BOOK IV
(A prayer by Moses, the man of God.)
God Is Eternal
1 Our Lord, in all generations
you have been our home.
2 You have always been God—
long before the birth
of the mountains,
even before you created
the earth and the world.
3 At your command we die
and turn back to dust,
4 but a thousand years
mean nothing to you!
They are merely a day gone by
or a few hours in the night.
5 You bring our lives to an end
just like a dream.
We are merely tender grass
6 that sprouts and grows
in the morning,
but dries up by evening.
7 Your furious anger frightens
and destroys us,
8 and you know all our sins,
even those we do in secret.
9 Your anger is a burden
each day we live,
then life ends like a sigh.
10 We can expect seventy years,
or maybe eighty,
if we are healthy,
but even our best years
bring trouble and sorrow.
Suddenly our time is up,
and we disappear.
11 No one knows the full power
of your furious anger,
but it is as great as the fear
that we owe to you.
12 Teach us to use wisely
all the time we have.
13 Help us, Lord! Don't wait!
Pity your servants.
14 When morning comes,
let your love satisfy
all our needs.
Then we can celebrate
and be glad for what time
we have left.
15 Make us happy for as long
as you caused us trouble
and sorrow.
16 Do wonderful things for us,
your servants,
and show your mighty power
to our children.
17 Our Lord and our God,
treat us with kindness
and let all go well for us.
Please let all go well!
1 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, thou hast bene our habitation from generation to generation. 2 Before the mountaines were made, and before thou hadst formed the earth, and the world, euen from euerlasting to euerlasting thou art our God. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction: againe thou sayest, Returne, ye sonnes of Adam. 4 For a thousande yeeres in thy sight are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 5 Thou hast ouerflowed them: they are as a sleepe: in the morning he groweth like the grasse: 6 In the morning it florisheth and groweth, but in the euening it is cut downe and withereth. 7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. 8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, and our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance. 9 For all our dayes are past in thine anger: we haue spent our yeeres as a thought. 10 The time of our life is threescore yeeres and ten, and if they be of strength, fourescore yeeres: yet their strength is but labour and sorowe: for it is cut off quickly, and we flee away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thy wrath? for according to thy feare is thine anger. 12 Teach vs so to nomber our dayes, that we may apply our heartes vnto wisdome. 13 Returne (O Lord, howe long?) and be pacified toward thy seruants. 14 Fill vs with thy mercie in the morning: so shall we reioyce and be glad all our dayes. 15 Comfort vs according to the dayes that thou hast afflicted vs, and according to the yeeres that we haue seene euill. 16 Let thy worke bee seene towarde thy seruants, and thy glory vpon their children. 17 And let the beautie of the Lord our God be vpon vs, and direct thou the worke of our hands vpon vs, euen direct the worke of our handes.