Psalm 89

1 A maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing forever about the evidence of your mercy, O Lord.I will tell about your faithfulness to every generation.2 I said, “Your mercy will last forever.Your faithfulness stands firm in the heavens.”3 You said, “I have made a promiset to my chosen one.I swore this oath to my servant David:4 ‘I will make your dynasty continue forever.I built your throne to last throughout every generation.’ ”Selah5 O Lord, the heavens praise your miraclesand your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.6 Who in the skies can compare with the Lord?Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?7 God is terrifying in the council of the holy ones.He is greater and more awe-inspiring than those who surround him.8 O Lord God of Armies, who is like you?Mighty Lord, even your faithfulness surrounds you.9 You rule the raging sea.When its waves rise, you quiet them.10 You crushed Rahab;t it was like a corpse.With your strong arm you scattered your enemies.11 The heavens are yours.The earth is also yours.You made the world and everything in it.12 You created north and south.Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing your name joyfully.13 Your arm is mighty.Your hand is strong.Your right hand is lifted high.14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.Mercy and truth stand in front of you.15 Blessed are the people who know how to praise you.They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.16 They find joy in your name all day long.They are joyful in your righteousness17 because you are the glory of their strength.By your favor you give us victory.t18 Our shield belongs to the Lord.Our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.19 Once in a vision you said to your faithful ones:“I set a boy above warriors.tI have raised up one chosen from the people.20 I found my servant David.I anointed him with my holy oil.21 My hand is ready to help him.My arm will also give him strength.22 No enemy will take him by surprise.No wicked person will mistreat him.23 I will crush his enemies in front of himand defeat those who hate him.24 My faithfulness and mercy will be with him,and in my name he will be victorious.t25 I will put his left hand on the seaand his right hand on the rivers.26 He will call out to me,‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’27 Yes, I will make him the firstborn.He will be the Most High to the kings of the earth.28 My mercy will stay with him forever.My promise to him is unbreakable.29 I will make his dynasty endure foreverand his throne like the days of heaven.30 “If his descendants abandon my teachingsand do not live by my rules,31 if they violate my lawsand do not obey my commandments,32 then with a rod I will punish their rebellionand their crimes with beatings.33 But I will not take my mercy away from himor allow my truth to become a lie.34 I will not dishonor my promiseor alter my own agreement.35 On my holiness I have taken an oath once and for all:I will not lie to David.36 His dynasty will last forever.His throne will be in my presence like the sun.37 Like the moon his throne will stand firm forever.It will be like a faithful witness in heaven.”38 But you have despised, rejected,and become angry with your anointed one.39 You have refused to recognize the promise to your servantand have thrown his crown into the dirt.40 You have broken through all his wallsand have laid his fortified cities in ruins.41 (Everyone who passed by robbed him.He has become the object of his neighbors’ scorn.)42 You held the right hand of his enemies highand made all of his adversaries rejoice.43 You even took his sword out of his handand failed to support him in battle.44 You put an end to his splendorand hurled his throne to the ground.45 You cut short the days of his youthand covered him with shame.Selah46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?How long will your anger continue to burn like fire?47 Remember how short my life is!Have you created Adam’s descendants for no reason?48 Can a mortal go on living and never see death?Who can set himself free from the power of the grave?Selah49 Where is the evidence of your mercy, Lord?You swore an oath to Davidon the basis of your faithfulness.50 Remember, O Lord,t how your servantt has been insulted.Remember how I have carried in my heart the insults from so many people.51 Your enemies insulted me.They insulted your Messiaht every step he took.52 Thank the Lord forever.Book Four—Psalms 90-106

Psalm 89

A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite.

1 I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.

2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”

3 The Lord said,
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty
and establish your throne throughout future generations.’” (Selah)

5 O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.

6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,

7 a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly,
and more awesome than all who surround him?

8 O Lord, sovereign God!
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.

9 You rule over the proud sea.
When its waves surge, you calm them.

10 You crushed the Proud One and killed it;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.

12 You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.

13 Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand victorious.

14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.

15 How blessed are the people who worship you!
O Lord, they experience your favor.

16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated by your justice.

17 For you give them splendor and strength.
By your favor we are victorious.

18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said:
“I have energized a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from the people.

20 I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.

21 My hand will support him,
and my arm will strengthen him.

22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him;
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.

23 I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.

24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,
and by my name he will win victories.

25 I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.

26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’

27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.

28 I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.

29 I will give him an eternal dynasty,
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.

30 If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,

31 if they break my rules
and do not keep my commandments,

32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.

33 But I will not remove my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.

34 I will not break my covenant
or go back on what I promised.

35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive David.

36 His dynasty will last forever.
His throne will endure before me, like the sun,

37 it will remain stable, like the moon,
his throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah)

38 But you have spurned and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king.

39 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant;
you have thrown his crown to the ground.

40 You have broken down all his walls;
you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.

41 All who pass by have robbed him;
he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.

42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious,
and all his enemies to rejoice.

43 You turn back his sword from the adversary,
and have not sustained him in battle.

44 You have brought to an end his splendor,
and have knocked his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut short his youth,
and have covered him with shame. (Selah)

46 How long, O Lord, will this last?
Will you remain hidden forever?
Will your anger continue to burn like fire?

47 Take note of my brief lifespan!
Why do you make all people so mortal?

48 No man can live on without experiencing death,
or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)

49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord,
the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?

50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted,
and of how I must bear so many insults from people!

51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;
they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.

52 The Lord deserves praise forevermore!
We agree! We agree!