Psalms 90
1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through every generation, you have been “home” for us!
“BOOK IV. A prayer of Moses, the man of God.” LORD! thou hast been our dwelling-place 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 the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed 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.”
But man thou turnest again to dust, And sayst, “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 sight, As 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 him away as with a flood; He is a dream; In the morning he springeth up like grass,
6 it sprouts in the morning, fresh and new, but by the evening it is withered and dead.
Which flourisheth and shooteth up in the morning, And in the evening is cut down, and withered.
7 We are burned up by your anger, terrified by your fury.
For we are consumed by thine anger, And by thy wrath are we destroyed.
8 You have set out our sins before you—our secret sins are visible in the light of your presence.
Thou settest our iniquities before thee, Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 Our lives fade away under your anger, coming to an end as quickly as a sigh.
By reason of thine anger all our days vanish away; We spend our years like a thought.
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 life are threescore years and ten, And, by reason of strength, may be fourscore years: Yet is the pride of them weariness and sorrow; For it vanisheth swiftly, and we fly away.
11 Who can know the power of your anger? Who understands your fury so you can be shown reverence?
Yet who attendeth to the power of thine anger? Who with due reverence regardeth thine indignation?
12 Teach us to value every one of our days so we can live wisely!
Teach us so to number our days, That we may apply our hearts to wisdom!
13 Lord, how long will it be before you come back to us and have pity on us your servants?
Desist, O LORD! How long—? Have compassion upon thy servants!
14 Show us every morning your trustworthy love so we may be happy, full of joy throughout our lives.
Satisfy us speedily with thy mercy, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 Make us glad for as many days as you made us sad, for all the years we suffered!
Make us glad according to the time in which thou hast afflicted us; According to the years in which we have seen adversity!
16 May we, your servants, see you at work for us again; may our children see your glory.
Let thy deeds be known to thy servants, And thy glory to their children!
17 May our Lord God be pleased with us, blessing what we do, blessing what we do.
Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish for us the work of our hands; Yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it!
