1A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.2Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.3You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”4For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.5You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—6in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers.7For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.8You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.10The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty if we are strong— yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.11Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.12So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.13Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.16May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.17May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands— yes, establish the work of our hands!
What’s happening. The only psalm credited to Moses. It reflects on God’s eternity next to how short and fragile human life is.
What it means. “Teach us to number our days” is a prayer to remember that life is short, not to be gloomy but to live wisely. Moses asks God to satisfy his people each morning with his steadfast love, so that their brief lives are filled with joy.