Study Desk

A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and ^[a]pours out his complaint before the Lord .

^(a)Hear my prayer, O Lord ! And let my cry for help ^(b)come to You.

^(c)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; ^(d)Incline Your ear to me; In the day when I call ^(e)answer me quickly.

For my days ^(f)have been ^[b]consumed in smoke, And my ^(g)bones have been scorched like a hearth.

My heart ^(h)has been smitten like ^[c]grass and has ⁽ⁱ⁾withered away, Indeed, I ^(j)forget to eat my bread.

Because of the ^[d]loudness of my groaning My ^(k)bones ^[e]cling to my flesh.

I ^[f]resemble a ^(l)pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places.

I ^(m)lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

My enemies ⁽ⁿ⁾have reproached me all day long; Those who ^[g](o)deride me ^[h]have used my name as a ^(p)curse.

For I have eaten ashes like bread And ^(q)mingled my drink with weeping

^(r)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have ^(s)lifted me up and cast me away.

My days are like a ^[i](t)lengthened shadow, And ^[j]I ^(u)wither away like ^[k]grass.

But You, O Lord , ^[l](v)abide forever, And Your ^[m](w)name to all generations.

You will ^(x)arise and have ^(y)compassion on Zion; For ^(z)it is time to be gracious to her, For the ^(aa)appointed time has come.

Surely Your servants ^[n]find pleasure in her stones And feel pity for her dust.

^[o]So the ^[p](ab)nations will fear the name of the Lord And ^(ac)all the kings of the earth Your glory.

For the Lord has ^(ad)built up Zion; He has ^(ae)appeared in His glory.

He has ^(af)regarded the prayer of the ^[q]destitute And has not despised their prayer.

^[r]This will be ^(ag)written for the ^(ah)generation to come, ^[s]That ^(ai)a people yet to be created ^[t]may praise ^[u]the Lord .

For He ^(aj)looked down from His holy height; ^(ak)From heaven the Lord gazed ^[v]upon the earth,

To hear the ^(al)groaning of the prisoner, To ^(am)set free ^[w]those who were doomed to death,

That men may ^(an)tell of the name of the Lord in Zion And His praise in Jerusalem,

When ^(ao)the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord .

He has weakened my strength in the way; He has ^(ap)shortened my days.

I say, "O my God, ^(aq)do not take me away in the ^[x]midst of my days, Your ^(ar)years are throughout all generations.

"Of old You ^(as)founded the earth, And the ^(at)heavens are the work of Your hands.

"^[y]Even they will ^(au)perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

"But You are ^[z](av)the same, And Your years will not come to an end.

"The ^(aw)children of Your servants will continue, And their ^[aa](ax)descendants will be established before You."

A Psalm of David.

^(a)Bless the Lord , O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His ^(b)holy name.

Bless the Lord , O my soul, And ^(c)forget none of His benefits;

Who ^(d)pardons all your iniquities, Who ^(e)heals all your diseases;

Who ^(f)redeems your life from the pit, Who ^(g)crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who ^(h)satisfies your ^[a]years with good things, So that your youth is ⁽ⁱ⁾renewed like the eagle.

The Lord ^(j)performs ^[b]righteous deeds And judgments for all who are ^(k)oppressed.

He ^(l)made known His ways to Moses, His ^(m)acts to the sons of Israel.

The Lord is ⁽ⁿ⁾compassionate and gracious, ^(o)Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He ^(p)will not always strive with us, Nor will He ^(q)keep His anger forever.

He has ^(r)not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high ^(s)as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who ^[c]fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He ^(t)removed our transgressions from us.

Just ^(u)as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who ^[d]fear Him.

For ^(v)He Himself knows ^[e]our frame; He ^(w)is mindful that we are but ^(x)dust.

As for man, his days are ^(y)like grass; As a ^(z)flower of the field, so he flourishes.

When the ^(aa)wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its ^(ab)place acknowledges it no longer.

