Psalms 89
1 Yahweh, I will sing forever about the ways you faithfully love me; people not yet born will hear that you faithfully [do all that you have promised].
A maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of Yahweh's acts of covenant faithfulness forever. I will proclaim your truthfulness to future generations.
2 I will tell people that you will faithfully love us forever, and that your being faithful [to do what you have promised] is as permanent as the sky.
For I have said, “Covenant faithfulness has been established forever; your truthfulness you have established in the heavens.”
3 Yahweh said, “I have made an agreement with David, whom I chose [to serve me]. I have made this solemn (agreement with/promise to) him:
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have made an oath to David my servant.
4 ‘I will enable various ones of your descendants to always be kings; the line of kings descended from you [MTY] will never end.’”
I will establish your descendants forever, and I will establish your throne through all generations.” (Selah)
5 Yahweh, I desire that all [those beings who are in] [MTY] heaven will praise you for the wonderful things that you do, and that all your holy angels will sing about how you faithfully [do what you promise].
The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh; your truthfulness is praised in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 There is no one [RHQ] in heaven who can be compared with you, Yahweh. There are no angels [RHQ] in heaven who are equal to you.
For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the gods is like Yahweh?
7 When your holy angels gather together, they declare that you must be revered; they say that you are more awesome than all the angels that surround your throne!
He is a God who is greatly honored in the council of the holy ones and is awesome among all who surround him.
8 O Yahweh, God Almighty, there is no one [RHQ] who is powerful like you are; your faithfully doing [all that you promise] is [like a cloak that] [MET] [always] surrounds you.
Yahweh God of hosts, who is strong like you, Yahweh? Your truthfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the powerful seas; when their waves rise up, you calm them.
You rule the raging sea; when the waves surge, you calm them.
10 You are the one who crushed [and killed the great sea monster named] Rahab. You [defeated and] scattered your enemies with your great power [MTY].
You crushed Rahab as one who is killed. You scattered your enemies with your strong arm.
11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; and everything on the earth is yours, because you created it all.
The heavens belong to you, and the earth also. You made the world and all it contains.
12 You created [everything from] the north to the south. Tabor [Mountain] and Hermon [Mountain] joyfully praise you [MTY].
You created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 (You/Your arms) are very powerful; (you/your hands) are extremely strong.
You have a mighty arm and a strong hand, and your right hand is high.
14 (Your rule [MTY] over us is based on/As you rule over us, you are always) treating people fairly and justly, and on/are always faithfully loving us and doing [what you promised].
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness come before you.
15 Yahweh, happy are the people who worship you with joyful shouts, who live knowing that you are always watching over them.
Blessed are the people who worship you! Yahweh, they walk in the light of your face.
16 Every day, throughout the day, they rejoice in what you [MTY] [have done], and they praise you for being very good [to them].
They rejoice in your name all day long, and in your righteousness they exalt you.
17 You give us your glorious strength; because you act in our favor, we defeat [MET] [our enemies].
You are their majestic strength, and by your favor we are victorious.
18 Yahweh, you gave us [the one who] protects us [MET]; you, the holy God whom we Israelis worship, chose a king for us.
For our shield belongs to Yahweh; our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to one of your servants/prophets, saying, “I have helped a famous soldier; I chose him from among all the people to be a king.
Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones; you said, “I have set a crown on a mighty one.” I have raised up one chosen from among the people.
20 That man is David, the one who will serve me [faithfully], and I anointed him with sacred olive oil [to make him king].
I have chosen David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him.
21 I [MTY] will always strengthen him; with my power [MTY] I will make him strong.
My hand will support him; my arm will strengthen him.
22 His enemies will never find ways to defeat him, and wicked people will never defeat him.
No enemy will deceive him; no son of wickedness will oppress him.
23 I will crush his enemies in front of him and get rid of those who hate him.
I will crush his enemies before him; I will kill those who hate him.
24 I will always be loyal to him and faithfully love him and enable him to defeat [MET] [his enemies].
My truth and my covenant faithfulness will be with him; by my name he will be victorious.
