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.
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing evermore of the love of the Lord, proclaiming to all generations his faithfulness.
2 For thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens: thy truth shall be prepared in them.
For your love you did promise to build up forever, your faithfulness firm as the heavens themselves.
3 I have made a covenant with my elect: I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I have made with my chosen a covenant, and sworn to David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I settle for ever. And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.
to establish his seed forever, and to build up his throne to all ages.’ (Selah)
5 The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O Lord: and thy truth in the church of the saints.
Then the holy assembly in heaven praised your marvellous faithfulness, Lord.
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 in the skies may compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the gods?
7 God, who is glorified in the assembly of the saints: great and terrible above all them that are about him.
A God to be feared in the holy assembly, awful and great above all who are round 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 hosts, who is mighty as you? Your strength and faithfulness, Lord, surround you.
9 Thou rulest the power of the sea: and appeasest the motion of the waves thereof.
You are the Lord of the raging sea: when its waves surge, it is you who still them.
10 Thou hast humbled the proud one, as one that is slain: with the arm of thy strength thou hast scattered thy enemies.
It was you who did pierce and crush Rahab in pieces, and scatter your foes by your mighty arm.
11 Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth: the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded:
Yours are the heavens, yours also the earth, the world and its fulness, it’s you who did found them.
12 The north and the sea thou hast created. Thabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name:
The north and the south, it’s you have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout praise to your name.
13 Thy arm is with might. Let thy hand be strengthened, and thy right hand exalted:
You have an arm with the might of a hero; strong is your hand, high uplifted your right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the preparation of thy throne. Mercy and truth shall go before thy face:
Justice and right are the base of your throne, kindness and faithfulness ever attend you.
15 Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation. They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance:
Happy the people who know the glad shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face.
16 And in thy name they shall rejoice all the day, and in thy justice they shall be exalted.
They exult in your name all the day, and your righteousness they extol.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy good pleasure shall our horn be exalted.
For you are our strength and our pride. Your favour will lift us to honour.
18 For our protection is of the Lord, and of our king the holy one of Israel.
For the holy Lord of Israel keeps our defender and king.
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.
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
20 I have found David my servant: with my holy oil I have anointed him.
‘I found my servant David, and anointed with holy oil.
21 For my hand shall help him: and my arm shall strengthen him.
My hand will be with him forever, 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.
‘No enemy will dare to assail him, nor the wicked to oppress him;
23 And I will cut down his enemies before his face; and them that hate him I will put to flight.
but his foes I will shatter before him, I will strike down those who hate him.
24 And my truth and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
‘My loyal love shall attend him, and I will lift him to honour.
25 And I will set his hand in the sea; and his right hand in the rivers.
I will set his hand on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry out to me: Thou art my father: my God, and the support of my salvation.
‘As for him, he will call me “My father, my God, and my rock of salvation.”
27 And I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth.
And I will make him my firstborn, highest of kings on the earth.
28 I will keep my mercy for him for ever: and my covenant faithful to him.
‘My love will I keep for him ever, my covenant with him shall stand fast.
29 And I will make his seed to endure for evermore: and his throne as the days of heaven.
His line will I make everlasting, and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 And if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments:
‘If his children forsake my law, and walk not as I have ordained;
31 If they profane my justices: and keep not my commandments:
if they profane my statutes, and do not keep my commandments;
32 I will visit their iniquities with a rod: and their sins with stripes.
‘I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with scourges.
33 But my mercy I will not take away from him: nor will I suffer my truth to fail.
But my love will I not take from him, nor will I belie my faithfulness.
34 Neither will I profane my covenant: and the words that proceed from my mouth I will not make void.
‘I will not profane my covenant by changing the word that has passed my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David:
Once have I solemnly sworn and I would not lie to David,
36 His seed shall endure for ever.
‘that his line should endure forever, and his throne as 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.
firm as the moon which for ever and ever is fixed in the sky.’ (Selah)
38 But thou hast rejected and despised: thou hast been angry with thy anointed.
But you have cast off in contempt, and been furious with your anointed.
39 Thou hast overthrown the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his sanctuary on the earth.
You have spurned the covenant with your servant, and his sacred crown dashed to the ground.
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges: thou hast made his strength fear.
You have broken down all his walls, and laid his bulwarks in ruins.
41 All that pass by the way have robbed him: he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
All who pass on their way despoil him, the scorn of his neighbours is he now.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of them that oppress him: thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
You have given his foes the victory, and made all his enemies glad.
43 Thou hast turned away the help of his sword; and hast not assisted him in battle.
You have turned back his sword from the foe, you did not lift him up in the battle.
44 Thou hast made his purification to cease: and thou hast cast his throne down to the ground.
The sceptre you took from his hand, and his throne you did hurl to the ground.
45 Thou hast shortened the days of his time: thou hast covered him with confusion.
You have shortened the days of his youth, and covered him with shame. (Selah)
46 How long, O Lord, turnest thou away unto the end? shall thy anger burn like fire?
How long, Lord will you hide you forever? How long are the fires of your wrath to burn?
47 Remember what my substance is for hast thou made all the children of men in vain?
Remember, Lord, the shortness of life how fleeting you made all people.
48 Who is the man that shall live, and not see death: that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell? (Sheol h7585)
Who can live without seeing death? Who can rescue their life from the clutch of Sheol? (Selah) (Sheol h7585)
49 Lord, where are thy ancient mercies, according to what thou didst swear to David in thy truth?
Where, Lord, is your kindness of old, which you in your faithfulness swore to David?
50 Be mindful, O Lord, of the reproach of thy servants (which I have held in my bosom) of many nations:
Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, how I bear in my heart the scorn of all nations
51 Wherewith thy enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the change of thy anointed.
The scorn which your enemies hurl, O Lord, which they hurl at the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. So be it. So be it.
Blest be the Lord, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.
