Beginning
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and the Brevity of Human Life.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn mortals back into dust
And say, “Return, you sons of mankind.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or like a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass that [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)wilts and (N)withers away.
7 For we have been (O)consumed by Your anger,
And we have been terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have (P)placed our guilty deeds before You,
Our (Q)hidden sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For (R)all our days have dwindled away in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [i]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [j]life, [k]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (S)eighty years,
Yet their pride is only (T)trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we (U)disappear.
11 Who [l]understands the (V)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (W)fear [m]that is due You?
12 So (X)teach us to number our days,
That we may [n](Y)present to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do (Z)return, Lord; (AA)how long will it be?
And [o]be (AB)sorry for Your servants.
14 (AC)Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness,
That we may (AD)sing for joy and rejoice all our days.
15 (AE)Make us glad [p]according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the (AF)years we have seen [q]evil.
16 Let Your (AG)work appear to Your servants
And Your (AH)majesty [r]to their children.
17 May the (AI)kindness of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [s](AJ)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, [t]confirm the work of our hands.
Security of One Who Trusts in the Lord.
91 One who dwells in the (AK)shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the (AL)shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My (AM)refuge and my (AN)fortress,
My God, in whom I (AO)trust!”
3 For it is He who rescues you from the (AP)net of the trapper
And from the deadly (AQ)plague.
4 He will (AR)cover you with His pinions,
And (AS)under His wings you may take refuge;
His (AT)faithfulness is a (AU)shield and wall.
5 You (AV)will not be afraid of the (AW)terror by night,
Or of the (AX)arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the (AY)plague that [u]stalks in darkness,
Or of the (AZ)destruction that devastates at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But (BA)it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And (BB)see the retaliation against the wicked.
9 [v]For you have made the Lord, (BC)my refuge,
The Most High, (BD)your dwelling place.
10 (BE)No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your [w]tent.
11 For He will give (BF)His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will (BG)lift you up,
So that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will (BH)walk upon the lion and cobra,
You will trample the young lion and the [x]serpent.
14 “(BI)Because he has loved Me, I will save him;
I will (BJ)set him securely on high, because he has (BK)known My name.
15 He will (BL)call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in [y]trouble;
I will rescue him and (BM)honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with [z]a (BN)long life,
And [aa](BO)show him My salvation.”
Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.
A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day.
92 It is (BP)good to give thanks to the Lord
And to (BQ)sing praises to Your name, Most High;
2 To (BR)declare Your goodness in the morning
And Your (BS)faithfulness by [ab]night,
3 [ac]With the (BT)ten-stringed lute and [ad]with the (BU)harp,
[ae]With resounding music on the (BV)lyre.
4 For You, Lord, have made me joyful by [af]what You (BW)have done,
I will (BX)sing for joy over the (BY)works of Your hands.
5 How (BZ)great are Your works, Lord!
Your [ag](CA)thoughts are very (CB)deep.
6 A (CC)stupid person has no knowledge,
Nor does a (CD)foolish person understand this:
7 When the wicked (CE)sprouted up like grass
And all (CF)who did injustice flourished,
It was only that they might be (CG)destroyed forevermore.
8 But You, Lord, are (CH)on high forever.
9 For, behold, Your enemies, Lord,
For, behold, (CI)Your enemies will perish;
All who do injustice will be (CJ)scattered.
10 But You have exalted my (CK)horn like that of the wild ox;
I have [ah]been (CL)anointed with fresh oil.
11 And my eye has (CM)looked at my enemies,
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
12 The (CN)righteous person will [ai]flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a (CO)cedar in Lebanon.
13 (CP)Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish (CQ)in the courtyards of our God.
14 They will still [aj](CR)yield fruit in advanced age;
They will be [ak]full of sap and very green,
15 To [al]declare that (CS)the Lord is just;
He is my (CT)rock, and there is (CU)no malice in Him.
The Majesty of the Lord.
93 (CV)The Lord [am]reigns, He is (CW)clothed with majesty;
The Lord has (CX)clothed and encircled Himself with strength.
Indeed, the (CY)world is firmly established; it will not be moved.
2 Your (CZ)throne is established from of old;
You (DA)are from eternity.
3 The (DB)floods have lifted up, Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice,
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord (DC)on high is mighty.
5 Your (DD)testimonies are fully confirmed;
(DE)Holiness is pleasing to Your house,
Lord, [an]forevermore.
The Lord Implored to Avenge His People.
94 Lord, God of [ao](DF)vengeance,
God of [ap]vengeance, [aq](DG)shine forth!
2 (DH)Rise up, (DI)Judge of the earth,
Pay back retribution (DJ)to the proud.
3 How long, Lord, shall the wicked—
How long shall the (DK)wicked triumph?
4 They pour out words, they (DL)speak arrogantly;
All who do injustice (DM)boast.
5 They (DN)crush Your people, Lord,
And (DO)afflict Your inheritance.
6 They (DP)kill the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 (DQ)They have said, “[ar]The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob perceive.”
8 Pay attention, you (DR)stupid ones among the people;
And when will you understand, (DS)foolish ones?
9 He who (DT)planted the ear, [as]does He not hear?
Or He who formed the eye, [at]does He not see?
10 He who [au](DU)disciplines the nations, will He not rebuke,
He who (DV)teaches mankind knowledge?
11 The Lord (DW)knows human thoughts,
[av]That they are mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom (DX)You discipline, [aw]Lord,
And (DY)whom You teach from Your Law,
13 So that You may grant him (DZ)relief from the (EA)days of adversity,
Until (EB)a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For (EC)the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He (ED)abandon His inheritance.
15 For [ax](EE)judgment [ay]will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart [az]will follow it.
16 Who will (EF)stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me (EG)against those who do injustice?
17 If (EH)the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
18 If I should say, “(EI)My foot has slipped,”
Your faithfulness, Lord, will support me.
19 When my anxious thoughts [ba]multiply within me,
Your (EJ)comfort delights my soul.
20 Can a [bb](EK)throne of destruction be allied with You,
One (EL)which devises [bc]mischief by decree?
21 They (EM)band themselves together against the [bd]life of the righteous
And (EN)condemn [be]the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my (EO)refuge,
And my God the (EP)rock of my refuge.
23 He has (EQ)brought back their injustice upon them,
And He will [bf](ER)destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will [bg]destroy them.
Praise to the Lord and Warning against Unbelief.
95 Come, let’s (ES)sing for joy to the Lord,
Let’s shout joyfully to (ET)the rock of our salvation.
2 Let’s (EU)come before His presence (EV)with a song of thanksgiving,
Let’s shout joyfully to Him (EW)in songs with instruments.
3 For the Lord is a (EX)great God
And a great King (EY)above all gods,
4 In whose hand are the (EZ)depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are also His.
5 [bh]The sea is His, for it was He (FA)who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let’s (FB)worship and bow down,
Let’s (FC)kneel before the Lord our (FD)Maker.
7 For He is our God,
And (FE)we are the people of His [bi](FF)pasture and the sheep of His hand.
(FG)Today, [bj]if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as at [bk](FH)Meribah,
As on the day of [bl](FI)Massah in the wilderness,
9 “When your fathers (FJ)put Me to the test,
They tested Me, though they had seen My work.
10 For (FK)forty years I was disgusted with that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
11 Therefore I (FL)swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My (FM)rest.”
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