Eternal God and Mortal Man

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1Lord, You have been our refugea

in every generation.b

2Before the mountains were born,

before You gave birth to the earth and the world,

from eternity to eternity, You are God.c

3You return mankind to the dust,

saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.”d

4For in Your sight a thousand years

are like yesterday that passes by,

like a few hours of the night.e

5You end their lives;f they sleep.g

They are like grass that grows in the morning —

6in the morning it sprouts and grows;

by evening it withers and dries up.h

7For we are consumed by Your anger;

we are terrified by Your wrath.i

8You have set our unjust ways before You,

our secret sins in the light of Your presence.j

9For all our days ebb away under Your wrath;

we end our years like a sigh.k

10Our lives lastl seventy years

or, if we are strong, eighty years.

Even the best of them arem struggle and sorrow;

indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.n

11Who understands the power of Your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear that is due You.o

12Teach us to number our days carefully

so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.p, q

13LORD — how long?

Turn and have compassion on Your servants.r

14Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love

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

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

for as many years as we have seen adversity.t

16Let Your work be seen by Your servants,

and Your splendor by their children.u

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!v