1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-placein generations all.
2. Before thou ever hadst brought forththe mountains great or small;Ere ever thou hadst form'd the earth,and all the world abroad;Ev'n thou from everlasting artto everlasting God.
3. Thou dost unto destructionman that is mortal turn;And unto them thou say'st, Again,ye sons of men, return.
4. Because a thousand years appearno more before thy sightThan yesterday, when it is past,or than a watch by night.
5. As with an overflowing floodthou carry'st them away:They like a sleep are, like the grassthat grows at morn are they.
6. At morn it flourishes and grows,cut down at ev'n doth fade.
7. For by thine anger we're consum'd,thy wrath makes us afraid.
8. Our sins thou and iniquitiesdost in thy presence place,And sett'st our secret faults beforethe brightness of thy face.
9. For in thine anger all our daysdo pass on to an end;And as a tale that hath been told,so we our years do spend.
10. Threescore and ten years do sum upour days and years, we see;Or, if, by reason of more strength,in some fourscore they be:Yet doth the strength of such old menbut grief and labour prove;For it is soon cut off,and we fly hence, and soon remove.
11. Who knows the power of thy wrath?according to thy fear
12. So is thy wrath: Lord, teach thou usour end in mind to bear;And so to count our days, that weour hearts may still applyTo learn thy wisdom and thy truth,that we may live thereby.
13. Turn yet again to us, O Lord,how long thus shall it be?Let it repent thee now for thosethat servants are to thee.
14. O with thy tender mercies, Lord,us early satisfy;So we rejoice shall all our days,and still be glad in thee.
15. According as the days have been,wherein we grief have had,And years wherein we ill have seen,so do thou make us glad.
16. O let thy work and pow'r appearthy servants' face before;And shew unto their children dearthy glory evermore:
17. And let the beauty of the Lordour God be us upon:Our handy-works establish thou,establish them each one.