Psalms 89
1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing evermore of the love of the Lord, proclaiming to all generations his faithfulness.
Maschil. Of Ethan the Ezrahite. My song will be of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make his faith clear to all generations.
2 For your love you did promise to build up forever, your faithfulness firm as the heavens themselves.
For you have said, Mercy will be made strong for ever; my faith will be unchanging in the heavens.
3 ‘I have made with my chosen a covenant, and sworn to David my servant,
I have made an agreement with the man of my selection, I have made an oath to David my servant;
4 to establish his seed forever, and to build up his throne to all ages.’ (Selah)
I will make your seed go on for ever, your kingdom will be strong through all generations. (Selah)
5 Then the holy assembly in heaven praised your marvellous faithfulness, Lord.
In heaven let them give praise for your wonders, O Lord; and your unchanging faith among the saints.
6 For who in the skies may compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the gods?
For who is there in the heavens in comparison with the Lord? who is like the Lord among the sons of the gods?
7 A God to be feared in the holy assembly, awful and great above all who are round him.
God is greatly to be feared among the saints, and to be honoured over all those who are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you? Your strength and faithfulness, Lord, surround you.
O Lord God of armies, who is strong like you, O Jah? and your unchanging faith is round about you.
9 You are the Lord of the raging sea: when its waves surge, it is you who still them.
You have rule over the sea in storm; when its waves are troubled, you make them calm.
10 It was you who did pierce and crush Rahab in pieces, and scatter your foes by your mighty arm.
Rahab was crushed by you like one wounded to death; with your strong arm you put to flight all your haters.
11 Yours are the heavens, yours also the earth, the world and its fulness, it’s you who did found them.
Yours are the heavens, and the earth is yours; you have made the world, and everything which is in it.
12 The north and the south, it’s you have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout praise to your name.
You have made the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon are sounding with joy at your name.
13 You have an arm with the might of a hero; strong is your hand, high uplifted your right hand.
Yours is an arm of power; strong is your hand and high your right hand.
14 Justice and right are the base of your throne, kindness and faithfulness ever attend you.
The seat of your kingdom is resting on righteousness and right judging: mercy and good faith come before your face.
15 Happy the people who know the glad shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face.
Happy are the people who have knowledge of the holy cry: the light of your face, O Lord, will be shining on their way.
16 They exult in your name all the day, and your righteousness they extol.
In your name will they have joy all the day: in your righteousness will they be lifted up.
17 For you are our strength and our pride. Your favour will lift us to honour.
For you are the glory of their strength; in your pleasure will our horn be lifted up.
18 For the holy Lord of Israel keeps our defender and king.
For our breastplate is the Lord; and our king is the Holy One of Israel's.
19 In a vision of old you did speak in this way to the one whom you loved: ‘A crown I have set on the hero I chose to be over the people
Then your voice came to your holy one in a vision, saying, I have put the crown on a strong one, lifting up one taken from among the people.
20 ‘I found my servant David, and anointed with holy oil.
I have made discovery of David my servant; I have put my holy oil on his head.
21 My hand will be with him forever, my arm will give him strength.
My hand will be his support; my arm will give him strength.
22 ‘No enemy will dare to assail him, nor the wicked to oppress him;
The deceit of those who are against him will not overcome him; he will not be troubled by the sons of evil.
23 but his foes I will shatter before him, I will strike down those who hate him.
I will have those who are against him broken before his face, and his haters will be crushed under my blows.
24 ‘My loyal love shall attend him, and I will lift him to honour.
But my faith and my mercy will be with him; and in my name will his horn be lifted up.
25 I will set his hand on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.
I will put his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 ‘As for him, he will call me “My father, my God, and my rock of salvation.”
He will say to me, You are my father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.
27 And I will make him my firstborn, highest of kings on the earth.
And I will make him the first of my sons, most high over the kings of the earth.
28 ‘My love will I keep for him ever, my covenant with him shall stand fast.
I will keep my mercy for him for ever; my agreement with him will not be changed.
29 His line will I make everlasting, and his throne as the days of the heavens.
His seed will keep their place for ever; his kingdom will be eternal, like the heavens.
30 ‘If his children forsake my law, and walk not as I have ordained;
If his children give up my law, and are not ruled by my decisions;
31 if they profane my statutes, and do not keep my commandments;
If my rules are broken, and my orders are not kept;
32 ‘I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with scourges.
Then I will send punishment on them for their sin; my rod will be the reward of their evil-doing.
33 But my love will I not take from him, nor will I belie my faithfulness.
But I will not take away my mercy from him, and will not be false to my faith.
34 ‘I will not profane my covenant by changing the word that has passed my lips.
I will be true to my agreement; the things which have gone out of my lips will not be changed.
35 Once have I solemnly sworn and I would not lie to David,
I have made an oath once by my holy name, that I will not be false to David.
36 ‘that his line should endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me,
His seed will not come to an end for ever; the seat of his kingdom will be like the sun before me.
37 firm as the moon which for ever and ever is fixed in the sky.’ (Selah)
It will be fixed for ever like the moon; and the witness in heaven is true. (Selah)
38 But you have cast off in contempt, and been furious with your anointed.
But you have put him away in disgust; you have been angry with the king of your selection.
39 You have spurned the covenant with your servant, and his sacred crown dashed to the ground.
You have made your agreement with your servant of no effect: you have had no respect for his crown, it has come down even to the earth.
40 You have broken down all his walls, and laid his bulwarks in ruins.
All his walls are broken down; you have given his strong towers to destruction.
41 All who pass on their way despoil him, the scorn of his neighbours is he now.
All those who come by take away his goods; he is laughed at by his neighbours.
42 You have given his foes the victory, and made all his enemies glad.
You have given power to the right hand of his haters; you have made glad all those who are against him.
43 You have turned back his sword from the foe, you did not lift him up in the battle.
His sword is turned back; you have not been his support in the fight.
44 The sceptre you took from his hand, and his throne you did hurl to the ground.
You have put an end to his glory: the seat of his kingdom has been levelled to the earth.
45 You have shortened the days of his youth, and covered him with shame. (Selah)
You have made him old before his time; he is covered with shame. (Selah)
46 How long, Lord will you hide you forever? How long are the fires of your wrath to burn?
How long, O Lord, will you Keep yourself for ever from our eyes? how long will your wrath be burning like fire?
47 Remember, Lord, the shortness of life how fleeting you made all people.
See how short my time is; why have you made all men for no purpose?
48 Who can live without seeing death? Who can rescue their life from the clutch of Sheol? (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
What man now living will not see death? will he be able to keep back his soul from the underworld? (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
49 Where, Lord, is your kindness of old, which you in your faithfulness swore to David?
Lord, where are your earlier mercies? where is the oath which you made to David in unchanging faith?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, how I bear in my heart the scorn of all nations
Keep in mind, O Lord, the shame of your servants, and how the bitter words of all the people have come into my heart;
51 The scorn which your enemies hurl, O Lord, which they hurl at the footsteps of your anointed.
The bitter words of your haters, O Lord, shaming the footsteps of your king.
52 Blest be the Lord, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.
Let the Lord be praised for ever. So be it, So be it.
