Psalm 89

Perplexity about God’s Promises

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. ^a

¹I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever; ^b

I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations

with my mouth. ^c

²For I will declare,

“Faithful love is built up forever;

you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.” ^d

³The Lord said,

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn an oath to David my servant:

⁴‘I will establish your offspring forever

and build up your throne for all generations.’ ” ^e Selah

⁵Lord, the heavens praise your wonders ^f —

your faithfulness also —

in the assembly of the holy ones. ^g

⁶For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beings ^h is like the Lord? ⁱ

⁷God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,

more awe-inspiring than ^j all who surround him. ^k

⁸Lord God of Armies,

who is strong like you, Lord? ^l

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

⁹You rule the raging sea;

when its waves surge, you still them. ^m

¹⁰You crushed Rahab like one who is slain; ⁿ

you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm. ^o

¹¹The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.

The world and everything in it #— #you founded them. ^p

¹²North and south #— #you created them. ^q

Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name. ^r

¹³You have a mighty arm;

your hand is powerful;

your right hand is lifted high. ^s

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation

of your throne; ^t

faithful love and truth go before you. ^u

¹⁵Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; ^v

Lord, they walk in the light from your face. ^w

¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long,

and they are exalted by your righteousness. ^x

¹⁷For you are their magnificent strength; ^y

by your favor our horn is exalted. ^z

¹⁸Surely our shield ^aa belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel. ^ab

¹⁹You once spoke in a vision to your faithful ones

and said, “I have granted help to a warrior;

I have exalted one chosen ^ac from the people. ^ad

²⁰I have found David my servant;

I have anointed him with my sacred oil. ^ae

²¹My hand will always be with him,

and my arm will strengthen him. ^af

²²The enemy will not oppress ^ag him;

the wicked will not afflict him. ^ah

²³I will crush his foes before him

and strike those who hate him. ^ai

²⁴My faithfulness and love will be with him,

and through my name

his horn will be exalted. ^aj

²⁵I will extend his power to the sea

and his right hand to the rivers. ^ak

²⁶He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, ^al

my God, the rock of my salvation.’ ^am

²⁷I will also make him my firstborn,

greatest of the kings of the earth. ^an

²⁸I will always preserve my faithful love for him,

and my covenant with him will endure. ^ao

²⁹I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as heaven lasts. ^ap,^aq

³⁰If his sons abandon my instruction

and do not live by my ordinances, ^ar

³¹if they dishonor my statutes

and do not keep my commands, ^as

³²then I will call their rebellion

to account with the rod,

their iniquity with blows. ^at

³³But I will not withdraw

my faithful love from him

or betray my faithfulness. ^au

³⁴I will not violate my covenant

or change what my lips have said. ^av

³⁵Once and for all

I have sworn an oath by my holiness;

I will not lie to David. ^aw

³⁶His offspring will continue forever,

his throne like the sun before me, ^ax

³⁷like the moon, established forever,

a faithful witness in the sky.” ^ay Selah

³⁸But you have spurned and rejected him;

you have become enraged with your anointed. ^az

³⁹You have repudiated the covenant with your servant;

you have completely dishonored his crown. ^ba,^bb

⁴⁰You have broken down all his walls;

you have reduced his fortified cities to ruins. ^bc

⁴¹All who pass by plunder him; ^bd

he has become an object of ridicule

to his neighbors. ^be

⁴²You have lifted high the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice. ^bf

⁴³You have also turned back his sharp sword

and have not let him stand in battle. ^bg

⁴⁴You have made his splendor ^bh cease

and have overturned his throne. ^bi

⁴⁵You have shortened the days of his youth;

you have covered him with shame. ^bj Selah

⁴⁶How long, Lord? Will you hide forever?

Will your anger keep burning like fire? ^bk

⁴⁷Remember how short my life is.

Have you created everyone for nothing? ^bl

⁴⁸What courageous person can live and never see death?

Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? ^bm Selah

⁴⁹Lord, where are the former acts of your faithful love

that you swore to David in your faithfulness? ^bn

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the ridicule against your servants —

in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples —

⁵¹how your enemies have ridiculed, Lord,

how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed. ^bo

⁵²Blessed be the Lord forever.

Amen and amen. ^bp