Psalm 89

W. van der Kamp, 1972; rev.

1. I will extol Thee, LORD, Thy mercies I will praise,
   And of Thy steadfast love I’ll sing through all my days.
   LORD, with my mouth I will to ev’ry generation
   Proclaim Thy faithfulness with joyful adoration.
   Thy steadfast love Thou hast established, LORD, forever;
   Thy faithfulness is firm, Thy cov’nant changes never.
   
2. LORD, Thou hast said, “I’ve made a steady covenant
   With him, My chosen one, that I will not recant.
   To David as My servant I did once assever,
   ‘I will establish your descendants’ reign forever;
   Your kingdom will endure, for I laid its foundations,
   And I will build your throne throughout all generations.’“
   
3. The heavens praise, O LORD, Thy wonders all their days;
   The holy ones in their assembly sing Thy praise.
   Thy faithfulness they laud when they, O LORD, adore Thee,
   For who in all the skies can proudly stand before Thee?
   And who can be compared to Thee, our strength and tower?
   Among the sons of God none equals Thee in power.
   
4. The holy ones in council fear Thy majesty;
   Thou art far greater, LORD, than those surrounding Thee,
   For who among the ones that near Thy throne assemble
   Does not, LORD God of hosts, before Thee quake and tremble?
   Who equals Thee in strength, and who would dare to flout Thee?
   Thy faithfulness and truth stand radiant round about Thee.
   
5. O LORD, Thy hand does rule the raging of the sea;
   Its mighty waves may roar, they all are stilled by Thee.
   Proud Rahab Thou didst crush, its carcass Thou hast shattered,
   And by Thy mighty arm Thy enemies were scattered.
   Thine are the heav’ns and earth; Thy power is unbounded;
   The world and all that is hast Thou in wisdom founded.
   
6. The farthest north and south didst Thou create and frame;
   Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise Thy holy Name,
   For mighty is Thy arm; Thy hand, endued with power,
   Thy right hand, so exalted, makes the nations cower.
   On justice stands Thy throne, on righteousness and glory;
   Thy steadfast love goes with Thy faithfulness before Thee.
   
7. Blest are the people who acclaim Thee as their King,
   Who know the festal shout and of Thy mercies sing.
   They see Thy holy face and walk in light before Thee,
   Exulting all the day in Thy great Name and glory.
   Thy wondrous grace they laud, Thy righteousness recalling;
   They go their way with joy, Thy steadfast love extolling.
   
8. Thou art their strength and glory; all their foes they scorn,
   For Thou hast favored us: exalted is our horn.
   Our shield belongs to Thee, our King so great in power;
   Upon Thy faithful ones Thou strength and joy didst shower.
   High praises we will sing, and homage we will render
   To Israel’s Holy One, our King and our Defender.
   
9. Of old Thou, LORD, didst speak in visions true and sure
   To him, Thy faithful one, whose kingdom shall endure,
   “I’ve set the crown upon a man upright and mighty;
   I have exalted him, whose loyalty delights Me,
   One chosen from the people as their king appointed:
   My servant David, with My holy oil anointed.
   
10. “My right hand shall not fail, but will abide with him;
    Forever shall My arm uphold and strengthen him.
    No foe shall him outwit, no wicked man him humble;
    His haters I’ll strike down, his foes shall reel and stumble,
    For by My steadfast love his enemies are halted,
    And in My faithful Name his horn shall be exalted.
    
11. “Yes, I, the LORD, will set his hand upon the sea,
    His right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to Me,
    ‘My Father and my God, the Rock of my salvation!’
    And him I’ll make among the princes of the nation
    My firstborn son, the highest of all kings around him;
    On him My eye shall be. My wonders shall astound him.
    
12. “Forever I will keep him in My steadfast love,
    My covenant confirm with blessings from above.
    His line will last, I will establish it forever;
    Enduring as the heav’ns, his throne shall vanish never.
    My promise I uphold, the oath to David spoken
    I always will maintain; My word cannot be broken.
    
13. “But if his children ever will forsake My law,
    Not keep all that I have ordained with proper awe,
    And if they violate the statutes which I founded,
    No longer keep the just commandments I expounded,
    Then, surely, with My rod I’ll punish their transgression
    And their iniquities with scourges and oppression.
    
14. “But from him I’ll not take My steadfast love away,
    Nor will I ever My own faithfulness betray;
    I will not violate the cov’nant they have broken,
    Nor will I alter what I once for all have spoken,
    For by My holiness I’ve sworn and I change never.
    I will not lie; My word to David stands forever.
    
15. “His royal line will thus continue evermore,
    And, like the sun, his throne before Me shall endure.
    His kingdom will not fail, by foes or famine ravished,
    For like the moon it shall for ever be established.
    As long as over earth and sea the skies are vaulted,
    His reign will be secure, his crown will be exalted.”
    
16. But now Thou hast withdrawn Thy hand, and him hast spurned;
    Thy wrath hast Thou against Thy own anointed turned.
    Thou hast renounced the cov’nant once with him erected;
    His crown lies in the dust, his prayers Thou hast rejected.
    Thou hast breached all his walls by Thy great anger’s power;
    His strongholds Thou hast razed, in ruins lie his towers.
    
17. All who pass by despoil him, smitten and forlorn.
    He, once so high, has now become his neighbors’ scorn.
    The right hand of his foes hast Thou, O God, exalted.
    They triumphed and rejoiced when they Thy king assaulted.
    Yes, Thou didst blunt his sword; his enemies have felled him,
    And in his many battles Thou hast not upheld him.
    
18. Thou hast, O LORD, removed the scepter from his hand,
    Cast to the ground his throne, him from Thy presence banned.
    His days of youth and strength hast Thou cut short and taken,
    And, covered with his shame, he is by Thee forsaken.
    How long, O LORD? Wilt Thou then hide Thyself forever?
    Thy wrath like fire is burning; wilt Thou quench it never?
    
19. Remember Thou, O LORD, life’s short and fleeting span
    And for what vanity Thou hast created man.
    For who can live and see the light of day forever,
    Who can escape Sheol and meet its terrors never?
    What man can save himself? Who is there to release us
    From gaping grave and death that soon will grasp and seize us?
    
20. O LORD our God, where is Thy steadfast love of old,
    The oath to David sworn with promises untold?
    Remember how I hear the taunts of all the nations,
    The insults of Thy foes, their countless provocations;
    For mocking Thy anointed is their sole endeavor.
    Yes, amen, amen! Blessed be the LORD for ever!