Psalm 89

Perplexity about God’s Promises

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.(A)

I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever;(B)
I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.(C)
For I will declare,
“Faithful love is built up forever;
you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.”(D)

The Lord said,
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.’”(E)Selah

Lord, the heavens praise your wonders(F)
your faithfulness also—
in the assembly of the holy ones.(G)
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[a] is like the Lord?(H)
God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
more awe-inspiring than[b] all who surround him.(I)
Lord God of Armies,
who is strong like you, Lord?(J)
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule the raging sea;
when its waves surge, you still them.(K)
10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain;(L)
you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm.(M)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
The world and everything in it—you founded them.(N)
12 North and south—you created them.(O)
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.(P)
13 You have a mighty arm;
your hand is powerful;
your right hand is lifted high.(Q)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne;(R)
faithful love and truth go before you.(S)
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout;(T)
Lord, they walk in the light from your face.(U)
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and they are exalted by your righteousness.(V)
17 For you are their magnificent strength;(W)
by your favor our horn is exalted.(X)
18 Surely our shield[c] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(Y)

19 You once spoke in a vision to your faithful ones
and said, “I have granted help to a warrior;
I have exalted one chosen[d] from the people.(Z)
20 I have found David my servant;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil.(AA)
21 My hand will always be with him,
and my arm will strengthen him.(AB)
22 The enemy will not oppress[e] him;
the wicked will not afflict him.(AC)
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike those who hate him.(AD)
24 My faithfulness and love will be with him,
and through my name
his horn will be exalted.(AE)
25 I will extend his power to the sea
and his right hand to the rivers.(AF)
26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father,(AG)
my God, the rock of my salvation.’(AH)
27 I will also make him my firstborn,
greatest of the kings of the earth.(AI)
28 I will always preserve my faithful love for him,
and my covenant with him will endure.(AJ)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as heaven lasts.[f](AK)
30 If his sons abandon my instruction
and do not live by my ordinances,(AL)
31 if they dishonor my statutes
and do not keep my commands,(AM)
32 then I will call their rebellion
to account with the rod,
their iniquity with blows.(AN)
33 But I will not withdraw
my faithful love from him
or betray my faithfulness.(AO)
34 I will not violate my covenant
or change what my lips have said.(AP)
35 Once and for all
I have sworn an oath by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.(AQ)
36 His offspring will continue forever,
his throne like the sun before me,(AR)
37 like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky.”(AS)Selah

38 But you have spurned and rejected him;
you have become enraged with your anointed.(AT)
39 You have repudiated the covenant with your servant;
you have completely dishonored his crown.[g](AU)
40 You have broken down all his walls;
you have reduced his fortified cities to ruins.(AV)
41 All who pass by plunder him;(AW)
he has become an object of ridicule
to his neighbors.(AX)
42 You have lifted high the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.(AY)
43 You have also turned back his sharp sword
and have not let him stand in battle.(AZ)
44 You have made his splendor[h] cease
and have overturned his throne.(BA)
45 You have shortened the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame.(BB)Selah

46 How long, Lord? Will you hide forever?
Will your anger keep burning like fire?(BC)
47 Remember how short my life is.
Have you created everyone for nothing?(BD)
48 What courageous person can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?(BE)Selah
49 Lord, where are the former acts of your faithful love
that you swore to David in your faithfulness?(BF)
50 Remember, Lord, the ridicule against your servants—
in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples—
51 how your enemies have ridiculed, Lord,
how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed.(BG)

52 Blessed be the Lord forever.
Amen and amen.(BH)

Footnotes

  1. 89:6 Or the angels, or the sons of the mighty
  2. 89:7 Or ones, revered by
  3. 89:18 = the king
  4. 89:19 Or exalted a young man
  5. 89:22 Or not exact tribute from
  6. 89:29 Lit as days of heaven
  7. 89:39 Lit have dishonored his crown to the ground
  8. 89:44 Hb obscure

22 Don’t rob a poor person because he is poor,
and don’t crush the oppressed(A) at the city gate,(B)
23 for the Lord will champion their cause(C)
and will plunder those who plunder them.

Read full chapter

Jonah’s Flight

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:(A) “Get up!(B) Go to the great city(C) of Nineveh(D) and preach against it(E) because their evil(F) has come up before me.”(G) Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish(H) from the Lord’s presence.(I) He went down(J) to Joppa(K) and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.

But the Lord threw(L) a great wind onto the sea,(M) and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.(N) They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load.(O) Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.(P)

The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.[a](Q) Maybe this god will consider us,(R) and we won’t perish.”

“Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots.(S) Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.(T) Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.(U) What is your business,(V) and where are you from? What is your country, and what people are you from?”

He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew.(W) I worship[b] the Lord,(X) the God of the heavens,(Y) who made the sea(Z) and the dry land.”

10 Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence(AA) because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.

12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame(AB) for this great storm that is against you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.

14 So they called out to the Lord,(AC) “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”(AD) 15 Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.(AE) 16 The men were seized by great fear of the Lord,(AF) and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.(AG)

17 The Lord appointed a great fish(AH) to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.(AI)

Jonah’s Prayer

Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish:(AJ)

I called to the Lord in my distress,(AK)
and he answered me.
I cried out for help from deep inside[c] Sheol;(AL)
you heard my voice.(AM)
When you threw me into the depths,(AN)
into the heart of the seas,(AO)
the current[d] overcame me.
All your breakers and your billows swept over me.(AP)
And I said, “I have been banished(AQ)
from your sight,(AR)
yet I will look[e] once more
toward your holy temple.”(AS)
The water engulfed me up to the neck;[f](AT)
the watery depths overcame me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.(AU)
I sank to the foundations of the mountains,(AV)
the earth’s gates shut behind me forever!(AW)
Then you raised my life(AX) from the Pit, Lord my God!(AY)
As my life was fading away,(AZ)
I remembered the Lord,(BA)
and my prayer came to you,(BB)
to your holy temple.(BC)
Those who cherish worthless idols(BD)
abandon their faithful love,(BE)
but as for me, I will sacrifice(BF) to you
with a voice of thanksgiving.(BG)
I will fulfill(BH) what I have vowed.
Salvation[g] belongs to the Lord.(BI)

10 Then the Lord commanded the fish,(BJ) and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Footnotes

  1. 1:6 Or God
  2. 1:9 Or fear
  3. 2:2 Lit from the stomach of
  4. 2:3 Lit river
  5. 2:4 LXX reads sight. Will I look...?
  6. 2:5 Or me, threatening my life
  7. 2:9 Or Deliverance

Bible Gateway Recommends

CSB Share Jesus Without Fear New Testament, Paperback
CSB Share Jesus Without Fear New Testament, Paperback
Retail: $6.99
Our Price: $5.49
Save: $1.50 (21%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
CSB Firefighter's Bible, Burgundy LeatherTouch
CSB Firefighter's Bible, Burgundy LeatherTouch
Retail: $24.99
Our Price: $18.99
Save: $6.00 (24%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
CSB She Reads Truth Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
CSB She Reads Truth Bible, Navy LeatherTouch
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $24.99
Save: $25.00 (50%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
CSB Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Black
CSB Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Black
Retail: $12.99
Our Price: $6.49
Save: $6.50 (50%)