Psalms, 89

0.

0. A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1. [Poem For Ethan the native-born] I shall sing the faithful love of Yahweh for ever, from age to age my lips shall declare your constancy,

1. I will sing of thy steadfast love, O LORD, for ever; with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness to all generations.

2. for you have said: love is built to last for ever, you have fixed your constancy firm in the heavens.

2. For thy steadfast love was established for ever, thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.

3. 'I have made a covenant with my Chosen One, sworn an oath to my servant David:

3. Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant:

4. I have made your dynasty firm for ever, built your throne stable age after age.'Pause

4. `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" [Selah]

5. The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh, your constancy in the gathering of your faithful.

5. Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6. Who in the skies can compare with Yahweh? Who among the sons of god can rival him?

6. For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

7. God, awesome in the assembly of holy ones, great and dreaded among all who surround him,

7. a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible above all that are round about him?

8. Yahweh, God Sabaoth, who is like you? Mighty Yahweh, your constancy is all round you!

8. O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as thou art, O LORD, with thy faithfulness round about thee?

9. You control the pride of the ocean, when its waves ride high you calm them.

9. Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them.

10. You split Rahab in two like a corpse, scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

10. Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.

11. Yours are the heavens and yours the earth, the world and all it holds, you founded them;

11. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine; the world and all that is in it, thou hast founded them.

12. you created the north and the south, Tabor and Hermon hail your name with joy.

12. The north and the south, thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise thy name.

13. Yours is a strong arm, mighty your hand, your right hand raised high;

13. Thou hast a mighty arm; strong is thy hand, high thy right hand.

14. Saving Justice and Fair Judgement the foundations of your throne, Faithful Love and Constancy march before you.

14. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.

15. How blessed the nation that learns to acclaim you! They will live, Yahweh, in the light of your presence.

15. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance,

16. In your name they rejoice all day long, by your saving justice they are raised up.

16. who exult in thy name all the day, and extol thy righteousness.

17. You are the flower of their strength, by your favour our strength is triumphant;

17. For thou art the glory of their strength; by thy favor our horn is exalted.

18. for to Yahweh belongs our shield, to the Holy One of Israel our king.

18. For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19. Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful you said: 'I have given strength to a warrior, I have raised up a man chosen from my people.

19. Of old thou didst speak in a vision to thy faithful one, and say: "I have set the crown upon one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20. 'I have found David my servant, and anointed him with my holy oil.

20. I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him;

21. My hand will always be with him, my arm will make him strong.

21. so that my hand shall ever abide with him, my arm also shall strengthen him.

22. 'No enemy will be able to outwit him, no wicked man overcome him;

22. The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.

23. I shall crush his enemies before him, strike his opponents dead.

23. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.

24. 'My constancy and faithful love will be with him, in my name his strength will be triumphant.

24. My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25. I shall establish his power over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.

25. I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.

26. 'He will cry to me, "You are my father, my God, the rock of my salvation!"

26. He shall cry to me, `Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'

27. So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings.

27. And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.

28. 'I shall maintain my faithful love for him always, my covenant with him will stay firm.

28. My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29. I have established his dynasty for ever, his throne to be as lasting as the heavens.

29. I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30. 'Should his descendants desert my law, and not keep to my rulings,

30. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances,

31. should they violate my statutes, and not observe my commandments,

31. if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,

32. 'then I shall punish their offences with the rod, their guilt with the whip,

32. then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges;

33. but I shall never withdraw from him my faithful love, I shall not belie my constancy.

33. but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness.

34. 'I shall not violate my covenant, I shall not withdraw the word once spoken.

34. I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

35. I have sworn by my holiness, once and for all, never will I break faith with David.

35. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.

36. 'His dynasty shall endure for ever, his throne like the sun before me,

36. His line shall endure for ever, his throne as long as the sun before me.

37. as the moon is established for ever, a faithful witness in the skies.'Pause

37. Like the moon it shall be established for ever; it shall stand firm while the skies endure." [Selah]

38. Yet you yourself -- you have spurned and rejected, and have vented your wrath on your anointed,

38. But now thou hast cast off and rejected, thou art full of wrath against thy anointed.

39. you have repudiated the covenant with your servant, dishonoured his crown in the dust.

39. Thou hast renounced the covenant with thy servant; thou hast defiled his crown in the dust.

40. You have pierced all his defences, and laid his strongholds in ruins,

40. Thou hast breached all his walls; thou hast laid his strongholds in ruins.

41. everyone passing by plunders him, he has become the butt of his neighbours.

41. All that pass by despoil him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42. You have raised high the right hand of his opponents, have made all his enemies happy;

42. Thou hast exalted the right hand of his foes; thou hast made all his enemies rejoice.

43. you have snapped off his sword on a rock, and failed to support him in battle.

43. Yea, thou hast turned back the edge of his sword, and thou hast not made him stand in battle.

44. You have stripped him of his splendid sceptre, and toppled his throne to the ground.

44. Thou hast removed the scepter from his hand, and cast his throne to the ground.

45. You have aged him before his time, enveloped him in shame.Pause

45. Thou hast cut short the days of his youth; thou hast covered him with shame. [Selah]

46. How long, Yahweh, will you remain hidden? For ever? Is your anger to go on smouldering like a fire?

46. How long, O LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? How long will thy wrath burn like fire?

47. Remember me; how long have I left? For what pointless end did you create all the children of Adam?

47. Remember, O Lord, what the measure of life is, for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men!

48. Who can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the clutches of Sheol?Pause

48. What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? [Selah]

49. Lord, what of those pledges of your faithful love? You made an oath to David by your constancy.

49. Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old, which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David?

50. Do not forget the insults to your servant; I take to heart the taunts of the nations,

50. Remember, O Lord, how thy servant is scorned; how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,

51. which your enemies have levelled, Yahweh, have levelled at the footsteps of your anointed!

51. with which thy enemies taunt, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed.

52. Blessed be Yahweh for ever. Amen, Amen.

52. Blessed be the LORD for ever! Amen and Amen.