Psalm 89
Revised Standard Version
God’s Covenant with David
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
89 I will sing of thy steadfast love, O Lord,[a] for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For thy steadfast love was established for ever,
thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
3 Thou hast said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.’”Selah
5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O Lord,
thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[b] is like the Lord,
7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
great and terrible[c] above all that are round about him?
8 O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as thou art, O Lord,
with thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou dost rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass,
thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine;
the world and all that is in it, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south, thou hast created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm;
strong is thy hand, high thy right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance,
16 who exult in thy name all the day,
and extol[d] thy righteousness.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength;
by thy favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Of old thou didst speak in a vision
to thy faithful one, and say:
“I have set the crown[e] upon one who is mighty,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 so that my hand shall ever abide with him,
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘Thou art my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the first-born,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his line for ever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my ordinances,
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;
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant,
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His line shall endure for ever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established for ever;
it shall stand firm while the skies endure.”[f]Selah
38 But now thou hast cast off and rejected,
thou art full of wrath against thy anointed.
39 Thou hast renounced the covenant with thy servant;
thou hast defiled his crown in the dust.
40 Thou hast breached all his walls;
thou hast laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All that pass by despoil him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his foes;
thou hast made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Yea, thou hast turned back the edge of his sword,
and thou hast not made him stand in battle.
44 Thou hast removed the scepter from his hand,[g]
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 Thou hast cut short the days of his youth;
thou hast covered him with shame.Selah
46 How long, O Lord? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever?
How long will thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember, O Lord,[h] what the measure of life is,
for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?Selah
49 Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old,
which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how thy servant is scorned;
how I bear in my bosom the insults[i] of the peoples,
51 with which thy enemies taunt, O Lord,
with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord for ever!
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:1 Gk: Heb the steadfast love of the Lord
- Psalm 89:6 Or sons of gods
- Psalm 89:7 Gk Syr: Heb greatly terrible
- Psalm 89:16 Cn: Heb are exalted in
- Psalm 89:19 Cn: Heb help
- Psalm 89:37 Cn: Heb the witness in the skies is sure
- Psalm 89:44 Cn: Heb removed his cleanness
- Psalm 89:47 Cn: Heb I
- Psalm 89:50 Cn: Heb all of many
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
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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