1 ARST Yahweh, listen to what I am praying; hear me while I cry out to you! BSB BSB: A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You.
2 ARST Do not turn away! Listen to me, and answer me quickly now when I am calling out to you! BSB BSB: Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
3 ARST My life is ending like smoke that disappears; I have a big fever which burns my body as a fire burns. BSB BSB: For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
4 ARST I feel as though I am drying up like grass that has been mown, and I do not even think about eating any food. BSB BSB: My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
5 ARST I groan loudly, and my bones can be seen under my skin because I have become very thin. BSB BSB: Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.
6 ARST I am like a lonely and despised vulture in the desert, like an owl by itself in the abandoned ruins of a building. BSB BSB: I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
7 ARST I lie awake at night; because there is no one to comfort me, I am like a lonely bird sitting on a housetop. BSB BSB: I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
8 ARST All during each day my enemies insult me; those who make fun of me mention my name and say,“May you be like him” when they curse people. BSB BSB: All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
9 ARST Because you are very angry with me, I sit in ashes while I am suffering greatly; those ashes fall on the bread that I eat, and what I drink has my tears mixed with it. It is as though you have picked me up and thrown me away! BSB BSB: For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears
11 ARST My time to remain alive is short like an evening shadow that will soon be gone. I am withering as grass withers in the hot sun. BSB BSB: My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
12 ARST But Yahweh, you are our king who rules forever; people who are not yet born will remember you. BSB BSB: But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
13 ARST You will arise and act mercifully toward the people of Jerusalem; it is now time for you to do that; this is the time for you to be kind to them. BSB BSB: You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed time has come.
14 ARST Even though the city has been destroyed, we who serve you still love the stones that were formerly in the city walls; because now there is rubble everywhere, we, your people, are very sad when we see it. BSB BSB: For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.
15 ARST Yahweh, someday the people of other nations will have an awesome respect for you; all the kings on the earth will see that you are very glorious. BSB BSB: So the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
16 ARST You will rebuild Jerusalem, and you will appear there with your glory. BSB BSB: For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
17 ARST You will listen to the prayers of your people who are homeless, and you will not ignore them when they plead with you to help them. BSB BSB: He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
18 ARST Yahweh, I want to write these words so that people in future years will know what you have done, in order that people who are not born yet will praise you. BSB BSB: Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
19 ARST They will know that you looked down from your own place in heaven and saw what was happening on the earth. BSB BSB: For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
20 ARST They will know that you hear prisoners groaning and that you will set free those who have been told,“You will be executed.” BSB BSB: to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
21 ARST As a result, people in Jerusalem will praise you for what you have done. BSB BSB: that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
22 ARST Many people from other people groups and those who are citizens of other kingdoms will gather to worship you. BSB BSB: when peoples and kingdoms assemble to serve the LORD.
23 ARST But now you have caused me to become weak while I am still young; I think that I will not remain alive very long. BSB BSB: He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.
24 ARST I say to you,“My God, do not take me away from the earth now before I become old! You, on the other hand, live forever! BSB BSB: I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
26 ARST The earth and the heavens will disappear, but you will remain. They will wear out as clothes wear out. You will get rid of them as people get rid of old clothes, and they will no longer exist. BSB BSB: They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them, and they will be passed on.
27 ARST But you are not like the things that you created because you are always the same; you never die. BSB BSB: But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
28 ARST Someday our children will live safely in Jerusalem, and their descendants will be protected as they live in your presence.” BSB BSB: The children of Your servants will dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before You.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.