The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 God, it seems you've been our home forever;
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<<A Prayer by Moses, the man of God.>> Lord, you have been our dwelling place In all generations.
2 long before the mountains were born, Long before you brought earth itself to birth, from "once upon a time" to "kingdom come" - you are God.
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Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever you had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
3 So don't return us to mud, saying, "Back to where you came from!"
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You turn man to destruction, saying, "Return, you children of men."
4 Patience! You've got all the time in the world - whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you.
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For a thousand years in your sight Are but as yesterday when it is past, As a watch in the night.
5 Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass
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You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass.
6 That springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought?
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In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry.
7 Your anger is far and away too much for us; we're at the end of our rope.
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For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.
8 You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed since we were children is entered in your books.
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You have set our iniquities before you, Our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All we can remember is that frown on your face. Is that all we're ever going to get?
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For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.
10 We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.
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The days of our years are seventy, Or even by reason of strength eighty years; Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, For it passes quickly, and we fly away.
11 Who can make sense of such rage, such anger against the very ones who fear you?
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Who knows the power of your anger, Your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?
12 Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!
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So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Come back, God - how long do we have to wait? - and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
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Relent, Yahweh! How long? Have compassion on your servants.
14 Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long.
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Satisfy us in the morning with your lovingkindness, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make up for the bad times with some good times; we've seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
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Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, For as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your servants see what you're best at - the ways you rule and bless your children.
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Let your work appear to your servants; Your glory to their children.
17 And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!
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Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; Establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.