Psalm 89

Psalm 89 (RSV)

1 I will sing of thy steadfast love, O LORD, for ever; with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For thy steadfast love was established for ever, thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.
3 Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant:
4 `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'"
5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible above all that are round about him?
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as thou art, O LORD, with thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine; the world and all that is in it, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south, thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm; strong is thy hand, high thy right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance,
16 who exult in thy name all the day, and extol thy righteousness.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength; by thy favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Of old thou didst speak in a vision to thy faithful one, and say: "I have set the crown upon one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 so that my hand shall ever abide with him, my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, `Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'
27 And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances,
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 scourges;
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.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
36 His line shall endure for ever, his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established for ever; it shall stand firm while the skies endure."
38 But now thou hast cast off and rejected, thou art full of wrath against thy anointed.
39 Thou hast renounced the covenant with thy servant; thou hast defiled his crown in the dust.
40 Thou hast breached all his walls; thou hast laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All that pass by despoil him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his foes; thou hast made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Yea, thou hast turned back the edge of his sword, and thou hast not made him stand in battle.
44 Thou hast removed the scepter from his hand, and cast his throne to the ground.
45 Thou hast cut short the days of his youth; thou hast covered him with shame.
46 How long, O LORD? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever? How long will thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember, O Lord, what the measure of life is, for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men!
48 What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?
49 Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old, which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how thy servant is scorned; how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,
51 with which thy enemies taunt, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD for ever! Amen and Amen.