BOOK 4
90
God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.
A Prayer of
AMoses, the man of God.
1 Lord, You have been our
1Adwelling place in all generations.
2 Before
Athe mountains were born
1Or You
Bgave birth to the earth and the world,
Even
Cfrom everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You
Aturn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For
Aa thousand years in Your sight
Are like
Byesterday when it passes by,
1Or
as a
Cwatch in the night.
5 You
Ahave
1swept them away like a flood, they
2Bfall asleep;
In the morning they are like
Cgrass which
3sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it
Aflourishes and
1sprouts anew;
Toward evening it
Bfades and
Cwithers away.
7 For we have been
Aconsumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been
1dismayed.
8 You have
Aplaced our iniquities before You,
Our
Bsecret
sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For
Aall our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a
1sigh.
10 As for the days of our
1life,
2they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength,
Aeighty years,
Yet their pride is
but Blabor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we
Cfly away.
11 Who
1understands the
Apower of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the
Bfear
2that is due You?
12 So
Ateach us to number our days,
That we may
1Bpresent to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Do
Areturn, O Loʀᴅ;
Bhow long
will it be? And
1be
Csorry for Your servants.
14 O
Asatisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness,
That we may
Bsing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 AMake us glad
1according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the
Byears we have seen
2evil.
16 Let Your
Awork appear to Your servants
And Your
Bmajesty
1to their children.
17 Let the
Afavor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And
1Bconfirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes,
1confirm the work of our hands.