Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book IV—Psalms 90–106[a]
Psalm 90[b]
Prayer To Use Time Wisely
1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God.[c]
Lord, you have been our refuge
from generation to generation.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth
or the earth and the world came into existence,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, “Return,[d] you children of men.”
4 For to you a thousand years
are like a yesterday that has passed
or one of the watches of the night.[e]
5 You snatch them away like a dream;
they are like the grass of the field,[f]
6 which at dawn flourishes and is green
but by nightfall is withered and dry.
7 [g]We have been brought low by your anger
and overwhelmed with terror by your wrath.
8 You have not forgotten our iniquities;
our secret sins are clearly visible in your sight.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
our years are consumed like a sigh.
10 The span of our life numbers seventy years,
or perhaps eighty, if we have enough strength.
Most of them are marked by toil and emptiness;[h]
they pass swiftly, and then we fly away.
11 [i]Who understands the might of your anger
and rightly fears the power of your wrath?
12 Teach us to comprehend how few our days are
so that our hearts may be filled with wisdom.
13 Return,[j] O Lord. How long must we wait?
Show compassion to your servants.
14 Fill us with your kindness in the morning[k]
so that we may exult and be glad all our days.
15 Grant us joy for as many days as you have afflicted us
and for as many years as we have known misfortune.
16 Manifest your works to your servants
and your glory to their children.
17 May the favor[l] of the Lord, our God, rest upon us.
And may the work of our hands prosper—
indeed, may the work of our hands prosper.
18 King David’s Prayer. Then King David went in and, sitting in the presence of the Lord, he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my lineage, that you have brought me this far? 19 Yet you regarded this as too insignificant an honor, Lord God, for you have also deigned to extend your protective care to the house of your servant for a long time to come. Who can truly consider himself sufficiently worthy to be the recipient of such love, Lord God?
20 “What more can David say to you, Lord God, since you know everything about your servant? 21 For the sake of your promise and in accordance with the purpose you have in mind, you have decided to reveal all this to your servant.
22 “How great you are, Lord God! There is no one like you, and there is no God except you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms. 23 And what other nation on earth can be compared to your people Israel, whom you sent forth to redeem for yourself from Egypt by awe-inspiring deeds as you drove out other nations and their gods. 24 You have established your people Israel as your own forever, and you, Lord, became their God.
25 “And now, Lord God, in regard to the promise that you have made concerning your servant and his house, do what you have promised, 26 so that your name will be exalted forever, and people will say: ‘the Lord of hosts is the God of Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you, 27 since you, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, made this revelation to your servant: ‘I shall build a house for you.’ Therefore, your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to you.
28 “And now, Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. You have made this generous promise to your servant.[a] 29 Therefore, bless the house of your servant, so that it may remain ever before you. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
12 “ ‘Behold, I am coming soon, and I will bring with me my reward to repay everyone as his deeds deserve. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
14 “Blessed[a] are those who wash their robes clean so that they will be free to eat from the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Others must remain outside: the dogs,[b] the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices deceit.
16 “Come, Lord Jesus!”[c]“ ‘I, Jesus, sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David,[d] the bright Morning Star.’ ”
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