Book of Common Prayer
BOOK IV (Psalms 90-106)
A prayer by Moses, the godly man
Life is Short
90 Lord, you’ve been our refuge[a]
from generation to generation.
2 Before the mountains were formed
or the earth and the world were brought forth,
you are God from eternity to eternity.
3 You return people to dust
merely by[b] saying, “Return, you mortals!”
4 One thousand years in your sight are but a single day
that passes by, just like a night watch.
5 You will sweep them away while they are asleep—
by morning they are like growing grass.
6 In the morning it blossoms and is renewed,
but toward evening, it fades and withers.
7 Indeed, we are consumed[c] by your anger
and terrified by your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
what we have concealed in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass[d] away in your wrath;
our years fade away[e] and end like a sigh.
10 We live for 70 years,
or 80 years if we’re healthy,[f]
yet even in the prime years[g] there are troubles and sorrow.
They pass by quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can know the intensity of your anger?
Because our fear of you matches your wrath,
12 teach us to keep account of our days
so we may develop inner wisdom.
13 Please return, Lord! When will it be?
Comfort your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your gracious love
so we may sing for joy
and rejoice every day.
15 Cause us to rejoice throughout the time when you have afflicted us,
the years when we have known[h] trouble.
16 May your awesome deeds be revealed to your servants,
as well as your splendor to their children.
17 May your favor be on us, Lord our God;
make our endeavors successful;
yes, make our endeavors secure!
15 You’ll leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse,
and the Lord God will put you to death permanently.[a]
16 Then whoever takes an oath[b] by the God of faithfulness,
and whoever takes an oath in the land,
will swear by the God of faithfulness,
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hidden from my eyes.
A New Universe
17 Take notice! I’m about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things won’t be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad[c] and rejoice[d] forever
in what I am creating,
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
19 I’ll rejoice over Jerusalem,
and take delight in my people;
no longer will the sound of weeping be heard in it,
nor the cry of distress.
20 “And[e] there will no longer be in it
a young boy[f] who lives only a few days,
or an old person who does not live out his days;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be thought a mere youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred years will be considered accursed.
21 People[g] will build houses and live in them;
They’ll plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They won’t build for others to inhabit;
they won’t plant for others to eat—
for like the lifetime[h] of a tree,[i] so will the lifetime[j] of my people be,
and my chosen ones will long enjoy[k] the work of their hands.
23 They won’t toil in vain
nor bear children doomed to misfortune,
for they will be offspring blessed[l] by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer,
while they are still speaking, I’ll hear.
25 “The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
but as for the serpent—
its food will be dust!
They won’t harm or destroy
on my entire holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
The Vision of the New Heaven and the New Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. 2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say,
“See, the tent of God is among humans!
He will make his home with them,
and they will be his people.
God himself will be with them,
and he will be their God.[a]
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There won’t be death anymore.
There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain,
because the first things have disappeared.”
5 The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”
He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”
6 Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty.
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