Psalm 90–92

Book Four (Psalms 90–106)

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

¹Lord, through all the generations

you have been our home!

²Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end, you are God.

³You turn people back to dust, saying,

“Return to dust, you mortals!”

⁴For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,

as brief as a few night hours.

⁵You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.

They are like grass that springs up in the morning.

⁶In the morning it blooms and flourishes,

but by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷We wither beneath your anger;

we are overwhelmed by your fury.

⁸You spread out our sins before you—

our secret sins—and you see them all.

⁹We live our lives beneath your wrath,

ending our years with a groan.

¹⁰Seventy years are given to us!

Some even live to eighty.

But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;

soon they disappear, and we fly away.

¹¹Who can comprehend the power of your anger?

Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

¹²Teach us to realize the brevity of life,

so that we may grow in wisdom.

¹³O Lord, come back to us!

How long will you delay?

Take pity on your servants!

¹⁴Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,

so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

¹⁵Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!

Replace the evil years with good.

¹⁶Let us, your servants, see you work again;

let our children see your glory.

¹⁷And may the Lord our God show us his approval

and make our efforts successful.

Yes, make our efforts successful!

Psalm 91

¹Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

²This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust him.

³For he will rescue you from every trap

and protect you from deadly disease.

⁴He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

⁵Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,

nor the arrow that flies in the day.

⁶Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,

nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

⁷Though a thousand fall at your side,

though ten thousand are dying around you,

these evils will not touch you.

⁸Just open your eyes,

and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹If you make the Lord your refuge,

if you make the Most High your shelter,

¹⁰no evil will conquer you;

no plague will come near your home.

¹¹For he will order his angels

to protect you wherever you go.

¹²They will hold you up with their hands

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

¹³You will trample upon lions and cobras;

you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name.

¹⁵When they call on me, I will answer;

I will be with them in trouble.

I will rescue and honor them.

¹⁶I will reward them with a long life

and give them my salvation.”

Psalm 92

A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day.

¹It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to the Most High.

²It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,

your faithfulness in the evening,

³accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp,

and the melody of a lyre.

⁴You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!

I sing for joy because of what you have done.

⁵O Lord, what great works you do!

And how deep are your thoughts.

⁶Only a simpleton would not know,

and only a fool would not understand this:

⁷Though the wicked sprout like weeds

and evildoers flourish,

they will be destroyed forever.

⁸But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.

⁹Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

¹⁰But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.

You have anointed me with the finest oil.

¹¹My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.

¹²But the godly will flourish like palm trees

and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

¹³For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.

They flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴Even in old age they will still produce fruit;

they will remain vital and green.

¹⁵They will declare, “The Lord is just!

He is my rock!

There is no evil in him!”