Psalm 89
Lexham English Bible
Remembering the Covenant with David, and Sorrow for Lost Blessings
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.[a]
89 I will sing forever of Yahweh’s acts of loyal love.
From generation to generation[b]
I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.
2 For I say, “Forever your loyal love is built up.
The heavens you have established with your faithfulness in them.”
3 “I made a covenant with my chosen one;
I swore an oath to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants forever,
and I will build up your throne from generation to generation.’”[c] Selah
5 And so the heavens will praise your wonderful deed, O Yahweh,
even your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the sky[d] is equal to Yahweh?
Who is like Yahweh among the sons of God,
7 a God feared greatly in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all surrounding him?
8 O Yahweh God of hosts,
who is mighty like you, O Yah,
with[e] your faithfulness surrounding you?
9 You are ruling the surging of the sea.
When its waves rise, you yourself still[f] them.
10 You yourself crushed[g] Rahab like one who is slain;
you scattered your enemies with your strong arm.
11 The heavens are yours, the earth yours as well,
the world with its fullness, because you founded them.
12 North and south, you created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout joyfully over your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
Your hand is strong; your right hand reaches high.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Loyal love and faithfulness[h] come before your face.[i]
15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout;
O Yahweh, they walk about in the light of your countenance.
16 In your name they rejoice all the day,
and in your righteousness they rise up.
17 For you are the glory of their strength,
and by your favor our horn rises up,[j]
18 because our shield belongs to Yahweh,[k]
and our king to the Holy One of Israel.[l]
19 Formerly you spoke in a vision
to your faithful ones, and said,
“I have bestowed help on a mighty man;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 with whom my hand will be steadfast.
Surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not deceive him,
and no evil man[m] will afflict him.
23 But I will crush his adversaries before him,
and I will strike those who hate him.
24 And so my faithfulness
and my loyal love will be with him,
and in my name his horn will rise up.
25 And I will set his hand on the sea
and 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 I will also make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will keep my loyal love for him,
and my covenant will be reliable for him.
29 I will also establish his offspring forever,
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his sons forsake my law
and do not walk in my judgments,
31 if they defile[n] my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with a rod,
and their guilt with wounds.
33 But I will not break off my loyal love from him,
and I will not be false against my faithfulness.
34 I will not defile[o] my covenant,
or alter what proceeded from my lips.
35 Once[p] I have sworn by my holiness,
‘I will surely not lie to David,
36 His offspring will endure[q] forever,
and his throne as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it will be steadfast forever,
and like an enduring witness in the sky.’” Selah
38 But you have spurned and rejected;
you are very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have repudiated the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled[r] his crown in[s] the dirt.
40 You have broken down all his walls;
you have made his fortifications a ruin.
41 All passing along the road plunder him;
he has become a taunt to his neighbors.
42 You have raised the right hand[t] of his adversaries.
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword
and have not helped him stand his ground in the battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease,
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O Yahweh? Will you hide yourself forever?
Will your wrath burn like fire forever?
47 Remember what my lifespan is.
Remember for what vanity
you have created all the children of humankind.
48 What man can live on and not see death?
Can he deliver his life from the power[u] of Sheol? Selah
49 Where are your former acts of loyal love, O Lord,
that you swore to David by your faithfulness?
50 Remember, O Lord the taunting of your servants,
how I bear in my bosom the taunts of all the many peoples,
51 by which your enemies taunt, O Yahweh,
by which they taunt the steps of your anointed one.
52 Blessed be Yahweh forever.
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 89:1 Literally “To a generation and a generation”
- Psalm 89:4 Literally “To a generation and a generation”
- Psalm 89:6 Hebrew singular collective “clouds”
- Psalm 89:8 Hebrew “and”
- Psalm 89:9 Literally “you, you calm”
- Psalm 89:10 Literally “You, you crushed”
- Psalm 89:14 Or “truth”
- Psalm 89:14 That is, enjoy continual access
- Psalm 89:17 According to the reading tradition (Qere). The Kethib reads “you exalt our horn”
- Psalm 89:18 Or “Yahweh is our shield.”
