Psalms 89

1 [A contemplation by Ethan, the Ezrahite.] I will sing of the loving kindness of YHWH forever. With my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

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].

2 I indeed declare, "Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them."

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.

3 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant,

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:

4 'I will establish your offspring forever, and build up your throne for all generations.'" (Selah)

‘I will enable various ones of your descendants to always be kings; the line of kings descended from you [MTY] will never end.’”

5 The heavens will praise your wonders, YHWH; your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

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].

6 For who in the skies can be compared to YHWH? Who among the sons of God is like YHWH,

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.

7 a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?

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!

8 YHWH, the God of hosts, who is a mighty one like you, JAH? Your faithfulness is around you.

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.

9 You rule the pride of the sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them.

You rule over the powerful seas; when their waves rise up, you calm them.

10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

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].

11 The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours; the world and its fullness. You have founded them.

The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; and everything on the earth is yours, because you created it all.

12 The north and the south, you have created them. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

You created [everything from] the north to the south. Tabor [Mountain] and Hermon [Mountain] joyfully praise you [MTY].

13 You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.

(You/Your arms) are very powerful; (you/your hands) are extremely strong.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.

(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].

15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout. They walk in the light of your presence, YHWH.

Yahweh, happy are the people who worship you with joyful shouts, who live knowing that you are always watching over them.

16 In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.

Every day, throughout the day, they rejoice in what you [MTY] [have done], and they praise you for being very good [to them].

17 For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.

You give us your glorious strength; because you act in our favor, we defeat [MET] [our enemies].

18 For our shield belongs to YHWH; our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Yahweh, you gave us [the one who] protects us [MET]; you, the holy God whom we Israelis worship, chose a king for us.

19 Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones, and said, "I have bestowed strength on the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.

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.

20 I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,

That man is David, the one who will serve me [faithfully], and I anointed him with sacred olive oil [to make him king].

21 with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.

I [MTY] will always strengthen him; with my power [MTY] I will make him strong.

22 No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him.

His enemies will never find ways to defeat him, and wicked people will never defeat him.

23 I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.

I will crush his enemies in front of him and get rid of those who hate him.

24 But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted.

I will always be loyal to him and faithfully love him and enable him to defeat [MET] [his enemies].

25 I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.

I will cause (his kingdom/the area that he rules) to include all the land from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Euphrates] River.

26 He will call to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

He will say to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the one who protects [MET] and saves me.’

27 I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

I will give him [the rights/privileges that a man’s] firstborn son has [MET]; he will be the greatest king on the earth.

28 I will keep my loving kindness for him forevermore. My covenant will stand firm with him.

I will always be loyal to him, and my agreement [to bless] him will last forever.

29 And I will establish his descendants forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

I will establish a line of his descendants that will never end, various ones of his descendants will always be kings.

30 If his children forsake my Law, and do not walk in my ordinances;

But, if [some of] his descendants disobey my laws, and do not not behave like my commands say that they should,

31 if they break my statutes, and do not keep my commandments;

if they disregard my requirements and do not do the right things that I have told them to do,

32 then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

I will punish them severely [MTY] and cause them to suffer for doing wrong.

33 But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him, nor allow my faithfulness to fail.

But I will not stop faithfully loving [David], and I will always do what I promised him.

34 I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered.

I will not break the agreement that I made with him; I will not change even one word that I spoke [to him].

35 Once have I sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David.

Once I made a solemn promise to David, and that will never change, and because I am God, I will never lie to David.

36 His descendants will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.

[I promised that] the line of kings descended from him will go on forever; it will last as long as the sun [shines].

37 It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky." (Selah)

That line will (be as permanent/last as long) as the moon that is always watching everything from the sky.

38 But you have rejected and spurned. You have been angry with your anointed.

But [Yahweh], now you have rejected [DOU] David! You are very angry with the king whom you appointed.

39 You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust.

[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.

40 You have broken down all his hedges. You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

You have torn down the walls [that protect] his [city], and allowed all his forts to become ruins.

41 All who pass by the way rob him. He has become an object of ridicule to his neighbors.

All those who pass by plunder/steal his possessions; his neighbors (laugh at/ridicule) him.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.

You have enabled his enemies to defeat him; you have made them all happy.

43 Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven't supported him in battle.

You have caused his sword to become useless, and you have not helped him in his battles.

44 You have ended his splendor, and thrown his throne down to the ground.

You have caused his splendor to end (OR, You have taken away his power by knocking his throne to the ground.

45 You have shortened the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. (Selah)

You have caused him to look old when he is still young and caused him to be very shamed/disgraced.

46 How long, YHWH? Will you hide yourself forever? Will your wrath burn like fire?

O Yahweh, how long [will this continue]? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like a fire?

47 Remember how short my time is. Have you created the descendants of Adam for no reason?

Do not forget that life is very short; have you created all us people in vain?

48 What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? (Selah) (Sheol h7585)

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)

49 YHWH, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore to David in your faithfulness?

Yahweh, you promised long ago that you would faithfully love us; why are you not doing that? You solemnly promised that to David!

50 Remember, YHWH, the ridicule of all the many peoples against your servants I have borne in my heart,

Yahweh, do not forget that people insult me! (Heathen people/People who do not know you) curse me!

51 how your enemies have ridiculed, YHWH, how they have ridiculed the footsteps of your anointed one.

Yahweh, your enemies insult your chosen king! They insult/ridicule him wherever he goes.

52 Blessed be YHWH forevermore. Amen, and Amen.

I hope/desire that Yahweh will be praised forever! Amen! May it be so!