永远配受称颂的上帝

以斯拉人以探的训诲诗。

89 我要永远称颂耶和华的慈爱!
我的口要传扬你的信实直到万代。
我要让人知道:
你的慈爱存到永远,
你的信实与天同存。
你曾说:
“我与我所拣选的人立了约,
向我的仆人大卫起了誓,
‘我要使你的后裔永远坐在宝座上,世代为王。’”(细拉)
耶和华啊,
诸天要颂扬你的奇妙,
众圣者要赞美你的信实。
天上有谁能与耶和华相比,
众天使中谁能像祂?
祂在众圣者的会中大受敬畏,
祂的威严无与伦比。
万军之上帝耶和华啊,
谁能像你能力伟大,信实无比?
你掌管汹涌的大海,
平息惊涛骇浪。
10 你击碎海怪[a]
以大能的臂膀驱散仇敌。
11 天地都属于你,
世界和其中的一切都是你造的。
12 你创造了南方和北方,
他泊山和黑门山都向你欢呼。
13 你有大能的臂膀,
双手充满力量。
14 你的宝座以公平和正义为根基,
你以慈爱和信实为先锋。
15 耶和华啊,
懂得向你欢呼的人有福了,
他们走在你的荣光之中。
16 他们因你的名终日欢欣,
因你的公义而雀跃。
17 你是他们的力量和荣耀,
你的恩惠使我们充满力量。
18 耶和华赐下保护我们的盾牌,
我们的王属于以色列的圣者。
19 你曾在异象中对你忠心的子民说:
“我已把力量赐给一位勇士,
已擢升我在民中拣选的人。
20 我找到了我的仆人大卫,
用我的圣油膏立他。
21 我的手必扶持他,
我的臂膀必加给他力量。
22 仇敌胜不过他,
恶人不能欺压他。
23 我要当着他的面击垮他的敌人,
打倒恨他的人。
24 我要以信实和慈爱待他,
他必因我的名而充满力量。
25 我要使他左手掌管大海,
右手统治江河。
26 他要向我高呼,
‘你是我的父亲,我的上帝,
拯救我的磐石。’
27 我要立他为我的长子,
使他做天下至尊的君王。
28 我要永远用慈爱待他,
我与他立的约永不更改。
29 我要使他的后裔永无穷尽,
让他的王位与天同存。
30 如果他的后代背弃我的律法,
不遵行我的典章,
31 触犯我的律例,
不守我的诫命,
32 我就会因他们的罪用杖惩罚他们,
用鞭子责打他们。
33 但我不会收回我的慈爱,
也不会背弃我的信实。
34 我必不毁约,也不食言。
35 因我曾凭自己的圣洁向大卫起誓,
我绝无谎言。
36 他的后裔必永无穷尽,
他的王位必在我面前如日长存,
37 又如天上亘古不变的月亮,
永远坚立。”(细拉)
38 如今,你对你所膏立的王大发怒气,丢弃了他。
39 你废弃与他所立的约,
把他的冠冕扔在尘土中。
40 你攻破了他的城墙,
使他的坚垒沦为废墟。
41 路人都趁机劫掠他的财物,
邻居都嘲笑他。
42 你助长了他敌人的势力,
使敌人洋洋得意。
43 你使他的刀剑失去锋芒,
你使他败退沙场。
44 你使他的威荣尽失,
王位倾覆。
45 你使他未老先衰,
满面羞愧。(细拉)
46 耶和华啊,
你隐藏自己要到何时呢?
要到永远吗?
你的怒火要烧到何时呢?
47 愿你顾念我的生命何其短暂!
你创造的世人何其虚幻!
48 谁能长生不死?
谁能救自己脱离死亡的权势呢?(细拉)

49 主啊,你从前凭自己的信实向大卫应许的慈爱在哪里呢?
50 主啊,求你顾念你仆人——我所受的羞辱,
我心中如何忍受列国的嘲笑。
51 耶和华啊,
你的仇敌嘲笑你所膏立的王,
他们嘲笑他的一举一动。
52 耶和华永远当受称颂。
阿们!阿们!

Footnotes

  1. 89:10 海怪”希伯来文是“拉哈伯”。

A Song About God’s Loyalty

A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Ethan the Ezrahite [C a wise man; 1 Kin. 4:31].

89 I will always sing about the Lord’s ·love [loyalty];
    I will ·tell of [L make known with my mouth] his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·from now on [for generations].
I will say, “Your ·love [loyalty] ·continues [L is built] forever;
    your ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [is established] like the ·sky [heavens].”
You said, “I ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] with the man of my choice;
    I made a promise to my servant David.
I told him, ‘I will ·make your family continue [L establish your seed] forever.
    ·Your kingdom will go on and on [L I will build your throne for generations; 2; 72; 78:70–72; 2 Sam. 7:11–16; 1 Chr. 17:10–14].’” ·Selah [Interlude]

Lord, the heavens praise you for your ·miracles [wonderful acts]
    and for your ·loyalty [faithfulness] in the ·meeting [assembly] of your holy ones.
Who in ·heaven [the skies] ·is equal to [ranks with] the Lord?
    None of the ·angels [gods; divine council/assembly; L sons of God; 82:1] is like the Lord.
When the ·holy ones [L council of holy ones] meet, it is God they fear.
    He is more ·frightening [awesome] than all who surround him.
Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who is like you?
    Lord, you are powerful and completely ·trustworthy [faithful].
You rule the ·mighty [raging; surging] sea
    and ·calm [still] the ·stormy [rising] waves.
10 You crushed the Rahab [C a sea monster, representing chaos (Job 26:12; Is. 51:9) and in some contexts Egypt defeated at the Sea (87:4; Is. 30:7; Ezek. 29:3; 32:3)] like a corpse;
    by your ·power [L strong arm] you scattered your enemies.

