BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Israel’s Rebellion Predicted

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death^(A) is near. Call Joshua^(B) and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.^(C)” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.^(D)

¹⁵ Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent.^{(E) 16} And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors,^(F) and these people will soon prostitute^(G) themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake^(H) me and break the covenant I made with them. ¹⁷ And in that day I will become angry^(I) with them and forsake^(J) them; I will hide^(K) my face^(L) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters^(M) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’^{(N) 18} And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

¹⁹ “Now write^(O) down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness^(P) for me against them. ²⁰ When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors,^(Q) and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods^(R) and worship them,^(S) rejecting me and breaking my covenant.^{(T) 21} And when many disasters and calamities come on them,^(U) this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do,^(V) even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” ²² So Moses wrote^(W) down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good^(A)

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete^(B) was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint^[a] elders^(C) in every town, as I directed you. ⁶ An elder must be blameless,^(D) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. ⁷ Since an overseer^(E) manages God’s household,^(F) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.^{(G) 8} Rather, he must be hospitable,^(H) one who loves what is good,^(I) who is self-controlled,^(J) upright, holy and disciplined. ⁹ He must hold firmly^(K) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine^(L) and refute those who oppose it.

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk^(M) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.^{(N) 11} They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households^(O) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² One of Crete’s own prophets^(P) has said it: “Cretans^(Q) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”^{[c] 13} This saying is true. Therefore rebuke^(R) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith^{(S) 14} and will pay no attention to Jewish myths^(T) or to the merely human commands^(U) of those who reject the truth.^{(V) 15} To the pure, all things are pure,^(W) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.^(X) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.^{(Y) 16} They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.^(Z) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.^(AA)