- Psalm 89:18 Or “The Holy One of Israel is our king.”
- Psalm 89:22 Literally “a son of wickedness”
- Psalm 89:31 Hebrew “profane; treat as common”
- Psalm 89:34 Hebrew “profane; treat as common”
- Psalm 89:35 Hebrew “One”
- Psalm 89:36 Hebrew “be”
- Psalm 89:39 Hebrew “profane; treat as common”
- Psalm 89:39 Hebrew “to”
- Psalm 89:42 That is, given them victory
- Psalm 89:48 Literally “hand””
Psalm 89
American Standard Version
Jehovah’s covenant with David, and Israel’s afflictions.
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing of the lovingkindness of Jehovah for ever:
With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever;
Thy faithfulness wilt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen,
I have sworn unto David my servant:
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever,
And build up thy throne to all generations. Selah
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah;
Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared unto Jehovah?
Who among the [a]sons of the [b]mighty is like unto Jehovah,
7 A God very terrible in the council of the holy ones,
And to be feared above all them that are round about him?
8 O Jehovah God of hosts,
Who is a mighty one, like unto thee, O [c]Jehovah?
And thy faithfulness is round about thee.
9 Thou rulest the pride of the sea:
When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou hast broken [d]Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain;
Thou hast scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine:
The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south, thou hast created them:
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast [e]a mighty arm;
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne:
Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the [f]joyful sound:
They walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name do they rejoice all the day;
And in thy righteousness are they exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength;
And in thy favor [g]our horn shall be exalted.
18 For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah;
[h]And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy [i]saints,
And saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
With my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established;
Mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not [j]exact from him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his adversaries before him,
And smite them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my lovingkindness shall be with him;
And in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also on the sea,
And his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 I also will make him my first-born,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My lovingkindness will I keep for him for evermore;
And my covenant shall [k]stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law,
And walk not in mine ordinances;
31 If they [l]break my statutes,
And keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 But my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him,
Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not [m]break,
Nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 [n]Once have I sworn by my holiness:
I will not lie unto David:
36 His seed shall endure for ever,
And his throne as the sun before me.
37 [o]It shall be established for ever as the moon,
[p]And as the faithful witness in the sky. Selah
38 But thou hast cast off and rejected,
Thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39 Thou hast abhorred the covenant of thy servant:
Thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges;
Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way rob him:
He is become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 Yea, thou turnest back the edge of his sword,
And hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44 Thou hast made his brightness to cease,
And cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened:
Thou hast covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou hide thyself for ever?
How long shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Oh remember how short my time is:
For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men!
48 What man is he that shall live and not see death,
That shall deliver his soul from the [q]power of Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses,
Which thou swarest unto David in thy faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants;
How I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the [r]mighty peoples,
51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Jehovah,
Wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52 Blessed be Jehovah for evermore.
Amen, and Amen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:6 Or, sons of God
- Psalm 89:6 Or, gods. See 29:1.
- Psalm 89:8 Hebrew Jah.
- Psalm 89:10 Or, Egypt
- Psalm 89:13 Hebrew an arm with might.
- Psalm 89:15 Or, trumpet sound
- Psalm 89:17 Another reading is, thou shalt exalt our horn.
- Psalm 89:18 Or, Even to the Holy One of Israel our King
- Psalm 89:19 Or, as otherwise read, saint
- Psalm 89:22 Or, do him violence
- Psalm 89:28 Or, be faithful
- Psalm 89:31 Hebrew profane.
- Psalm 89:34 Hebrew profane.
- Psalm 89:35 Or, One thing
- Psalm 89:37 Or, As the moon which is established for ever
- Psalm 89:37 Or, And the witness in the sky is faithful
- Psalm 89:48 Hebrew hand.
- Psalm 89:50 Or, many
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