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God's Eternity and Man's Transitoriness.

¹ Lord, You have been our ^(C1)dwelling place our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability in all generations.

² Before ^(C1)the mountains were born
Or before You had ^(C2)given birth to the earth and the world,
Even ^(C3)from everlasting to everlasting, You are the eternal God.

³ You ^(C1)turn man back to dust,
And say, "Return to the earth, O children of mortal men!"

⁴ For ^(C1)a ^(F1)thousand years in Your sight
Are like ^(C2)yesterday when it is past,
Or as a ^(C3)watch in the night. ^(VR1)

⁵ You ^(C1)have swept them away like a flood, they ^(C2)fall asleep forgotten as soon as they are gone;
In the morning they are like ^(C3)grass which grows anew—

⁶ In the morning it ^(C1)flourishes and springs up;
In the evening it ^(C2)wilts and ^(C3)withers away.

⁷ For we have been ^(C1)consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been terrified.

⁸ You have ^(C1)placed our wickedness before you,
Our ^(C2)secret sins which we tried to conceal, You have placed in the revealing light of Your presence.

⁹ For ^(C1)all our days pass away in Your wrath;
We have finished our years like a whispered sigh. ^(VR1)

¹⁰ The days of our life are ^(F1)seventy years—
Or even, if because of strength, ^(C1)eighty years;
Yet their pride in additional years is only ^(C2)labor and sorrow,
For it is soon gone and we ^(C3)fly away.

¹¹ Who understands the ^(C1)power of Your anger? Who connects this brevity of life among us with Your judgment of sin?
And Your wrath, who connects it with the reverent ^(C2)fear that is due You?

¹² So ^(C1)teach us to number our days,
That we may ^(C2)cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.

^13 (C1)Turn, O LORD from Your fierce anger; ^(C2)how long will it be?
Be ^(C3)compassionate toward Your servants—revoke Your sentence.

¹⁴ O ^(C1)satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning now, before we grow older,
That we may ^(C2)rejoice and be glad all our days.

^15 (C1)Make us glad in proportion to the days You have afflicted us,
And the ^(C2)years we have suffered evil.

¹⁶ Let Your ^(C1)work the signs of Your power be revealed to Your servants
And Your glorious ^(C2)majesty to their children.

¹⁷ And let the gracious ^(C1)favor of the Lord our God be on us;
^(C2)Confirm for us the work of our hands—
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.