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Psalm 90

1  Lord, you have been our refuge ♦︎
   from one generation to another.
2  Before the mountains were brought forth,
      or the earth and the world were formed, ♦︎
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3  You turn us back to dust and say: ♦︎
   ‘Turn back, O children of earth.’
4  For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, ♦︎
   which passes like a watch in the night.
5  You sweep them away like a dream; ♦︎
   they fade away suddenly like the grass.
6  In the morning it is green and flourishes; ♦︎
   in the evening it is dried up and withered.
7  For we consume away in your displeasure; ♦︎
   we are afraid at your wrathful indignation.
8  You have set our misdeeds before you ♦︎
   and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
12  So teach us to number our days ♦︎
   that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

¹⁰ See, the day! See, it comes!
   Your doom^* has gone out.
The rod has blossomed, pride has budded.
¹¹   Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness.
None of them shall remain,
   not their abundance, not their wealth;
   no pre-eminence among them.^*
12 The time has come, the day draws near;
   let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn,
   for wrath is upon all their multitude.
¹³For the sellers shall not return to what has been sold as long as they remain alive. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not be revoked. Because of their iniquity, they cannot maintain their lives.^*
14 They have blown the horn and made everything ready;
   but no one goes to battle,
   for my wrath is upon all their multitude.
¹⁵ The sword is outside, pestilence and famine are inside;
   those in the field die by the sword;
   those in the city—famine and pestilence devour them.
¹⁶ If any survivors escape,
   they shall be found on the mountains
   like doves of the valleys,
all of them moaning over their iniquity.
¹⁷ All hands shall grow feeble,
   all knees turn to water.
¹⁸ They shall put on sackcloth,
   horror shall cover them.
Shame shall be on all faces,
   baldness on all their heads.
¹⁹ They shall fling their silver into the streets,
   their gold shall be treated as unclean.
Their silver and gold cannot save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. They shall not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling-block of their iniquity. ²⁰From their^* beautiful ornament, in which they took pride, they made their abominable images, their detestable things; therefore I will make of it an unclean thing to them.
²¹ I will hand it over to strangers as booty,
   to the wicked of the earth as plunder;
   they shall profane it.
²² I will avert my face from them,
   so that they may profane my treasured^* place;
the violent shall enter it,
   they shall profane it.
²³ Make a chain!^*
For the land is full of bloody crimes;
   the city is full of violence.
²⁴ I will bring the worst of the nations
   to take possession of their houses.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong,
   and their holy places shall be profaned.
²⁵ When anguish comes, they will seek peace,
   but there shall be none.
²⁶ Disaster comes upon disaster,
   rumour follows rumour;
they shall keep seeking a vision from the prophet;
   instruction shall perish from the priest,
   and counsel from the elders.
²⁷ The king shall mourn,
   the prince shall be wrapped in despair,
   and the hands of the people of the land shall tremble.
According to their way I will deal with them;
   according to their own judgements I will judge them.
And they shall know that I am the Lord.

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

43 ‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. ⁴⁴Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation.’