Psalms 89

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁵¹ which your enemies have level ed, Yahweh, have level ed at the footsteps of your anointed!

⁵² Blessed be Yahweh for ever. Amen, Amen.