Psalm 89
The Covenant With David
Heading
A maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite.
Opening Praise
1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.
With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 Yes, I have said, “Your mercy is built to last forever.
In the heavens you establish your faithfulness.”
The Statement of the Covenant
3 The Lord said,[a]
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one.
I have sworn to David my servant.
4 I will establish your seed[b] forever, Interlude
and I will build your throne through all generations.”
God’s Power Upholds the Covenant
5 The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
also your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
7 God is revered in the council of the holy ones.
He is to be feared more than all who surround him.
8 O Lord God of Armies, who is like you?
You are mighty, O Lord,[c]
and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the majestic sea.
When its waves rise up, you quiet them.
10 You crushed Rahab[d] like one of the slain.
With your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also is the earth.
You founded the world and everything that fills it.
12 You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.
13 Your arm works for you with power.
Your hand is strong. Your right hand is raised high.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Mercy and truth are right in front of you.
The Security of God’s People
15 How blessed are the people who know the joyful cry.
Lord, they walk in the light from your face.
16 In your name they celebrate all day long.
In your righteousness they are lifted up.
17 For you are the beauty of their strength,
and by your favor you exalt our Horn.[e]
18 Indeed, our Shield belongs to the Lord,
our King to the Holy One of Israel.
The Promise to David
19 Once you spoke in a vision to your favored ones.
You said:
I have granted help to a warrior.
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I found David my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him.
21 He is the one whom my hand will sustain.
Surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will subject him to tribute.
No violent man will oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and mercy will be with him,
and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, “You are my Father,
my God and the Rock that saves me.”
27 I will also make him the Firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will keep my mercy for him forever,
and my covenant with him will stand firm.
29 I will establish his seed forever.
His throne will endure like the days of the heavens.
The Terms of the Covenant
30 If his sons forsake my law,
and they do not walk according to my judgments,
31 if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commands,
32 I will punish their rebellion with the rod, their guilt with whipping.
33 But I will not break off my mercy from him.
I will not let my truth become false.
34 I will not violate my covenant.
I will not alter what comes out of my lips.
35 Once and for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
surely I will not lie to David—
36 that his seed will continue forever,
and his throne will endure before me like the sun.
37 It will be established forever like the moon. Interlude
This witness in the sky is faithful.
The Covenant Abandoned?
38 But you have rejected, you have cast off,
you have been very angry with your anointed one,
39 and you have renounced the covenant with your servant,
and you have thrown his crown on the ground.
40 You have broken down all his walls
and reduced his fortresses to rubble.
41 All who pass by on the road have plundered him.
He is despised by his neighbors.
42 You have raised up the right hand of his foes.
You have made all his enemies happy.
43 Indeed, you have deflected the edge of his sword,
and you have not let him stand up in battle.
44 You have put an end to his majesty,
and you have hurled his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth. Interlude
You have clothed him with shame.
46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
Will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember me! What is my life!
For you have created such futility for all the children of Adam!
48 Can anyone live and not see death, Interlude
or save his life from the power of the grave?
49 Where are your former mercies, O Lord,
which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
50 Remember, Lord, the scorn your servants have[g] endured.
(I carry on my heart all the many peoples!)[h]
51 Remember the scorn
with which your enemies have been scornful, O Lord,
with which they have scorned the steps of your Anointed One.
Closing Doxology
52 Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:3 The words The Lord said are added to clarify who is speaking.
- Psalm 89:4 Retention of the literal term seed makes it clear that this refers to the Messianic line from the seed of Eve, through the seed of Abraham and the seed of David, to Christ the Messiah.
- Psalm 89:8 Yah, the short form of the divine name, is used instead of the full form, Yahweh.
- Psalm 89:10 The name Rahab here is a personification of the sea as a monster.
- Psalm 89:17 The Horn and the Shield here are names for the King descended from David.
- Psalm 89:24 That is, his power
- Psalm 89:50 A Hebrew variant is servant has.
- Psalm 89:50 An emendation suggested by some translators is all the attacks of the peoples.