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1O Lord , hear my prayer!
Pay attention to my cry for help!
2Do not ignore me in my time of trouble![#tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14).]
Listen to me!
When I call out to you, quickly answer me!
3For my days go up in smoke,[#tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.”]
and my bones are charred like a fireplace.
4My heart is parched and withered like grass,[#tn Heb “struck, attacked.”]
for I am unable to eat food.
5Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,
my bones protrude from my skin.
6I am like an owl in the wilderness;[#tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”).]
I am like a screech owl among the ruins.
7I stay awake;[#tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2).]
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses.
9For I eat ashes as if they were bread,[#sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).]
and mix my drink with my tears,
10because of your anger and raging fury.
Indeed, you pick me up and throw me away.
11My days are coming to an end,[#tn Heb “my days [are] like an extended [or “lengthening”] shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness.]
and I am withered like grass.
12But you, O Lord , rule forever,[#tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.]
and your reputation endures.
13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.[#tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!”]
For it is time to have mercy on her,
for the appointed time has come.
14Indeed, your servants take delight in her stones,[#tn Or “for.”]
and feel compassion for the dust of her ruins.
15The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord ,[#tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).]
and all the kings of the earth will respect his splendor,
16when the Lord rebuilds Zion,
and reveals his splendor,
17when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,[#tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).]
and does not reject their request.
18The account of his intervention will be recorded for future generations;[#tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.]
people yet to be born will praise the Lord .
19For he will look down from his sanctuary above;[#tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”]
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,
20in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die,
21so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him in Jerusalem,
22when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord .
23He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;[#tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).]
he has cut short my days.
24I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life![#tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”]
You endure through all generations.
25In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
26They will perish,
but you will endure.
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.
27But you remain;[#tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the Lord’s affirmation “I am he” in Isa 41:4; 43:10, 13; 46:10; 48:12. In each of these passages the affirmation emphasizes the fact that the Lord transcends time limitations, the very point being made in Ps 102:27.]
your years do not come to an end.
28The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants will live securely in your presence.”