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].

AN INSTRUCTION OF ETHAN THE EZRAHITE. Of the kind acts of YHWH, I sing for all time, From generation to generation I make known Your faithfulness with my mouth,

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 said, “Kindness is built for all time, The heavens! You establish Your faithfulness in them.”

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 for My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:

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

“Even for all time I establish your seed, And have built your throne to generation and generation.” (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].

And the heavens confess Your wonders, O YHWH, Your faithfulness [is] also in an assembly of 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 sky, compares himself to YHWH? [Who] is like to YHWH among sons of the mighty?

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!

God is very terrible, In the secret counsel of His holy ones, And fearful over all surrounding 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.

O YHWH, God of Hosts, Who [is] like You—a strong YAH? And Your faithfulness [is] around You.

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

You [are] ruler over the pride of the sea, In the lifting up of its billows You restrain 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 have bruised Rahab, as one wounded. You have scattered Your enemies with the arm of Your strength.

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

The heavens [are] Yours, The earth [is] also Yours, The habitable world and its fullness, You have founded them.

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

North and south You have appointed them, Tabor and Hermon sing in Your Name.

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

You have an arm with might, Strong is Your hand—high Your right hand.

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 judgment [Are] the fixed place of Your throne, Kindness and truth go before Your face.

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

O the blessedness of the people knowing the shout, O YHWH, they habitually 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 the day, And they are exalted in Your righteousness,

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

For You [are] the beauty of their strength, And in Your good will is our horn exalted,

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 [is] of YHWH, And our king 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.

Then You have spoken in vision, To Your saint, indeed, You say, I have placed help on a mighty one, Exalted a chosen one out of 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 found My servant David, With My holy oil I have anointed him.

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

With whom My hand is established, My arm also strengthens him.

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

An enemy does not exact on him, And a son of perverseness does not afflict him.

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

And I have beaten down his adversaries before him, And I plague those hating him,

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

And My faithfulness and kindness [are] with him, And in My Name is his horn exalted.

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

And I have set his hand on the sea, And his right hand on the rivers.

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

He proclaims 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 appoint him firstborn, Highest of the kings of the earth.

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

For all time I keep for him My kindness, And My covenant [is] steadfast with him.

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

And I have set his seed forever, And his throne as the days of the heavens.

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

If his sons forsake My law, And do not walk in My judgments;

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

If they defile My statutes, And do not keep My commands,

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

I have looked after their transgression with a rod, And their iniquity with strokes,

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

And I do not break My kindness from him, Nor do I deal falsely in My faithfulness.

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 do not profane My covenant, And I do not change that which is going forth from 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 I have sworn by My holiness, I do 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 seed is for all time, And his throne [is] 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 is established as the moon for all time, And the witness in the sky is steadfast. (Selah)

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

And You, You have cast off, and reject, You have shown Yourself angry with Your anointed,

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.

Have rejected the covenant of Your servant, You have defiled his crown to the earth,

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 hedges, You have made his fortifications a ruin.

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

Everyone passing by the way has spoiled him, He has been a reproach to his neighbors,

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

You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries, You have caused all his enemies to rejoice.

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

Also—You turn back the sharpness of his sword, And have not established him in battle,

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

Have caused [him] to cease from his brightness, And have cast down his throne to the earth.

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, Have covered him over [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?

Until when, O YHWH, are You hidden? Does Your fury burn as fire forever?

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

Remember how [short] my lifetime [is]. Why have You created in vain All the sons of men?

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 [is] the man that lives, and does not see death? He delivers his soul 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!

Where [are] Your former kindnesses, O Lord, [Which] You have sworn to David in Your faithfulness?

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

Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants, I have borne in my bosom all the strivings of the peoples,

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

With which Your enemies reproached, O YHWH, With which they have reproached The steps of Your anointed.

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

Blessed [is] YHWH for all time. Amen and amen!