8. The Lord is tender and kind. He is gracious. He is slow to get angry. He is full of love.
9. He won't keep bringing charges against us. He won't stay angry with us forever.
10. He doesn't punish us for our sins as much as we should be punished. He doesn't pay us back in keeping with the evil things we've done.
11. His love for those who have respect for him is as high as the heavens are above the earth.
12. He has removed our lawless acts from us as far as the east is from the west.
13. A father is tender and kind to his children. In the same way, the Lord is tender and kind to those who have respect for him.
14. He knows what we are made of. He remembers that we are dust.
15. People's lives are like grass. People grow like the flowers in the field.
16. When the wind blows on them, they are gone. No one can tell that they had ever been there.
17. But the Lord's love for those who have respect for him lasts for ever and ever. Their children's children will know that he always does what is right.
18. He always loves those who keep his covenant. He always does what is right for those who remember to obey his commands.