Psalms 89
89
PSALM 89
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1God's mercies I will ever sing;
and with my mouth I shall
Thy faithfulness make to be known
to generations all.
2For mercy shall be built, said I,
for ever to endure;
Thy faithfulness, ev'n in the heav'ns,
thou wilt establish sure.
3I with my chosen One have made
a cov'nant graciously;
And to my servant, whom I lov'd,
to David sworn have I;
4That I thy seed establish shall
for ever to remain,
And will to generations all
thy throne build and maintain.
5The praises of thy wonders, Lord,
the heavens shall express;
And in the congregation
of saints thy faithfulness.
6For who in heaven with the Lord
may once himself compare?
Who is like God among the sons
of those that mighty are?
7Great fear in meeting of the saints
is due unto the Lord;
And he of all about him should
with rev'rence be ador'd.
8O thou that art the Lord of hosts,
what Lord in mightiness
Is like to thee? who compass'd round
art with thy faithfulness.
9Ev'n in the raging of the sea
thou over it dost reign;
And when the waves thereof do swell,
thou stillest them again.
10Rahab in pieces thou didst break,
like one that slaughter'd is;
And with thy mighty arm thou hast
dispers'd thine enemies.
11The heav'ns are thine, thou for thine own
the earth dost also take;
The world, and fulness of the same,
thy pow'r did found and make.
12The north and south from thee alone
their first beginning had;
Both Tabor mount and Hermon hill
shall in thy name be glad.
13Thou hast an arm that's full of pow'r,
thy hand is great in might;
And thy right hand exceedingly
exalted is in height.
14Justice and judgment of thy throne
are made the dwelling-place;
Mercy, accompany'd with truth,
shall go before thy face.
15O greatly bless'd the people are
the joyful sound that know;
In brightness of thy face, O Lord,
they ever on shall go.
16They in thy name shall all the day
rejoice exceedingly;
And in thy righteousness shall they
exalted be on high.
17Because the glory of their strength
doth only stand in thee;
And in thy favour shall our horn
and pow'r exalted be.
18For God is our defence; and he
to us doth safety bring:
The Holy One of Israel
is our almighty King.
19In vision to thy Holy One
thou saidst, I help upon
A strong one laid; out of the folk
I rais'd a chosen one;
20Ev'n David, I have found him out
a servant unto me;
And with my holy oil my King
anointed him to be.
21With whom my hand shall stablish'd be;
mine arm shall make him strong.
22On him the foe shall not exact,
nor son of mischief wrong.
23I will beat down before his face
all his malicious foes;
I will them greatly plague who do
with hatred him oppose.
24My mercy and my faithfulness
with him yet still shall be;
And in my name his horn and pow'r
men shall exalted see.
25His hand and pow'r shall reach afar;
I'll set it in the sea;
And his right hand established
shall in the rivers be.
26Thou art my Father, he shall cry,
thou art my God alone;
And he shall say, Thou art the Rock
of my salvation.
27I'll make him my first-born, more high
than kings of any land.
28My love I'll ever keep for him,
my cov'nant fast shall stand.
29His seed I by my pow'r will make
for ever to endure;
And, as the days of heav'n, his throne
shall stable be, and sure.
30But if his children shall forsake
my laws, and go astray,
And in my judgments shall not walk,
but wander from my way:
31If they my laws break,
and do not keep my commandements;
32I'll visit then their faults with rods,
their sins with chastisements.
33Yet I'll not take my love from him,
nor false my promise make.
34My cov'nant I'll not break, nor change
what with my mouth I spake.
35Once by my holiness I sware,
to David I'll not lie;
36His seed and throne shall, as the sun,
before me last for aye.
37It, like the moon, shall ever be
establish'd stedfastly;
And like to that which in the heav'n
doth witness faithfully.
38But thou, displeased, hast cast off,
thou didst abhor and loathe;
With him that thine anointed is
thou hast been very wroth.
39Thou hast thy servant's covenant
made void, and quite cast by;
Thou hast profan'd his crown, while it
cast on the ground doth lie.
40Thou all his hedges hast broke down,
his strong holds down hast torn.
41He to all passers-by a spoil,
to neighbours is a scorn.
42Thou hast set up his foes' right hand;
mad'st all his en'mies glad:
43Turn'd his sword's edge, and him
to stand in battle hast not made.
