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BOOK IV

(Psalms 90–106)

Eternal God and Mortal Man

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90 Lord, you have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(A)
Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.(B)

You return mankind to the dust,
saying, ‘Return, descendants of Adam.’(C)
For in your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(D)
You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(E)
They are like grass that grows in the morning –
in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by the evening it withers and dries up.(F)

For we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.(G)
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.(H)
For all our days ebb away under your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(I)
10 Our lives last[c] for seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(J)
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.(K)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](L)

13 Lord – how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.(M)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(N)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(O)
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendour by their children.(P)
17 Let the favour of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands –
establish the work of our hands!(Q)

Footnotes

  1. 90:1 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read dwelling place
  2. 90:5 Or You overwhelm them; Hb obscure
  3. 90:10 Lit The days of our years in them
  4. 90:10 LXX, Tg, Syr, Vg read Even their span is; Hb obscure
  5. 90:12 Or develop a heart of wisdom

Book IV: Psalms 90–106

90 (0) A prayer of Moshe the man of God:

(1) Adonai, you have been our dwelling place
in every generation.
Before the mountains were born,
before you had formed the earth and the world,
from eternity past to eternity future
you are God.

You bring frail mortals to the point of being crushed,
then say, “People, repent!”
For from your viewpoint a thousand years
are merely like yesterday or a night watch.
When you sweep them away, they become like sleep;
by morning they are like growing grass,
growing and flowering in the morning,
but by evening cut down and dried up.

For we are destroyed by your anger,
overwhelmed by your wrath.
You have placed our faults before you,
our secret sins in the full light of your presence.

All our days ebb away under your wrath;
our years die away like a sigh.
10 The span of our life is seventy years,
or if we are strong, eighty;
yet at best it is toil and sorrow,
over in a moment, and then we are gone.

11 Who grasps the power of your anger and wrath
to the degree that the fear due you should inspire?
12 So teach us to count our days,
so that we will become wise.

13 Return, Adonai! How long must it go on?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Fill us at daybreak with your love,
so that we can sing for joy as long as we live.
15 Let our joy last as long as the time you made us suffer,
for as many years as we experienced trouble.

16 Show your deeds to your servants
and your glory to their children.
17 May the favor of Adonai our God be on us,
prosper for us all the work that we do —
yes, prosper the work that we do.