Psalm 90

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 ^k

in every generation. ^l

²Before the mountains were born,

before You gave birth to the earth and the world,

from eternity to eternity, You are God. ^m

³You return mankind to the dust,

saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.” ⁿ

⁴For in Your sight a thousand years

are like yesterday that passes by,

like a few hours of the night. ^o

⁵You end their lives; ^pthey sleep. ^q

They are like grass that grows in the morning—

⁶in the morning it sprouts and grows;

by evening it withers and dries up. ^r

⁷For we are consumed by Your anger;

we are terrified by Your wrath. ^s

⁸You have set our unjust ways before You,

our secret sins in the light of Your presence. ^t

⁹For all our days ebb away under Your wrath;

we end our years like a sigh. ^u

¹⁰Our lives last ^vseventy years

or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Even the best of them are ^wstruggle and sorrow;

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

¹¹Who understands the power of Your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear that is due You. ^y

¹²Teach us to number our days carefully

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

¹³Lord—how long?

Turn and have compassion on Your servants. ^b

¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love

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

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

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

¹⁶Let Your work be seen by Your servants,

and Your splendor by their children. ^e

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! ^f