Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, God's servant.

Human lives are short but God lives for ever

1  Lord God, from long ago,

you have always been a safe home for us.

2 From before the mountains began,

and before you made the world,

you were already there, as God.

You have no beginning and no end.

3 People return to dust in the ground when they die.

You say, ‘Become dust again, you people.’

4 For you, a thousand years is only a short time.

They pass as quickly as a day for you,

or just a few hours in the night.

5 You cause people's lives to end,

as a dream finishes when you wake up.

People are like grass that appears in the morning.

6 During the morning, it grows well.

By the evening,

it is dry and it dies.

7 Your anger destroys us,

and we become very afraid.

8 All our sins are there for you to see.

You even see the sins that we have tried to hide.

9 Your anger gives us trouble all through our lives.

Then our lives finish like a short breath.

10 The number of days that we live make 70 years,

or maybe 80 years if we are strong enough.

But even in the best years of our lives,

we have trouble and we suffer.

Our lives quickly pass,

and we hurry towards death.

11 Lord, nobody knows all the power of your anger.

It is your anger that causes people to be afraid of you.

12 Teach us to count carefully the days of our short lives.

Then we will be wise in how we live.

13 Lord, return to help us!

How long will you be angry with us?

Please be kind to us, your servants!

14 Show your faithful love to us every morning.

Then we will sing with joy.

We will be happy for as long as we live.

15 For many years you have caused us to suffer.

Now, please make us happy

for as many years as you have given us trouble.

16 Do great things again,

so that we, your servants, see them!

Let our children see that you rule as King!

17 Yes, may the Lord our God bless us.

May everything that we do have success.

Yes, may everything go well!