Psalm 89

New International Reader’s Version

1 LORD, I will sing about your great love for ever. For all time to come, I will tell how faithful you are.2 I will tell everyone that your love stands firm for ever. I will tell them that you are always faithful, even in heaven itself.3 You said, ‘Here is the covenant I have made with my chosen one. Here is the promise I have made to my servant David.4 “I will make your family line continue for ever. I will make your kingdom secure for all time to come.” ’5 LORD, the heavens praise you for your wonderful deeds. When your holy angels gather together, they praise you for how faithful you are.6 Who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who among the angels is like the LORD?7 God is highly respected among his holy angels. He’s more wonderful than all those who are around him.8 LORD God who rules over all, who is like you? LORD, you are mighty. You are faithful in everything you do.9 You rule over the stormy sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them down.10 You crushed Egypt and killed her people. With your powerful arm you scattered your enemies.11 The heavens belong to you. The earth is yours also. You made the world and everything that is in it.12 You created everything from north to south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you with joy.13 Your arm is powerful. Your hand is strong. Your right hand is mighty.14 Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Your faithful love leads the way in front of you.15 Blessed are those who have learned to shout praise to you. LORD, they live in the light of your kindness.16 All day long they are full of joy because of who you are. They celebrate the fact that you do what is right.17 You bring them glory and give them strength. You are pleased to honour our king.18 Our king is like a shield that keeps us safe. He belongs to the LORD. He belongs to the Holy One of Israel.19 You once spoke to your faithful people in a vision. You said, ‘I have given strength to a soldier. I have raised up a young man from among the people.20 I have found my servant David. I have poured my sacred oil on his head.21 My powerful hand will keep him going. My mighty arm will give him strength.22 No enemy will have the victory over him. No evil person will treat him badly.23 I will crush the king’s enemies. I will completely destroy them.24 I will love him and be faithful to him. Because of me his power will increase.25 I will give him a great kingdom. It will reach from the Mediterranean Sea to the River Euphrates.26 He will call out to me, “You are my Father. You are my God. You are my Rock and Saviour.”27 I will also make him my eldest son. Among all the kings of the earth, he will be the most important one.28 I will continue to love him for ever. I will never break my covenant with him.29 I will make his family line continue for ever. His kingdom will last as long as the heavens.30 ‘What if his sons turn away from my laws and do not follow them?31 What if they disobey my orders and fail to keep my commands?32 Then I will punish them for their sins. I will strike them with a rod. I will whip them for their evil acts.33 But I will not stop loving David. I will always be faithful to him.34 I will not break my covenant. I will not go back on my word.35 Once and for all, I have made a promise. It is based on my holiness. And I will not lie to David.36 His family line will continue for ever. His kingdom will last as long as the sun.37 It will last for ever like the moon, that faithful witness in the sky.’38 But you have turned your back on your anointed king. You have been very angry with him.39 You have broken the covenant you made with him. You have thrown your servant’s crown into the dirt.40 You have broken through the walls around his city. You have completely destroyed his secure places.41 All those who pass by have carried off what belonged to him. His neighbours make fun of him.42 You have made his enemies strong. You have made all of them happy.43 You have made his sword useless. You have not helped him in battle.44 You have put an end to his glory. You have knocked his throne to the ground.45 You have cut short the days of his life. You have covered him with shame.46 LORD, how long will you hide yourself? Will it be for ever? How long will your anger burn like fire?47 Remember how short my life is. You have created all people for such a useless purpose!48 Who can live and not die? Who can escape the power of the grave?49 Lord, where is the great love you used to have? You faithfully promised it to David.50 Lord, remember how my enemies have made fun of me. I’ve had to put up with mean words from all the nations.51 LORD, your enemies have said mean things. They have laughed at everything your anointed king has done.52 Give praise to the LORD for ever! Amen and Amen.

Psalm 89

English Standard Version

1 A Maskil[1] of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. (1Ki 4:31; 1Ch 2:6; Ps 88:11; Ps 89:5; Ps 89:8; Ps 89:14; Ps 89:24; Ps 89:28; Ps 89:33; Ps 89:49; Ps 101:1; Ps 119:90; Isa 55:3)2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” (Ps 36:5; Ps 89:1)3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: (2Sa 7:8; 1Ki 8:16; 1Ch 17:7; Ps 89:19; Ps 89:28; Ps 89:34; Ps 89:35; Ps 89:39; Ps 89:49; Ps 132:11; Isa 42:1; Jer 33:17)4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” (Ps 89:29; Ps 89:36; Isa 9:7; Lu 1:32; Joh 12:34)5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! (Job 1:6; Job 5:1; Job 15:15; Ps 19:1; Ps 50:6; Ps 88:12; Ps 89:7; Ps 97:6; Re 7:10)6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings[2] is like the Lord, (Ps 86:8; Ps 89:8)7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? (Ps 47:2; Ps 89:5; Ps 103:20)8 O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? (1Sa 2:2; Ps 35:10; Ps 68:4)9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. (Job 38:11; Ps 65:7)10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. (Ex 14:30; Job 9:13; Ps 53:5)11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. (Ge 1:1; 1Ch 29:11; Ps 24:1; Ps 104:5)12 The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. (De 3:9; Job 26:7; Ps 98:8; Jer 46:18)13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. (Ps 85:13; Ps 89:2; Ps 97:2)15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, (Ps 4:6; Ps 66:1)16 who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. (Job 36:7; Ps 20:5; Ps 20:7)17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. (Ps 75:10; Ps 78:61; Ps 89:24)18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. (Ps 47:9; Ps 71:22)19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one,[3] and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. (2Sa 17:10; Ps 21:5; Ps 89:3)20 I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, (1Sa 16:13; Ac 13:22)21 so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. (Ps 80:17)22 The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. (2Sa 7:10)23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. (2Sa 7:9; Ps 2:9)24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. (Ps 89:1; Ps 89:17)25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. (Ps 72:8)26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ (2Sa 7:14; Ps 18:2)27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. (Ex 4:22; Nu 24:7; Ro 8:29; Col 1:15; Col 1:18; Heb 1:5; Re 19:16)28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm[4] for him. (Ps 89:3)29 I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens. (Job 14:12; Ps 89:4)30 If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,[5] (2Sa 7:14; 1Ki 2:4)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 stripes, (Job 9:34)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. (Ps 89:28)35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. (Ps 60:6; Heb 6:18)36 His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me. (Ps 72:5; Ps 89:4; Ps 89:29)37 Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” (Job 16:19; Ps 89:36)38 But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed. (Ps 44:9; Ps 89:20; Ps 89:51)39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust. (Job 19:9; Ps 74:7; Ps 89:3; La 2:7)40 You have breached all his walls; you have laid his strongholds in ruins. (Ps 80:12)41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors. (Ps 44:13; Ps 69:9; Ps 69:19; Ps 89:40; Ps 89:50)42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and you have not made him stand in 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. (Ps 71:13; Ps 102:23; Ps 109:29)46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? (Ps 13:1; Ps 78:63; Ps 79:5)47 Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man! (Job 7:7; Job 10:9; Job 14:1; Ps 39:5)48 What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? (Ps 16:10; Ps 49:9; Lu 2:26; Heb 11:5)49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? (Ps 89:1)50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults[6] of all the many nations, (Ps 74:18; Ps 74:22; Ps 79:12; Ps 89:41)51 with which your enemies mock, O Lord, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed. (Ps 17:11; Ps 56:6; Ps 89:20; Ps 89:38)52 Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. (Ps 41:13)