Psalm 89
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 89
God’s Covenant with David
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord,[a] forever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.(A)
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.(B)
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to my servant David:(C)
4 ‘I will establish your descendants forever
and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah(D)
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.(E)
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,(F)
7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
great and awesome[b] above all who are around him?(G)
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is as mighty as you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.(H)
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.(I)
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.(J)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it—you founded them.(K)
12 The north and the south[c]—you created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.(L)
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.(M)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.(N)
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;(O)
16 they exult in your name all day long
and extol[d] your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.(P)
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(Q)
19 Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one and said,
“I have set the crown[e] on one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.(R)
20 I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;(S)
21 my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.(T)
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.(U)
24 My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name his horn shall be exalted.(V)
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’(W)
27 I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.(X)
28 Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
and my covenant with him will stand firm.(Y)
29 I will establish his line forever
and his throne as long as the heavens endure.(Z)
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my ordinances,(AA)
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges,(AB)
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.(AC)
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.(AD)
35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.(AE)
36 His line shall continue forever,
and his throne endure before me like the sun.(AF)
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
an enduring witness in the skies.” Selah
38 But now you have spurned and rejected him;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.(AG)
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.(AH)
40 You have broken through all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.(AI)
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.(AJ)
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.(AK)
43 Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not supported him in battle.(AL)
44 You have removed the scepter from his hand[f]
and hurled his throne to the ground.(AM)
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah(AN)
46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?(AO)
47 Remember how short my time is—[g]
for what vanity you have created all mortals!(AP)
48 Who can live and never see death?
Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah(AQ)
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?(AR)
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted,
how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,[h](AS)
51 with which your enemies taunt, O Lord,
with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.(AT)
52 Blessed be the Lord forever.
Amen and Amen.(AU)
Psalm 89
New Living Translation
Psalm 89
A psalm[a] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
2 Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.
3 The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant.
I have sworn this oath to him:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever;
they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’” Interlude
5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful.
9 You rule the oceans.
You subdue their storm-tossed waves.
10 You crushed the great sea monster.[b]
You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours;
everything in the world is yours—you created it all.
12 You created north and south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name.
13 Powerful is your arm!
Strong is your hand!
Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.
15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness.
17 You are their glorious strength.
It pleases you to make us strong.
18 Yes, our protection comes from the Lord,
and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.
19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
I have selected him from the common people to be king.
20 I have found my servant David.
I have anointed him with my holy oil.
21 I will steady him with my hand;
with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
22 His enemies will not defeat him,
nor will the wicked overpower him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him
and destroy those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
and by my authority he will grow in power.
25 I will extend his rule over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
26 And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 I will make him my firstborn son,
the mightiest king on earth.
28 I will love him and be kind to him forever;
my covenant with him will never end.
29 I will preserve an heir for him;
his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.
30 But if his descendants forsake my instructions
and fail to obey my regulations,
31 if they do not obey my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their sin with the rod,
and their disobedience with beating.
33 But I will never stop loving him
nor fail to keep my promise to him.
34 No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.
35 I have sworn an oath to David,
and in my holiness I cannot lie:
36 His dynasty will go on forever;
his kingdom will endure as the sun.
37 It will be as eternal as the moon,
my faithful witness in the sky!” Interlude
38 But now you have rejected him and cast him off.
You are angry with your anointed king.
39 You have renounced your covenant with him;
you have thrown his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken down the walls protecting him
and ruined every fort defending him.
41 Everyone who comes along has robbed him,
and he has become a joke to his neighbors.
42 You have strengthened his enemies
and made them all rejoice.
43 You have made his sword useless
and refused to help him in battle.
44 You have ended his splendor
and overturned his throne.
45 You have made him old before his time
and publicly disgraced him. Interlude
46 O Lord, how long will this go on?
Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my life is,
how empty and futile this human existence!
48 No one can live forever; all will die.
No one can escape the power of the grave.[c] Interlude
49 Lord, where is your unfailing love?
You promised it to David with a faithful pledge.
50 Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced!
I carry in my heart the insults of so many people.
51 Your enemies have mocked me, O Lord;
they mock your anointed king wherever he goes.
52 Praise the Lord forever!
Amen and amen!
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
