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
International Standard Version
An instruction[a]. By Ethan, the Ezrahite
God’s Covenant with David
89 I will sing forever about the gracious love of the Lord;
from generation to generation
I will declare your faithfulness with my mouth.
2 I will declare that your gracious love was established forever;
in the heavens itself, you have established your faithfulness.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise to David, my servant.
4 “I will establish your dynasty forever,
and I will lift up one who will build[b] your throne
from generation to generation.”
5 Even the heavens praise your awesome deeds, Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies compares to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the divine beings?
7 God is feared in the council of the holy ones,
revered by all those around him.
8 Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,
who is as mighty as you, Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the majestic[c] sea;
when its waves surge,
you calm them.
10 You crushed the proud one[d] to death;
with your powerful arm
you scattered your enemies.
11 Heaven and the earth belong to you,
the world and everything it contains—
you established them.
12 The north and south—you created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 Your arm is strong;
your hand is mighty;
indeed, your right hand is victorious.[e]
14 Righteousness and justice make up
the foundation of your throne;
gracious love and truth meet before you.
15 How happy are the people who can worship joyfully![f]
Lord, they walk in the light of your presence.
16 In your name they rejoice all day long;
they exult in your justice.[g]
17 For you are their strength’s grandeur;
by your favor you exalted our power.[h]
18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
God’s Describes His Anointed
19 You spoke to your faithful[i] ones through a vision:[j]
“I will set a helper over[k] a warrior.
I will raise up a chosen one from the people.
20 I have found my servant David;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil,
21 with whom my power[l] will be firmly established;
for my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will deceive him;
no wicked person[m] will afflict him.
23 I will crush his enemies before him
and strike those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and gracious love will be with him,
and in my name his power[n] will be exalted.
25 I will place his hand[o] over the sea,
and his right hand[p] over the rivers.
26 He will announce to me
‘You are my father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “Indeed, I myself made him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will show[q] my gracious love toward him forever,
since my covenant is securely established with him.
29 I will establish his dynasty[r] forever,
and his throne as long as heaven endures.[s]
30 “But if his sons abandon my laws and
do not follow my ordinances,
31 if they profane my statutes;
and do not keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their disobedience with a rod
and their iniquity with lashes.
33 But I will not cut off[t] my gracious love from him,
and I will not stop being faithful.
34 I will not dishonor my covenant,
because I will not change what I have spoken.[u]
35 I have sworn by my holiness once for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty[v] will last forever
and his throne will be like the sun before me.
37 It will be established forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
A Commitment to Persevere
38 But you have spurned, rejected,
and became angry with your anointed one.
39 You have dishonored the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown on the ground.
40 You have broken through all his[w] walls;
you have laid his fortresses in ruin.
41 All who pass by on their way plunder him;
he has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
you have caused all of his enemies to rejoice.
43 Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and did not support him in battle.
44 You have caused his splendor[x] to cease
and cast down his throne to the ground.
45 You have caused the days of his youth to be cut short;
you have covered him with shame.
46 How long, Lord, will you hide yourself? Forever?
Will your anger continuously burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my lifetime is!
How powerless have you created all human beings![y]
48 What valiant man can live and not see death?
Who can deliver himself[z] from the power[aa] of Sheol.[ab]
49 Where is your gracious love of old, Lord,
that in your faithfulness you promised to David?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servant!
I carry inside me all the insults of many people,
51 when your enemies reproached you, Lord,
when they reproached the footsteps[ac] of your anointed.
52 Blessed is the Lord forever!
Amen and amen!
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:1 Lit. maskil
- Psalm 89:4 Or confirm
- Psalm 89:9 Lit. roaring
- Psalm 89:10 Lit. Rahab
- Psalm 89:13 Lit. lifted up
- Psalm 89:15 Lit. who know the joyful shout
- Psalm 89:16 Or righteousness
- Psalm 89:17 Lit. horn
- Psalm 89:19 Or godly; so MT LXX; DSS 4Q98g reads chosen
- Psalm 89:19 So MT LXX; DSS 4Q98g reads vision; you said
- Psalm 89:19 So MT LXX; DSS 4Q98g reads I have lent support to
- Psalm 89:21 Lit. hand
- Psalm 89:22 Lit. no son of iniquity
- Psalm 89:24 Lit. horn
- Psalm 89:25 I.e. his authority
- Psalm 89:25 I.e. his authority
- Psalm 89:28 Lit. keep
- Psalm 89:29 Lit. seed
- Psalm 89:29 Lit. as the days of the heavens
- Psalm 89:33 Lit. break
- Psalm 89:34 Lit. what goes out of my lips
- Psalm 89:36 Lit. seed
- Psalm 89:40 Or its
- Psalm 89:44 Or luster
- Psalm 89:47 Lit. all sons of Adam
- Psalm 89:48 Lit. deliver his soul
- Psalm 89:48 Lit. hand
- Psalm 89:48 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Psalm 89:51 Lit. the hind part
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