11 The ·skies [heavens] and the earth belong to you.
    You ·made [founded] the world and ·everything in it [L its fullness].
12 You created the north and the south.
    Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon [C majestic mountains] sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm has great power.
    Your hand is strong; your right hand is lifted up.
14 Your ·kingdom [L throne] is ·built [established] on ·what is right and fair [righteousness and judgment/justice].
    ·Love [Loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] are ·in all you do [L before your face].

15 ·Happy [Blessed] are the people who know how to ·praise [shout to] you.
    Lord, let them ·live [L walk] in the light of your ·presence [L face].
16 In your name they rejoice
    and continually ·praise [exalt] your ·goodness [righteousness].
17 You are their ·glorious [beautiful] strength,
    and in your ·kindness [favor] you ·honor our king [L lift up our horn; C symbol of power and here of the king].
18 Our shield [C the king] belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 ·Once [Then], in a vision [2 Sam. 7:4], you spoke
    to ·those who worship you [your faithful ones/saints].
You said, “I have ·given strength to [L set help on] a warrior;
    I have raised up a ·young man [chosen one] from my people [1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22].
20 I have found my servant David;
    I ·appointed him by pouring [L have anointed him with] holy oil on him [1 Sam. 16:1–13].
21 I will steady him with my hand
    and strengthen him with my arm.
22 No enemy will ·make him give forced payments [make him pay tribute; or prevail over/or outwit him],
    and wicked people will not ·defeat [afflict; humble] him.
23 I will ·crush [pound] his enemies in front of him;
    I will ·defeat [strike down] those who hate him.
24 My ·loyalty [faithfulness] and ·love [loyalty] will be with him.
    Through ·me [L my name] ·he will be strong [L his horn will be raised up; v. 17].
25 I will ·give him power [L set his hand] over the sea
    ·and control [L his right hand] over the rivers [C the waters represent chaos].
26 He will ·say [proclaim] to me, ‘You are my father,
    my God, the Rock, my ·Savior [Victor].’
27 I will make him my firstborn son,
    the ·greatest [highest] king on earth [2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14].
28 My ·love [loyalty] will ·watch over [keep; guard] him forever,
    and my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him will ·never end [be faithful].
29 I will ·make his family continue [L set his seed forever],
    and his ·kingdom [L throne] ·will last as long as the skies [L like the days of the skies/heavens].

30 “If his descendants ·reject [leave; abandon] my ·teachings [instructions; laws]
    and do not ·follow [L walk in] my ·laws [judgments],
31 if they ·ignore [profane] my ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
    and ·disobey [L do not keep/guard] my commands,
32 then I will punish their ·sins [transgressions] with a rod
    and their ·wrongs [guilt] with ·a whip [lashes].
33 But I will not ·hold back [break; invalidate] my ·love [loyalty] from ·David [L him],
    nor will I ·stop being loyal [L deal falsely with my faithfulness].
34 I will not ·break [profane; violate] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]
    nor ·change [alter] what ·I have said [L came out of my lips].
35 Once and for all I have ·promised [sworn] by my holiness,
    I will not lie to David.
36 His ·family [L seed] will go on forever.
    His ·kingdom [L throne] will last before me like the sun.
37 It will ·continue [be established] forever, like the moon,
    like a ·dependable [reliable; faithful] witness in the sky.” ·Selah [Interlude]

38 But now you have ·refused [spurned] and rejected him.
    You have been angry with your ·appointed king [L anointed; v. 20].
39 You have ·abandoned [disavowed] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with your servant
    and ·thrown [profaned; defiled] his crown ·to [or in] the ground [Jer. 13:18–19].
40 You have ·torn down [broken up] all his city walls;
    you have turned his strong cities into ruins.
41 Everyone who passes by ·steals from [plunders] him.
    ·His neighbors insult him [L He is scorned by/a reproach to his neighbors].
42 You have ·given strength of [L exalted the right hand of] his ·enemies [foes]
    and have made ·them all [L all his enemies] happy.
43 You have ·made his sword useless [turned back the blade/L rock of his sword];
    you did not help him stand in battle.
44 You have ·kept him from winning [or put aside his purity]
    and have thrown his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut ·his life [L the days of his youth] short
    and ·covered [wrapped] him with shame. ·Selah [Interlude]

46 Lord, how long will this go on?
    Will you ·ignore [hide from] us forever?
    How long will your anger burn like a fire?
47 Remember how ·short [fleeting] my life is.
    Why did you create us? For ·nothing [futility; vanity; no purpose]?
48 What person alive will not ·die [L see death]?
    Who can escape ·the grave [L from the hand/power of Sheol; C the grave or the underworld]? ·Selah [Interlude]

49 Lord, where is your ·love [loyalty] from times past,
    which in your ·loyalty [faithfulness] you ·promised [swore] to David [2 Sam. 7:11–14]?
50 Lord, remember ·how they insulted [L the reproach/scorn of] your servant;
    remember how I ·have suffered the insults of the nations [L carry in my bosom all of the many peoples].
51 Lord, remember how your enemies ·insulted [reproached; scorned] you
    and how they ·insulted [reproached; scorned] ·your appointed king wherever he went [L the footsteps of your anointed; v. 20].
52 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord forever!

Amen and amen.