25 I will cause (his kingdom/the area that he rules) to include all the land from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Euphrates] River.
I will place his hand over the sea and his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the one who protects [MET] and saves me.’
He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.'
27 I will give him [the rights/privileges that a man’s] firstborn son has [MET]; he will be the greatest king on the earth.
I also will place him as my firstborn son, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will always be loyal to him, and my agreement [to bless] him will last forever.
I will extend my covenant faithfulness to him forever; and my covenant with him will be secure.
29 I will establish a line of his descendants that will never end, various ones of his descendants will always be kings.
I will make his descendants endure forever and his throne as enduring as the skies above.
30 But, if [some of] his descendants disobey my laws, and do not not behave like my commands say that they should,
If his children forsake my law and do not walk in my regulations,
31 if they disregard my requirements and do not do the right things that I have told them to do,
if they break my rules and do not keep my commands,
32 I will punish them severely [MTY] and cause them to suffer for doing wrong.
then will I punish their rebellion with a rod and their iniquity with blows.
33 But I will not stop faithfully loving [David], and I will always do what I promised him.
But I will not remove my steadfast love from him or be unfaithful to my promise.
34 I will not break the agreement that I made with him; I will not change even one word that I spoke [to him].
I will not break my covenant or change the words of my lips.
35 Once I made a solemn promise to David, and that will never change, and because I am God, I will never lie to David.
Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness— I will not lie to David:
36 [I promised that] the line of kings descended from him will go on forever; it will last as long as the sun [shines].
his descendants will continue forever and his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 That line will (be as permanent/last as long) as the moon that is always watching everything from the sky.
It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” (Selah)
38 But [Yahweh], now you have rejected [DOU] David! You are very angry with the king whom you appointed.
But you have refused and rejected; you have been angry with your anointed king.
39 [It seems that] you have broken the agreement that you made with your servant, [David]; it seems as though you [have signaled that he is no longer the king by] throwing his crown into the dust/dirt.
You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have desecrated his crown on the ground.
40 You have torn down the walls [that protect] his [city], and allowed all his forts to become ruins.
You have broken down all his walls. You have ruined his strongholds.
41 All those who pass by plunder/steal his possessions; his neighbors (laugh at/ridicule) him.
All who pass by have robbed him. He has become an object of disgust to his neighbors.
42 You have enabled his enemies to defeat him; you have made them all happy.
You have raised the right hand of his enemies; you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have caused his sword to become useless, and you have not helped him in his battles.
You turn back the edge of his sword and have not made him stand when in battle.
44 You have caused his splendor to end (OR, You have taken away his power by knocking his throne to the ground.
You have brought his splendor to an end; you have brought down his throne to the ground.
45 You have caused him to look old when he is still young and caused him to be very shamed/disgraced.
You have shortened the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. (Selah)
46 O Yahweh, how long [will this continue]? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like a fire?
How long, Yahweh? Will you hide yourself, forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?
47 Do not forget that life is very short; have you created all us people in vain?
Oh, think about how short my time is, and for what uselessness you have created all the children of mankind!
48 No one can [RHQ] keep on living and never die; (No one can [RHQ] avoid going/Everyone will go) to the place of the dead. (Sheol h7585)
Who can live and not die, or rescue his own life from the hand of Sheol? (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
49 Yahweh, you promised long ago that you would faithfully love us; why are you not doing that? You solemnly promised that to David!
Lord, where are your former acts of covenant faithfulness that you swore to David in your truthfulness?
50 Yahweh, do not forget that people insult me! (Heathen people/People who do not know you) curse me!
Call to mind, Lord, the mocking directed against your servants and how I bear in my heart so many insults from the nations.
51 Yahweh, your enemies insult your chosen king! They insult/ridicule him wherever he goes.
Your enemies hurl insults, Yahweh; they mock the footsteps of your anointed one.
52 I hope/desire that Yahweh will be praised forever! Amen! May it be so!
Blessed be Yahweh forever. Amen and Amen.
