The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
New King James Version NKJV
1 Prayer of a sufferer overcome by weakness and pouring out his complaint before ADONAI: ADONAI, hear my prayer! Let my cry for help reach you!
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A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry come to You.
2 Don't hide your face from me when I am in such distress! Turn your ear toward me; when I call, be quick to reply!
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Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are vanishing like smoke, my bones are burning like a furnace.
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For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 I am stricken and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.
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My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning, I am just skin and bones.
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Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like a great owl in the desert, I've become like an owl in the ruins.
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I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake and become like a bird alone on the roof.
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I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies taunt me all day long; mad with rage, they make my name a curse.
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My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have been eating ashes like bread and mingling tears with my drink
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For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 because of your furious anger, since you picked me up just to toss me aside.
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Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days decline like an evening shadow; I am drying up like grass.
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My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.
12 But you, ADONAI, are enthroned forever; your renown will endure through all generations.
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But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and take pity on Tziyon, for the time has come to have mercy on her; the time determined has come.
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You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For your servants love her very stones; they take pity even on her dust.
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For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of ADONAI and all the kings on earth your glory,
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So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 when ADONAI has rebuilt Tziyon, and shows himself in his glory,
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For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.
17 when he has heeded the plea of the poor and not despised their prayer.
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He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.
18 May this be put on record for a future generation; may a people yet to be created praise ADONAI.
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This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
19 For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven ADONAI surveys the earth
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For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
20 to listen to the sighing of the prisoner, to set free those who are sentenced to death,
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To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,
21 to proclaim the name of ADONAI in Tziyon and his praise in Yerushalayim
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To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples and kingdoms have been gathered together to serve ADONAI.
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When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse, he has cut short my days.
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He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.
24 I plead, "God, your years last through all generations; so don't take me away when my life is half over!
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I said, "O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.
25 In the beginning, you laid the foundations of the earth; heaven is the work of your hands.
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Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 They will vanish, but you will remain; like clothing, they will all grow old; yes, you will change them like clothing, and they will pass away.
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They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.
27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
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But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
28 The children of your servants will live securely and their descendants be established in your presence."
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The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You."
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.