1  Lord, you have been our ^udwelling place¹

in all generations.

2  ^vBefore the ^wmountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

^xfrom everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3  You return man to dust

and say, ^y“Return, ^zO children of man!”²

4  For ^aa thousand years in your sight

are but as ^byesterday when it is past,

or as ^ca watch in the night.

5  You ^dsweep them away as with a flood; they are like ^ea dream,

like ^fgrass that is renewed in the morning:

6  in ⁱthe morning it flourishes and is renewed;

in the evening it ^jfades and ^kwithers.

7  For we are brought to an end by your anger;

by your wrath we are dismayed.

8  You have ^lset our iniquities before you,

our ^msecret sins in the light of your presence.

9  For all our days pass away under your wrath;

we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

10  The years of our life are seventy,

or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span³ is but toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11  Who considers the power of your anger,

and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12  ⁿSo teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13  ^oReturn, O Lord! ^pHow long?

Have ^qpity on your servants!

14  Satisfy us in the ^smorning with your steadfast love,

that we may ^trejoice and be glad all our days.

15  Make us glad for as many days as you have ^uafflicted us,

and for as many years as we have seen evil.

16  Let your ^vwork be shown to your servants,

and your glorious power to their children.

17  Let the ^xfavor⁴ of the Lord our God be upon us,

and establish ^ythe work of our hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands!

1  Why, O Lord, do you stand ^kfar away?

Why ^ldo you hide yourself in ^mtimes of trouble?

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them ⁿbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3  For the wicked ^oboasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain ^pcurses¹ and ^qrenounces the Lord.

4  In the pride of his face² the wicked does not ^qseek him;³

all his thoughts are, ^r“There is no God.”

5  His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, ^sout of his sight;

as for all his foes, he ^tpuffs at them.

6  He ^usays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I ^vshall not meet adversity.”

7  ^wHis mouth is filled with cursing and ^xdeceit and ^yoppression;

^zunder his tongue are ^amischief and ^biniquity.

8  He sits in ambush in the villages;

in ^chiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9  he lurks in ambush like ^da lion in his ^ethicket;

he ^flurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^gnet.

10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has ^hhidden his face, he ⁱwill never see it.”

12  ^jArise, O Lord; O God, ^klift up your hand;

^lforget not the afflicted.

13  Why does the wicked ^mrenounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not ⁿcall to account”?

14  But you do see, for you ^onote mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless ^pcommits himself;

you have been ^qthe helper of the fatherless.

15  ^rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

^scall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  ^tThe Lord is king forever and ever;

the ^unations perish from his land.

17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will ^vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18  to ^wdo justice to the fatherless and ^xthe oppressed,

so that ^yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.