Psalm 89

William Kuipers, 1931

1. My mouth shall sing for aye Thy tender mercies, Lord,
   To every age will I Thy faithfulness record;
   I know how firm and sure Thy wondrous grace is founded,
   Established in the skies by love that is unbounded,
   As Thy celestial throne shall never sway, no never,
   So shall Thy truth endure forever and forever.
   
2. “With My on chosen one, e’en David,” God affirmed,
   “I’ve made a covenant, with sacred oath confirmed;
   I’ve sworn in truth to him, My servant: ‘I will surely
   Build up thy lustrous throne through every age securely;
   Forever will thy seed, in spite of degradation,
   Endure upon thy throne through every generation.’”
   
3. The heavens praise, O Lord, Thy wonders day and night;
   Thy saints on earth extol Thy faithfulness and might;
   Exultingly they ask: “Who, Lord, within Thy dwelling,
   Who of the kings of earth, in carnal strength excelling,
   Can be compared with Thee, Jehovah great and glorious,
   In all Thy wise designs triumphant and victorious?”
   
4. The hosts of heaven, O God, acclaim Thee Lord alone,
   And greatly fear Thy Name ‘bove all around Thy throne.
   Who is there like to Thee, throughout this vast creation,
   Jehovah, Lord of hosts, the God of our salvation,
   Arrayed like Thee with power and faithfulness astounding,
   Constraining saints to praise Thy wondrous grace abounding?
   
5. How blessed, Lord, are they who know the joyful sound,
   Who, when they hear Thy voice, in happiness abound!
   With stedfast step they walk, their countenances beaming
   With brightness of the light that from Thy face is streaming;
   Exalted by Thy might from depths of desolation,
   They praise fore’er Thy Name, Thy justice and salvation.
   
6. Thou art, O God, our boast, the glory of our power;
   Thy sovereign grace is e’er our fortress and our tower.
   We lift our heads aloft, for God, our shield, is o’er us;
   Through Him, through Him alone, whose presence goes before us,
   We’ll wear the victor’s crown, no more by foes assaulted,
   We’ll triumph through our King, by Israel’s God exalted.
   
7. As long as heaven stands on pillars firm and sure,
   So long shall David’s seed through endless years endure.
   But if his children e’er forsake My law appointed,
   And walk not in the ways decreed by Mine Anointed,
   Then truly will I come in holy indignation,
   And chastise them with rods for all their provocation.
   
8. Remember, Lord, how frail I am, how few my years;
   My life is like a cloud that comes and disappears;
   Has man, then, lived in vain? Who can, in death’s dark hour,
   Escape the dismal grave with all its ruinous power?
   O Lord, recall Thy love, Thy words to David spoken,
   Sustain us as of yore by covenant-oaths unbroken.