Psalm 89:30–52

³⁰“But if his descendants disobey my law

and do not live according to my commands,

³¹if they disregard my instructions

and do not keep my commandments,

³²then I will punish them for their sins;

I will make them suffer for their wrongs.

³³But I will not stop loving David

or fail to keep my promise to him.

³⁴I will not break my covenant with him

or take back even one promise I made him.

³⁵“Once and for all I have promised by my holy name:

I will never lie to David.

³⁶He will always have descendants,

and I will watch over his kingdom as long as the sun shines.

³⁷It will be as permanent as the moon,

that faithful witness in the sky.”

Lament over the Defeat of the King

³⁸But you are angry with your chosen king;

you have deserted and rejected him.

³⁹You have broken your covenant with your servant

and thrown his crown in the mud.

⁴⁰You have torn down the walls of his city

and left his forts in ruins.

⁴¹All who pass by steal his belongings;

all his neighbours laugh at him.

⁴²You have given the victory to his enemies;

you have made them all happy.

⁴³You have made his weapons useless

and let him be defeated in battle.

⁴⁴You have taken away his royal sceptreⁿ

and hurled his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have made him old before his time

and covered him with disgrace.

A Prayer for Deliverance

⁴⁶Lord, will you hide yourself for ever?

How long will your anger burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how short my life is;

remember that you created all of us mortal!

⁴⁸Who can live and never die?

How can human beings keep themselves from the grave?

⁴⁹Lord, where are the former proofs of your love?

Where are the promises you made to David?

⁵⁰Don’t forget how I, your servant, am insulted,

how I endure all the curses^o of the heathen.

⁵¹Your enemies insult your chosen king, O Lord!

They insult him wherever he goes.

⁵²Praise the Lord for ever!

Amen! Amen!

BOOK FOUR