for food,45 and he sent quails;

he satisfied them with food from the sky.46

105:41 He opened up a rock and water flowed out;

a river ran through dry regions.

105:42 Yes,47 he remembered the sacred promise48

he made to Abraham his servant.

105:43 When he led his people out, they rejoiced;

his chosen ones shouted with joy.49

105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,

and they took possession of what other peoples had produced,50

105:45 so that they might keep his commands

and obey51 his laws.

Praise the Lord!