< Psalms 89 >
1 The understanding of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing the mercies of the Lord in eternity. I will announce your truth with my mouth, from generation to generation.
“A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrachite.” The kindnesses of the Lord will I for ever sing: from generation to generation will I make known thy faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For you have said: Mercy will be built in the heavens, unto eternity. Your truth will be prepared there.
For I have said, To eternity will kindness be built up: the heavens—yea, in these wilt thou establish thy faithfulness.
3 I have set up a covenant with my elect. I have sworn to David my servant:
“I have made a covenant with my elect, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 I will prepare your offspring, even in eternity. And I will build up your throne, from generation to generation.
Unto eternity will I establish thy seed, and I will build up thy throne, from generation to generation.” (Selah)
5 The heavens will confess your miracles, Lord, and also your truth, in the Church of the saints.
And the heavens praise thy wonder, O Lord: also thy faithfulness in the assembly of holy ones.
6 For who among the clouds is equal to the Lord? Who among the sons of God is like God?
For who in the sky can be compared unto the Lord? who can be likened unto the Lord among the sons of the mighty?
7 God is glorified by the counsel of the saints. He is great and terrible above all those who are around him.
God is greatly terrific in the secret council of the holy ones and fear-inspiring over all that are about him.
8 O Lord, God of hosts, who is like you? You are powerful, Lord, and your truth is all around you.
O Lord God of hosts, who is powerful, like thee, Eternal! and thy faithfulness is round about thee.
9 You rule over the power of the sea, and you even mitigate the movement of its waves.
Thou rulest over the pride of the sea: when its waves are lifted up, thou assuagest them.
10 You have humbled the arrogant one, like one who has been wounded. You have scattered your enemies with the arm of your strength.
Thou didst crush Rahab as one that is slain: with thy strong arm didst thou scatter thy enemies.
11 Yours are the heavens, and yours is the earth. You founded the whole world in all its fullness.
Thine are the heavens, also thine is the earth: as for the world and what filleth it, thou hast founded them.
12 You created the north and the sea. Tabor and Hermon will exult in your name.
The north and the south—these hast thou created: Tabor and Chermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Your arm acts with power. Let your hand be strengthened, and let your right hand be exalted.
Thine is the powerful arm, with might: strong is thy hand, and exalted is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the preparation of your throne. Mercy and truth will precede your face.
Righteousness and justice are the prop of thy throne: kindness and truth precede thy presence.
15 Blessed is the people that knows jubilation. They will walk in the light of your countenance, O Lord,
Happy is the people that know the cornet's sound: O Lord, in the light of thy countenance will they ever walk firmly.
16 and they will exult in your name all day long, and they will be exalted in your justice.
In thy name will they be glad all the day, and in thy righteousness will they be exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their virtue, and in your goodness, our horn will be exalted.
For thou art the glory of their strength; and through thy favor will our horn be exalted.
18 For our assumption is of the Lord, and it is of our king, the holy one of Israel.
For of the Lord is our shield; and of the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then you spoke in a vision to your holy ones, and you said: I have stationed help with the powerful one, and I have exalted the elect one from my people.
Then spokest thou in a vision to thy pious [servant], and saidst, “I have bestowed help to one that is mighty; I have exalted a youth out of the people;
20 I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil.
I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him;
21 For my hand will assist him, and my arm will fortify him.
With whom my hand shall be firmly established; also my arm shall strengthen him;
22 The enemy will have no advantage over him, nor will the son of iniquity be positioned to harm him.
The enemy shall not exact from him like a lender: and the son of injustice shall not afflict him:
23 And I will cut down his enemies before his face. And those who hate him, I will turn to flight.
And I will beat down before his face his assailants, and those that hate him will I plague.
24 And my truth and my mercy will be with him. And his horn will be exalted in my name.
But my faithfulness and my kindness shall be with him: and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 And I will place his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
And I will place on the sea his hand, and on the rivers his right hand.
26 He will invoke me: “You are my father, my God, and the support of my salvation.”
He will call unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 And I will make him the first-born, preeminent before the kings of the earth.
Also I will appoint my first-born, the highest among the kings of the earth.
28 I will preserve my mercy for him eternally, and my covenant for him faithfully.
For evermore will I keep for him my kindness, and my covenant shall stand faithfully with him.
29 And I will set his offspring from generation to generation, and his throne like the days of heaven.
And I appoint for ever his seed, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 But if his sons abandon my law, and if they do not walk in my judgments,
If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my ordinances;
31 if they profane my justices, and if they do not keep my commandments:
If they profane my statutes, and keep not my commandments:
32 I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with a beating.
Then will I visit with the rod their transgressions, and with plagues their iniquity.
33 But I will not scatter my mercy from him, and I will not do harm to my truth.
Nevertheless my kindness will I not make utterly void from him, and I will not act falsely against my faithfulness.
34 And I will not profane my covenant, and I will not make void that which proceeds from my lips.
I will not profane my covenant, and what is gone out of my lips will I not alter.
35 I have sworn by my holiness one time: I will not lie to David,
One thing have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David.
36 his offspring will remain for eternity. And his throne will be like the sun in my sight,
His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne shall be like the sun before me.
37 and, like the moon, it is perfected in eternity, and it is a faithful witness in heaven.
Like the moon shall it be firmly established for ever, and as this faithful witness in the sky.” (Selah)
38 Yet, truly, you have rejected and despised, you have pushed away, my Christ.
And yet thou hast east off and despised, thou hast become wroth with thy anointed.
39 You have overthrown the covenant of your servant. You have profaned his sanctuary on earth.
Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned, down to the ground, his crown.
40 You have destroyed all his fences. You have made his territory dreadful.
Thou hast broken down all his fences: thou hast brought his strong-holds to terror.
41 All who pass by the way have plundered him. He has become a disgrace to his neighbors.
All that pass by the way plunder him: he is become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of those who oppress him. You have brought joy to all his enemies.
Thou hast raised up the right hand of his assailants: thou hast caused all his enemies to rejoice.
43 You have diverted the help of his sword, and you have not assisted him in battle.
Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not let him stand erect in the battle.
44 You have torn him away from cleansing, and you have smashed his throne down to the ground.
Thou hast made his brilliancy cease; and his throne hast thou thrown down to the ground.
45 You have reduced the days of his time. You have flooded him with confusion.
Thou hast shortened the days of his youth: thou hast enshrouded him with shame. (Selah)
46 How long, O Lord? Will you turn away unto the end? Will your wrath flare up like a fire?
How long, Lord, wilt thou hide thyself, continually? how long shall thy fury burn like fire?
47 Remember what my substance is. For could you really have appointed all the sons of men in vain?
Remember [what] I am, what my duration is [here], for what nothingness thou hast created all sons of men!
48 Who is the man that will live, and yet not see death? Who will rescue his own soul from the hand of the underworld? (Sheol )
What man is there that can live, and shall not see death? that can deliver his soul from the power of the nether word? (Selah) (Sheol )
49 O Lord, where are your mercies of antiquity, just as you swore to David in your truth?
Where are thy former kindnesses, O Lord, which thou hast sworn unto David by thy truth?
50 Be mindful, O Lord, of the disgrace of your servants (which I have sustained in my sinews) among many nations.
Remember, Lord, the disgrace of thy servants; that I bear in my bosom the [burden] of all the many nations;
51 With these, your enemies have reproached you, O Lord; with these, they have reproached the commutation of your Christ.
That thy enemies have defied, O Lord; that they have defied the footsteps of thy anointed.
52 Blessed is the Lord for all eternity. Amen. Amen.
Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.