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BOOK IV

(Psalms 90–106)

(A prayer by Moses, the man of God.)

God Is Eternal

Our Lord, in all generations
    you have been our home.
You have always been God—
long before the birth
    of the mountains,
even before you created
    the earth and the world.

At your command we die
    and turn back to dust,
(A) but a thousand years
    mean nothing to you!
They are merely a day gone by
    or a few hours in the night.

You bring our lives to an end
    just like a dream.
We are merely tender grass
    that sprouts and grows
in the morning,
    but dries up by evening.
Your furious anger frightens
    and destroys us,
and you know all our sins,
    even those we do in secret.

Your anger is a burden
each day we live,
    then life ends like a sigh.
10 (B) We can expect seventy years,
or maybe eighty,
    if we are healthy,
but even our best years
    bring trouble and sorrow.
Suddenly our time is up,
    and we disappear.
11 No one knows the full power
    of your furious anger,
but it is as great as the fear
    that we owe to you.
12 Teach us to use wisely
    all the time we have.

13 Help us, Lord! Don't wait!
    Pity your servants.
14 When morning comes,
let your love satisfy
    all our needs.
Then we can celebrate
and be glad for what time
    we have left.
15 Make us happy for as long
as you caused us trouble
    and sorrow.
16 Do wonderful things for us,
    your servants,
and show your mighty power
    to our children.
17 Our Lord and our God,
    treat us with kindness
and let all go well for us.
    Please let all go well!

Book 4

(Psalms 90-106)

The prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90 My Lord, you have been our home forever and ever.
You were God before the mountains were born,
    before the earth and the world were made.
    You have always been and will always be God!

You bring people into this world,
    and you change them into dust again.
To you, a thousand years is like yesterday,
    like a few hours in the night.
Our life is like a dream that ends when morning comes.
We are like grass
    that grows and looks so fresh in the morning,
    but in the evening it is dry and dying.
Your anger could destroy us.
    Your anger frightens us!
You know about all our sins.
    You see every one of our secret sins.
Your anger can end our life.
    Our lives fade away like a whisper.
10 We live about 70 years
    or, if we are strong, 80 years.
But most of them are filled with hard work and pain.
    Then, suddenly, the years are gone, and we fly away.
11 No one really knows the full power of your anger,
    but our fear and respect for you is as great as your anger.
12 Teach us how short our lives are
    so that we can become wise.
13 Lord, come back to us.
    Be kind to your servants.
14 Fill us with your love every morning.
    Let us be happy and enjoy our lives.
15 For years you have made life hard for us and have given us many troubles.
    Now make us happy for just as long.
16 Let your servants see the wonderful things you can do for them.
    And let their children see your glory.
17 Lord, our God, be kind to us.
    Make everything we do successful.
    Yes, make it all successful.