Do Not Hide Your Face from Me
A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before Yahweh.
aO Yahweh, hear my prayer!
And let my cry for help bcome to You.
2 aDo not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
bIncline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call aanswer me quickly.
3 For my days ahave vanished in smoke,
And my bbones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart ahas been stricken like grass and it has bdried up,
Indeed, I cforget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My abones cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a apelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I alie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a roof.
8 My enemies ahave reproached me all day long;
Those who bridicule me cswear against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And amixed my drinks with weeping
10 aBecause of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have blifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like an aoutstretched shadow,
And as for me, I bdry up like grass.
12 But You, O Yahweh, aabide forever,
And the bremembrance of Your name from generation to generation.
13 You will aarise and have bcompassion on Zion—
For cit is time to be gracious to it,
For the dappointed time has come.
14 For Your slaves find pleasure in its stones
And show grace to its dust—
15 So the anations will fear the name of Yahweh
And ball the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For Yahweh has abuilt up Zion;
He has bappeared in His glory.
17 He has aturned toward the prayer of the destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 This will be awritten for the bgeneration to come,
And ca people yet to be created will praise Yah.
19 For He alooked down from His holy height;
bFrom heaven Yahweh gazed upon the earth,
20 To hear the agroaning of the prisoner,
To bset free those who were doomed to death,
21 To arecount the name of Yahweh in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When athe peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 He has afflicted my strength in the way;
He has ashortened my days.
24 I say, “O my God, ado not take me away in the midst of my days,
Your byears are from generation to all generations.
25 Of old You afounded the earth,
And the bheavens are the work of Your hands.
26 Even they will aperish, but You will remain;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 But You are athe same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 The achildren of Your slaves will dwell securely,
And their bseed will be established before You.”