But the ^(ac)lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who ^[f]fear Him, And His ^[g]righteousness ^(ad)to children's children,

To ^(ae)those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.

The Lord has established His ^(af)throne in the heavens, And His ^[h](ag)sovereignty rules over ^[i]all.

Bless the Lord , you ^(ah)His angels, ^(ai)Mighty in strength, who ^(aj)perform His word, ^(ak)Obeying the voice of His word!

Bless the Lord , all you ^(al)His hosts, You ^(am)who serve Him, doing His will.

Bless the Lord , ^(an)all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord , O my soul!

^(a)Bless the Lord , O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are ^(b)clothed with splendor and majesty,

Covering Yourself with ^(c)light as with a cloak, ^(d)Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.

^[a]He ^(e)lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; ^[b]He makes the ^(f)clouds His chariot; ^[c]He walks upon the ^(g)wings of the wind;

^[d]He makes ^[e](h)the winds His messengers, ^[f]Flaming ⁽ⁱ⁾fire His ministers.

He ^(j)established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not ^[g]totter forever and ever.

You ^(k)covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains.

At Your ^(l)rebuke they fled, At the ^(m)sound of Your thunder they hurried away.

The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the ⁽ⁿ⁾place which You established for them.

You set a ^(o)boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.

^[h]He sends forth ^(p)springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains;

They ^(q)give drink to every beast of the field; The ^(r)wild donkeys quench their thirst.

^[i]Beside them the birds of the heavens ^(s)dwell; They ^[j]lift up their voices among the branches.

^[k]He ^(t)waters the mountains from His upper chambers; ^(u)The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

^[l]He causes the ^(v)grass to grow for the ^[m]cattle, And ^(w)vegetation for the ^[n]labor of man, So that ^[o]he may bring forth ^[p]food ^(x)from the earth,

And ^(y)wine which makes man's heart glad, ^(z)So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And ^[q]food which ^(aa)sustains man's heart.

The trees of the Lord ^[r]drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

Where the ^(ab)birds build their nests, And the ^(ac)stork, whose home is the ^[s]fir trees.

The high mountains are for the ^(ad)wild goats; The ^(ae)cliffs are a refuge for the ^[t](af)shephanim.

He made the moon ^(ag)for the seasons; The ^(ah)sun knows the place of its setting.

You ^(ai)appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the ^(aj)beasts of the forest ^[u]prowl about.

The ^(ak)young lions roar after their prey ^[v]And ^(al)seek their food from God.

When the sun rises they withdraw And lie down in their ^(am)dens.

Man goes forth to ^(an)his work And to his labor until evening.

O Lord , how ^(ao)many are Your works! ^[w]In ^(ap)wisdom You have made them all; The ^(aq)earth is full of Your ^[x]possessions.

^[y]There is the ^(ar)sea, great and ^[z]broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great.

There the ^(as)ships move along, And ^[aa](at)Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.

They all ^(au)wait for You To ^(av)give them their food in ^[ab]due season.

You give to them, they gather it up; You ^(aw)open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.

You ^(ax)hide Your face, they are dismayed; You ^(ay)take away their ^[ac]spirit, they expire And ^(az)return to their dust.

You send forth Your ^[ad](ba)Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground.

Let the ^(bb)glory of the Lord endure forever; Let the Lord ^(bc)be glad in His works;

^[ae]He ^(bd)looks at the earth, and it ^(be)trembles; He ^(bf)touches the mountains, and they smoke.

^[af]I will sing to the Lord ^[ag](bg)as long as I live; ^[ah]I will ^(bh)sing praise to my God ^[ai]while I have my being.

Let my ^(bi)meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall ^(bj)be glad in the Lord .

Let sinners be ^(bk)consumed from the earth And let the ^(bl)wicked be no more. ^(bm)Bless the Lord , O my soul. ^[aj](bn)Praise ^[ak]the Lord !