Psalm 89a

A maskilb of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will singe of the Lord’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness knownf

through all generations.

2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.g

3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant,

4 ‘I will establish your line forever

and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”c h

5 The heavensi praise your wonders, Lord,

your faithfulness too, in the assemblyj of the holy ones.

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

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?k

7 In the councill of the holy onesm God is greatly feared;

he is more awesome than all who surround him.n

8 Who is like you,o Lord God Almighty?p

You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

9 You rule over the surging sea;

when its waves mount up, you still them.q

10 You crushed Rahabr like one of the slain;

with your strong arm you scattereds your enemies.

11 The heavens are yours,t and yours also the earth;u

you founded the world and all that is in it.v

12 You created the north and the south;

Taborw and Hermonx sing for joyy at your name.

13 Your arm is endowed with power;

your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.z

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;a

love and faithfulness go before you.b

15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,

who walkc in the lightd of your presence, Lord.

16 They rejoice in your namee all day long;

they celebrate your righteousness.

17 For you are their glory and strength,f

and by your favor you exalt our horn.d g

18 Indeed, our shielde h belongs to the Lord,

our kingi to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Once you spoke in a vision,

to your faithful people you said:

“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;

I have raised up a young man from among the people.

20 I have found Davidj my servant;k

with my sacred oill I have anointedm him.

21 My hand will sustain him;

surely my arm will strengthen him.n

22 The enemy will not get the better of him;o

the wicked will not oppressp him.

23 I will crush his foes before himq

and strike down his adversaries.r

24 My faithful love will be with him,s

and through my name his hornf will be exalted.

25 I will set his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers.t

26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,u

my God, the Rockv my Savior.’w

27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,x

the most exaltedy of the kingsz of the earth.

28 I will maintain my love to him forever,

and my covenant with him will never fail.a

29 I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure.b

30 “If his sons forsake my law

and do not follow my statutes,

31 if they violate my decrees

and fail to keep my commands,

32 I will punish their sin with the rod,

their iniquity with flogging;c

33 but I will not take my love from him,d

nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

34 I will not violate my covenant

or alter what my lips have uttered.e

35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—

and I will not lie to David—

36 that his line will continue forever

and his throne endure before me like the sun;f

37 it will be established forever like the moon,

the faithful witness in the sky.”g

38 But you have rejected,h you have spurned,

you have been very angry with your anointed one.

39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant

and have defiled his crown in the dust.i

40 You have broken through all his wallsj

and reduced his strongholdsk to ruins.

41 All who pass by have plunderedl him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.m

42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.n

43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword

and have not supported him in battle.o

44 You have put an end to his splendor

and cast his throne to the ground.

45 You have cut shortp the days of his youth;

you have covered him with a mantle of shame.q

46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?r

47 Remember how fleeting is my life.s

For what futility you have created all humanity!

48 Who can live and not see death,

or who can escape the power of the grave?t

49 Lord, where is your former great love,

which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

50 Remember, Lord, how your servant hasg been mocked,u

how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,

with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.v

52 Praise be to the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen.w

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling placex

throughout all generations.

2 Before the mountains were borny

or you brought forth the whole world,

from everlasting to everlastingz you are God.a

3 You turn people back to dust,

saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”b

4 A thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night.c

5 Yet you sweep people awayd in the sleep of death—

they are like the new grass of the morning:

6 In the morning it springs up new,

but by evening it is dry and withered.e

7 We are consumed by your anger

and terrified by your indignation.

8 You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sinsf in the light of your presence.g

9 All our days pass away under your wrath;

we finish our years with a moan.h

10 Our days may come to seventy years,i

or eighty,j if our strength endures;

yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,k

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.l

11 If only we knew the power of your anger!

Your wrathm is as great as the fear that is your due.n

12 Teach us to number our days,o

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.p

13 Relent, Lord! How longq will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.r

14 Satisfys us in the morning with your unfailing love,t

that we may sing for joyu and be glad all our days.v

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.w

17 May the favora of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.x