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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.
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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.
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For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth.
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My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.
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Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin.
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I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
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I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
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My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
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For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping,
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Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
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My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.
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But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
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You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
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For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, And show favor to her dust.
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So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
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For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.
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He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.
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This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
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For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
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To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To release those appointed to death,
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To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, And His praise in Jerusalem,
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When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
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He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.
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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.