44His glory thou hast made to cease,
his throne to ground down cast;
45Shorten'd his days of youth, and him
with shame thou cover'd hast.
46How long, Lord, wilt thou hide thyself?
for ever, in thine ire?
And shall thine indignation
burn like unto a fire?
47Remember, Lord, how short a time
I shall on earth remain:
O wherefore is it so that thou
has made all men in vain?
48What man is he that liveth here,
and death shall never see?
Or from the power of the grave
what man his soul shall free?
49Thy former loving-kindnesses,
O Lord, where be they now?
Those which in truth and faithfulness
to David sworn hast thou?
50Mind, Lord, thy servant's sad reproach;
how I in bosom bear
The scornings of the people all,
who strong and mighty are.
51Wherewith thy raging enemies
reproach'd, O Lord, think on;
Wherewith they have reproach'd the steps
of thine anointed one.
52All blessing to the Lord our God
let be ascribed then:
For evermore so let it be.
Amen, yea, and amen.
Book 4
Psalms 90—106
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 89
89
1-4Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it!
I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.
I’ll never quit telling the story of your love—
how you built the cosmos
and guaranteed everything in it.
Your love has always been our lives’ foundation,
your fidelity has been the roof over our world.
You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,
I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,
‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;
I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’”
5-18 God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,
the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!
Search high and low, scan skies and land,
you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God.
The holy angels are in awe before him;
he looms immense and august over everyone around him.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you,
powerful and faithful from every angle?
You put the arrogant ocean in its place
and calm its waves when they turn unruly.
You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand,
you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist.
You own the cosmos—you made everything in it,
everything from atom to archangel.
You positioned the North and South Poles;
the mountains Tabor and Hermon sing duets to you.
With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel—
nobody messes with you!
The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule;
Love and Truth are its fruits.
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
Holy God of Israel, our King!
19-37A long time ago you spoke in a vision,
you spoke to your faithful beloved:
“I’ve crowned a hero,
I chose the best I could find;
I found David, my servant,
poured holy oil on his head,
And I’ll keep my hand steadily on him,
yes, I’ll stick with him through thick and thin.
No enemy will get the best of him,
no scoundrel will do him in.
I’ll weed out all who oppose him,
I’ll clean out all who hate him.
I’m with him for good and I’ll love him forever;
I’ve set him on high—he’s riding high!
I’ve put Ocean in his one hand, River in the other;
he’ll call out, ‘Oh, my Father—my God, my Rock of Salvation!’
Yes, I’m setting him apart as the First of the royal line,
High King over all of earth’s kings.
I’ll preserve him eternally in my love,
I’ll faithfully do all I so solemnly promised.
I’ll guarantee his family tree
and underwrite his rule.
If his children refuse to do what I tell them,
if they refuse to walk in the way I show them,
If they spit on the directions I give them
and tear up the rules I post for them—
I’ll rub their faces in the dirt of their rebellion
and make them face the music.
But I’ll never throw them out,
never abandon or disown them.
Do you think I’d withdraw my holy promise?
or take back words I’d already spoken?
I’ve given my word, my whole and holy word;
do you think I would lie to David?
His family tree is here for good,
his sovereignty as sure as the sun,
Dependable as the phases of the moon,
inescapable as weather.”
38-52But God, you did walk off and leave us,
you lost your temper with the one you anointed.
You tore up the promise you made to your servant,
you stomped his crown in the mud.
You blasted his home to kingdom come,
reduced his city to a pile of rubble
Picked clean by wayfaring strangers,
a joke to all the neighbors.
You declared a holiday for all his enemies,
and they’re celebrating for all they’re worth.
Angry, you opposed him in battle,
refused to fight on his side;
You robbed him of his splendor, humiliated this warrior,
ground his kingly honor in the dirt.
You took the best years of his life
and left him an impotent, ruined husk.
How long do we put up with this, God?
Are you gone for good? Will you hold this grudge forever?
Remember my sorrow and how short life is.
Did you create men and women for nothing but this?
We’ll see death soon enough. Everyone does.
And there’s no back door out of hell.
So where is the love you’re so famous for, Lord?
What happened to your promise to David?
Take a good look at your servant, dear Lord;
I’m the butt of the jokes of all nations,
The taunting jokes of your enemies, God,
as they dog the steps of your dear anointed.
Blessed be God forever and always!
Yes. Oh, yes.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.