Psalms 90
1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through every generation, you have been “home” for us!
BOOK FOURTH: “A prayer of Moses the man of God.” Lord, a place of refuge hast thou been unto us in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the universe, from eternity past to eternity future, you are God.
Before yet the mountains were brought forth, or thou hadst ever produced the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 You turn people back into dust, saying, “Return to dust, human beings.”
Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest, Return ye children of men.
4 In your eyes, a thousand years are like a day that's already gone; like a few passing hours of the night.
For a thousand years are in thy eyes but as the yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 You bring people's lives to a sudden end, like dreams that vanish. They are like grass that grows up in the morning—
Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning [they grow] like the grass which changeth.
6 it sprouts in the morning, fresh and new, but by the evening it is withered and dead.
In the morning it blossometh, and is changed: in the evening it is mowed off, and withereth.
7 We are burned up by your anger, terrified by your fury.
For [thus] are we consumed by thy anger, and by thy fury are we terrified.
8 You have set out our sins before you—our secret sins are visible in the light of your presence.
Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our concealed sins before the light of thy countenance.
9 Our lives fade away under your anger, coming to an end as quickly as a sigh.
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we consume our years like a word that is spoken.
10 We live for seventy years—eighty if we have the strength. But even in the prime of life all that we have is hardship and suffering. Soon our lives are over and we're gone.
The days of our years in this life are seventy years; and if by uncommon vigor they be eighty, yet is their greatness trouble and mishap; for it soon hasteneth off, and we fly away.
11 Who can know the power of your anger? Who understands your fury so you can be shown reverence?
Who knoweth the strength of thy anger, and thy wrath which is like the fear of thee?
12 Teach us to value every one of our days so we can live wisely!
Let us then know how to number our days, that we may obtain a heart endowed with wisdom.
13 Lord, how long will it be before you come back to us and have pity on us your servants?
Return, O Lord, how long yet? and bethink thee concerning thy servants.
14 Show us every morning your trustworthy love so we may be happy, full of joy throughout our lives.
O satisfy us in the morning with thy kindness, that we may be glad and rejoice throughout all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you made us sad, for all the years we suffered!
Cause us to rejoice as many days as those wherein thou hast afflicted us, the years wherein we have seen unhappiness.
16 May we, your servants, see you at work for us again; may our children see your glory.
Let thy act be visible on thy servants, and thy majesty over their children.
17 May our Lord God be pleased with us, blessing what we do, blessing what we do.
And may the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and the work of our hands do thou firmly establish upon us: yea, the work of our hands—firmly establish thou it.
