Psalms 89
1 Of understanding, for Ethan the Ezrahite. The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. I will shew forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation.
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 thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens: thy truth shall be prepared in them.
For you have said, Mercy will be made strong for ever; my faith will be unchanging in the heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my elect: I have 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 Thy seed will I settle for ever. And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.
I will make your seed go on for ever, your kingdom will be strong through all generations. (Selah)
5 The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O Lord: and thy truth in the church of the saints.
In heaven let them give praise for your wonders, O Lord; and your unchanging faith among the saints.
6 For who in the clouds can be compared to the Lord: or who among the sons of God shall be like to God?
For who is there in the heavens in comparison with the Lord? who is like the Lord among the sons of the gods?
7 God, who is glorified in the assembly of the saints: great and terrible above all them that are about 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 like to thee? thou art mighty, O Lord, and thy truth is round about thee.
O Lord God of armies, who is strong like you, O Jah? and your unchanging faith is round about you.
9 Thou rulest the power of the sea: and appeasest the motion of the waves thereof.
You have rule over the sea in storm; when its waves are troubled, you make them calm.
10 Thou hast humbled the proud one, as one that is slain: with the arm of thy strength thou hast scattered thy enemies.
Rahab was crushed by you like one wounded to death; with your strong arm you put to flight all your haters.
11 Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth: the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded:
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 sea thou hast created. Thabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name:
You have made the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon are sounding with joy at your name.
13 Thy arm is with might. Let thy hand be strengthened, and thy right hand exalted:
Yours is an arm of power; strong is your hand and high your right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the preparation of thy throne. Mercy and truth shall go before thy face:
The seat of your kingdom is resting on righteousness and right judging: mercy and good faith come before your face.
15 Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation. They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance:
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 And in thy name they shall rejoice all the day, and in thy justice they shall be exalted.
In your name will they have joy all the day: in your righteousness will they be lifted up.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy good pleasure shall our horn be exalted.
For you are the glory of their strength; in your pleasure will our horn be lifted up.
18 For our protection is of the Lord, and of our king the holy one of Israel.
For our breastplate is the Lord; and our king is the Holy One of Israel's.
19 Then thou spokest in a vision to thy saints, and saidst: I have laid help upon one that is mighty, and have exalted one chosen out of my 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 have found David my servant: with my holy oil I have anointed him.
I have made discovery of David my servant; I have put my holy oil on his head.
21 For my hand shall help him: and my arm shall strengthen him.
My hand will be his support; my arm will give him strength.
22 The enemy shall have no advantage over him: nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt him.
The deceit of those who are against him will not overcome him; he will not be troubled by the sons of evil.
23 And I will cut down his enemies before his face; and them that hate him I will put to flight.
I will have those who are against him broken before his face, and his haters will be crushed under my blows.
24 And my truth and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
But my faith and my mercy will be with him; and in my name will his horn be lifted up.
25 And I will set his hand in the sea; and his right hand in the rivers.
I will put his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father: my God, and the support of my 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, high above the kings of the earth.
And I will make him the first of my sons, most high over the kings of the earth.
28 I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.
I will keep my mercy for him for ever; my agreement with him will not be changed.
29 And I will make his seed to endure for evermore: and his throne as the days of heaven.
His seed will keep their place for ever; his kingdom will be eternal, like the heavens.
30 And if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments:
If his children give up my law, and are not ruled by my decisions;
31 If they profane my justices: and keep not my commandments:
If my rules are broken, and my orders are not kept;
32 I will visit their iniquities with a rod: and their sins with stripes.
Then I will send punishment on them for their sin; my rod will be the reward of their evil-doing.
33 But my mercy I will not take away from him: nor will I suffer my truth to fail.
But I will not take away my mercy from him, and will not be false to my faith.
34 Neither will I profane my covenant: and the words that proceed from my mouth I will not make void.
I will be true to my agreement; the things which have gone out of my lips will not be changed.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David:
I have made an oath once by my holy name, that I will not be false to David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever.
His seed will not come to an end for ever; the seat of his kingdom will be like the sun before me.
37 And his throne as the sun before me: and as the moon perfect for ever, and a faithful witness in heaven.
It will be fixed for ever like the moon; and the witness in heaven is true. (Selah)
38 But thou hast rejected and despised: thou hast been angry with thy anointed.
But you have put him away in disgust; you have been angry with the king of your selection.
39 Thou hast overthrown the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his sanctuary on the earth.
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 Thou hast broken down all his hedges: thou hast made his strength fear.
All his walls are broken down; you have given his strong towers to destruction.
41 All that pass by the way have robbed him: he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
All those who come by take away his goods; he is laughed at by his neighbours.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of them that oppress him: thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
You have given power to the right hand of his haters; you have made glad all those who are against him.
43 Thou hast turned away the help of his sword; and hast not assisted him in battle.
His sword is turned back; you have not been his support in the fight.
44 Thou hast made his purification to cease: and thou hast cast his throne down to the ground.
You have put an end to his glory: the seat of his kingdom has been levelled to the earth.
45 Thou hast shortened the days of his time: thou hast covered him with confusion.
You have made him old before his time; he is covered with shame. (Selah)
46 How long, O Lord, turnest thou away unto the end? shall thy anger burn like fire?
How long, O Lord, will you Keep yourself for ever from our eyes? how long will your wrath be burning like fire?
47 Remember what my substance is for hast thou made all the children of men in vain?
See how short my time is; why have you made all men for no purpose?
48 Who is the man that shall live, and not see death: that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell? (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 Lord, where are thy ancient mercies, according to what thou didst swear to David in thy truth?
Lord, where are your earlier mercies? where is the oath which you made to David in unchanging faith?
50 Be mindful, O Lord, of the reproach of thy servants (which I have held in my bosom) of many 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 Wherewith thy enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the change of thy anointed.
The bitter words of your haters, O Lord, shaming the footsteps of your king.
52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. So be it. So be it.
Let the Lord be praised for ever. So be it, So be it.
