Psalm 90–92

God Is Eternal, and We Are Not

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90Lord, you have been our home

since the beginning.

²Before the mountains were born

and before you created the earth and the world,

you are God.

You have always been, and you will always be.

³You turn people back into dust.

You say, “Go back into dust, human beings.”

⁴To you, a thousand years

is like the passing of a day,

or like a few hours in the night.

⁵While people sleep, you take their lives.

They are like grass that grows up in the morning.

⁶In the morning they are fresh and new,

but by evening they dry up and die.

⁷We are destroyed by your anger;

we are terrified by your hot anger.

⁸You have put the evil we have done right in front of you;

you clearly see our secret sins.

⁹All our days pass while you are angry.

Our years end with a moan.

¹⁰Our lifetime is seventy years

or, if we are strong, eighty years.

But the years are full of hard work and pain.

They pass quickly, and then we are gone.

¹¹Who knows the full power of your anger?

Your anger is as great as our fear of you should be.

¹²Teach us how short our lives really are

so that we may be wise.

¹³Lord, how long before you return

and show kindness to your servants?

¹⁴Fill us with your love every morning.

Then we will sing and rejoice all our lives.

¹⁵We have seen years of trouble.

Now give us as much joy as you gave us sorrow.

¹⁶Show your servants the wonderful things you do;

show your greatness to their children.

¹⁷Lord our God, treat us well.

Give us success in what we do;

yes, give us success in what we do.

Safe in the Lord

91Those who go to God Most High for safety

will be protected by the Almighty.

²I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection.

You are my God and I trust you.”

³God will save you from hidden traps

and from deadly diseases.

⁴He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you can hide.

His truth will be your shield and protection.

⁵You will not fear any danger by night

or an arrow during the day.

⁶You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark

or sickness that strikes at noon.

⁷At your side one thousand people may die,

or even ten thousand right beside you,

but you will not be hurt.

⁸You will only watch

and see the wicked punished.

⁹The Lord is your protection;

you have made God Most High your place of safety.

¹⁰Nothing bad will happen to you;

no disaster will come to your home.

¹¹He has put his angels in charge of you

to watch over you wherever you go.

¹²They will catch you in their hands

so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.

¹³You will walk on lions and cobras;

you will step on strong lions and snakes.

¹⁴The Lord says, “Whoever loves me, I will save.

I will protect those who know me.

¹⁵They will call to me, and I will answer them.

I will be with them in trouble;

I will rescue them and honor them.

¹⁶I will give them a long, full life,

and they will see how I can save.”

Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

92It is good to praise you, Lord,

to sing praises to God Most High.

²It is good to tell of your love in the morning

and of your loyalty at night.

³It is good to praise you with the ten-stringed lyre

and with the soft-sounding harp.

⁴Lord, you have made me happy by what you have done;

I will sing for joy about what your hands have done.

⁵Lord, you have done such great things!

How deep are your thoughts!

⁶Stupid people don’t know these things,

and fools don’t understand.

⁷Wicked people grow like the grass.

Evil people seem to do well,

but they will be destroyed forever.

⁸But, Lord, you will be honored forever.

⁹Lord, surely your enemies,

surely your enemies will be destroyed,

and all who do evil will be scattered.

¹⁰But you have made me as strong as an ox.

You have poured fine oils on me.

¹¹When I looked, I saw my enemies;

I heard the cries of those who are against me.

¹²But good people will grow like palm trees;

they will be tall like the cedars of Lebanon.

¹³Like trees planted in the Temple of the Lord,

they will grow strong in the courtyards of our God.

¹⁴When they are old, they will still produce fruit;

they will be healthy and fresh.

¹⁵They will say that the Lord is good.

He is my Rock, and there is no wrong in him.