A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
8,6,8,6
^1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place
in generations all.
^2Before thou ever hadst brought forth
the mountains great or small;
Ere ever thou hadst form'd the earth,
and all the world abroad;
Ev'n thou from everlasting art
to everlasting God.
^3Thou dost unto destruction
man that is mortal turn;
And unto them thou say'st, Again,
ye sons of men, return.
^4Because a thousand years appear
no more before thy sight
Than yesterday, when it is past,
or than a watch by night.
^5As with an overflowing flood
thou carry'st them away:
They like a sleep are, like the grass
that grows at morn are they.
^6At morn it flourishes and grows,
cut down at ev'n doth fade.
^7For by thine anger we're consum'd,
thy wrath makes us afraid.
^8Our sins thou and iniquities
dost in thy presence place,
And sett'st our secret faults before
the brightness of thy face.
^9For in thine anger all our days
do pass on to an end;
And as a tale that hath been told,
so we our years do spend.
^10Threescore and ten years do sum up
our days and years, we see;
Or, if, by reason of more strength,
in some fourscore they be:
Yet doth the strength of such old men
but grief and labour prove;
For it is soon cut off, and we
fly hence, and soon remove.
^11Who knows the power of thy wrath?
according to thy fear
^12So is thy wrath: Lord, teach thou us
our end in mind to bear;
And so to count our days, that we
our hearts may still apply
To learn thy wisdom and thy truth,
that we may live thereby.
^13Turn yet again to us, O Lord,
how long thus shall it be?
Let it repent thee now for those
that servants are to thee.
^14O with thy tender mercies, Lord,
us early satisfy;
So we rejoice shall all our days,
and still be glad in thee.
^15According as the days have been,
wherein we grief have had,
And years wherein we ill have seen,
so do thou make us glad.
^16O let thy work and pow'r appear
thy servants' face before;
And shew unto their children dear
thy glory evermore:
^17And let the beauty of the Lord
our God be us upon:
Our handy-works establish thou,
establish them each one.