卷四:詩篇90—106

上帝與世人

上帝的僕人摩西的祈禱。

90 主啊,
你是我們世世代代的居所。
群山尚未誕生,
大地和世界還未形成,
從亙古到永遠,你是上帝。
你叫人歸回塵土,
說:「世人啊,歸回塵土吧。」
在你眼中,
千年如一日,又如夜裡的一更。
你像急流一般把世人沖走,
叫他們如夢消逝。
他們像清晨的嫩草,
清晨還生機盎然,
傍晚就凋謝枯萎。
你的怒氣使我們滅亡,
你的憤怒使我們戰抖。
你知道我們的罪惡,
對我們隱秘的罪瞭若指掌。
我們活在你的烈怒之下,
一生就像一聲歎息飛逝而去。
10 我們一生七十歲,
強壯的可活八十歲,
但人生最美好的時光也充滿勞苦和愁煩,
生命轉瞬即逝,
我們便如飛而去。
11 誰明白你憤怒的威力?
有誰因為明白你的烈怒而對你心存敬畏呢?
12 求你教導我們明白人生有限,
使我們做有智慧的人。
13 耶和華啊,我還要苦候多久呢?
求你憐憫你的僕人。
14 求你在清晨以慈愛來滿足我們,
使我們一生歡喜歌唱。
15 你使我們先前經歷了多少苦難和不幸的歲月,
求你也賜給我們多少歡樂的歲月。
16 求你讓僕人們看見你的作為,
讓我們的後代看見你的威榮。
17 願主——我們的上帝恩待我們,
使我們所做的亨通,
使我們所做的亨通。

90 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

90 A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed, you are God without beginning or end.

You speak, and man turns back to dust. A thousand years are but as yesterday to you! They are like a single hour![a] 5-6 We glide along the tides of time as swiftly as a racing river and vanish as quickly as a dream. We are like grass that is green in the morning but mowed down and withered before the evening shadows fall. We die beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your wrath. You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and see them all. No wonder the years are long and heavy here beneath your wrath. All our days are filled with sighing.

10 Seventy years are given us! And some may even live to eighty. But even the best of these years are often empty and filled with pain; soon they disappear, and we are gone. 11 Who can realize the terrors of your anger? Which of us can fear you as he should?

12 Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.

13 O Jehovah, come and bless us! How long will you delay? Turn away your anger from us. 14 Satisfy us in our earliest[b] youth with your loving-kindness, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives. 15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. 16 Let us see your miracles again; let our children see glorious things, the kind you used to do, 17 and let the Lord our God favor us and give us success. May he give permanence to all we do.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 90:4 like a single hour, literally, “as a watch in the night.”
  2. Psalm 90:14 earliest, literally, “early.”

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place(A)
    throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born(B)
    or you brought forth the whole world,
    from everlasting to everlasting(C) you are God.(D)

You turn people back to dust,
    saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”(E)
A thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by,
    or like a watch in the night.(F)
Yet you sweep people away(G) in the sleep of death—
    they are like the new grass of the morning:
In the morning it springs up new,
    but by evening it is dry and withered.(H)

We are consumed by your anger
    and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins(I) in the light of your presence.(J)
All our days pass away under your wrath;
    we finish our years with a moan.(K)
10 Our days may come to seventy years,(L)
    or eighty,(M) if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,(N)
    for they quickly pass, and we fly away.(O)
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
    Your wrath(P) is as great as the fear that is your due.(Q)
12 Teach us to number our days,(R)
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.(S)

13 Relent, Lord! How long(T) will it be?
    Have compassion on your servants.(U)
14 Satisfy(V) us in the morning with your unfailing love,(W)
    that we may sing for joy(X) and be glad all our days.(Y)
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
    your splendor to their children.(Z)

17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
    establish the work of our hands for us—
    yes, establish the work of our hands.(AA)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 90:17 Or beauty