Psalm 102 is titled “The prayer of the poor man, when he was anxious, and poured out his supplication before the Lord,” and begins, “Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.” It contrasts the shortness of human life, “my days are vanished like smoke,” with the eternity of God, who will “arise and have mercy on Sion.” It is the fifth of the seven penitential psalms. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 101. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 102 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
The prayer of the poor man, when he was anxious, and poured out his supplication before the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.
Turn not away thy face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.
For my days are vanished like smoke: and my bones are grown dry like fuel for the fire.
I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered: because I forgot to eat my bread.
Through the voice of my groaning, my bone hath cleaved to my flesh.
I am become like to a pelican of the wilderness: I am like a night raven in the house.
I have watched, and am become as a sparrow all alone on the housetop.
All the day long my enemies reproached me: and they that praised me did swear against me.
For I did eat ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.
Because of thy anger and indignation: for having lifted me up thou hast thrown me down.
My days have declined like a shadow, and I am withered like grass.
But thou, O Lord, endurest for ever: and thy memorial to all generations.
Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion: for it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come.
For the stones thereof have pleased thy servants: and they shall have pity on the earth thereof.
And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
For the Lord hath built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory.
He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he hath not despised their petition.
Let these things be written unto another generation: and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord:
Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary: from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.
That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters: that he might release the children of the slain:
That they may declare the name of the Lord in Sion: and his praise in Jerusalem;
When the people assemble together, and kings, to serve the Lord.
He answered him in the way of his strength: Declare unto me the fewness of my days.
Call me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are unto generation and generation.
In the beginning, O Lord, thou foundedst the earth: and the heavens are the works of thy hands.
They shall perish but thou remainest: and all of them shall grow old like a garment: And as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed.
But thou art always the selfsame, and thy years shall not fail.
The children of thy servants shall continue: and their seed shall be directed for ever.
Psalm 102 or Psalm 101?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 101 is Psalm 102 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Domine, exaudi orationem meam: et clamor meus ad te veniat. See how many psalms are there?
Christ, the same for ever
The Letter to the Hebrews applies the psalm’s praise of the eternal Creator to Christ:
And: Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth: and the works of thy hands are the heavens.
They shall perish, but thou shalt continue: and they shall all grow old as a garment.
And as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the selfsame, and thy years shall not fail.
What the psalm means
- A cry from the heart: “Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee” became a versicle repeated before countless prayers of the Latin liturgy.
- Life is fleeting: “my days are vanished like smoke… I am withered like grass.”
- God endures: “thou, O Lord, endurest for ever: and thy memorial to all generations.”
- Hope for the Church: God will rebuild Sion, and the nations will fear his name.
- The unchanging God: the heavens will grow old like a garment, “but thou art always the selfsame.”
How the Church uses Psalm 102
- Among the seven penitential psalms, prayed in Lent. See the seven penitential psalms.
- As a versicle in the Latin liturgy: “Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.”
- For anyone who is lonely or anxious, like “a sparrow all alone on the housetop.”
A prayer with Psalm 102
Written for this page:
Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
My days pass like smoke, but you remain for ever.
Turn your face to me in my distress, and have mercy on your people.
You are always the same; in you I place my hope. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you”?
Psalm 102:2 in modern Bibles (101:2 in the Douay-Rheims).
What is Psalm 102 about?
The anguish of a suffering person, the shortness of life, and trust in the eternal God who will restore his people.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 101 (102); Hebrews 1:10–12, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.