Psalm 90–92

BOOK IV

(Psalms 90–106)

Psalm 90

ETERNAL GOD AND MORTAL MAN

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

¹Lord, you have been our refuge^A

in every generation.^a

²Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from eternity to eternity, you are God.^b

³You return mankind to the dust,

saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.”^c

⁴For in your sight a thousand years

are like yesterday that passes by,

like a few hours of the night.^d

⁵You end their lives;^B they sleep.^e

They are like grass that grows in the morning—

⁶in the morning it sprouts and grows;

by evening it withers and dries up.^f

⁷For we are consumed by your anger;

we are terrified by your wrath.^g

⁸You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.^h

⁹For all our days ebb away under your wrath;

we end our years like a sigh.ⁱ

¹⁰Our lives last^C seventy years

or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Even the best of them are^D struggle and sorrow;

indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.^j

¹¹Who understands the power of your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.^k

¹²Teach us to number our days carefully

so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.^El

¹³Lord—how long?

Turn and have compassion on your servants.^m

¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love

so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.ⁿ

¹⁵Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,

for as many years as we have seen adversity.^o

¹⁶Let your work be seen by your servants,

and your splendor by their children.^p

¹⁷Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;

establish for us the work of our hands—

establish the work of our hands!^q

Psalm 91

THE PROTECTION OF THE MOST HIGH

¹The one who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.^r

²I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress,

my God in whom I trust:^s

³He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,^t

from the destructive plague.

⁴He will cover you with his feathers;

you will take refuge under his wings.^u

His faithfulness will be a protective shield.^v

⁵You will not fear the terror of the night,

the arrow that flies by day,^w

⁶the plague that stalks in darkness,

or the pestilence that ravages at noon.^x

⁷Though a thousand fall at your side

and ten thousand at your right hand,

the pestilence will not reach you.^y

⁸You will only see it with your eyes

and witness the punishment of the wicked.^z

⁹Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,^aa

the Most High—your dwelling place,^ab

¹⁰no harm will come to you;

no plague will come near your tent.^a

¹¹For he will give his angels orders concerning you,

to protect you in all your ways.^b

¹²They will support you with their hands

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.^c

¹³You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the young lion and the serpent.^d

¹⁴Because he has his heart set on me,

I will deliver him;

I will protect him because he knows my name.^e

¹⁵When he calls out to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble.

I will rescue him and give him honor.^f

¹⁶I will satisfy him with a long life^g

and show him my salvation.^h

Psalm 92

GOD’S LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

¹It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praise to your name, Most High,ⁱ

²to declare your faithful love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,^j

³with a ten-stringed harp^A

and the music of a lyre.^k

⁴For you have made me rejoice, Lord,

by what you have done;

I will shout for joy

because of the works of your hands.^l

⁵How magnificent are your works, Lord,

how profound your thoughts!^m

⁶A stupid person does not know,

a fool does not understand this:ⁿ

⁷though the wicked sprout like grass^*

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be eternally destroyed.^o

⁸But you, Lord, are exalted forever.^p

⁹For indeed, Lord, your enemies—

indeed, your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.^q

¹⁰You have lifted up my horn^r

like that of a wild ox;

I have been anointed^B with the finest oil.^s

¹¹My eyes look at my enemies;

when evildoers rise against me,

my ears hear them.^t

¹²The righteous thrive like a palm tree

and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.^u

¹³Planted in the house of the Lord,

they thrive in the courts of our God.^v

¹⁴They will still bear fruit in old age,

healthy and green,^w

¹⁵to declare, “The Lord is just;

he is my rock,

and there is no unrighteousness in him.”^x