Psalm 89 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
1 A psalm (maskil) of Ethan the Ezraite I will sing of the Lord's trustworthy love forever; I will tell all generations of your faithfulness.
1 A contemplation by Ethan, the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever. With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, “Your unfailing love lasts forever; your faithfulness endures as long as the heavens.”
2 I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.”
3 You said, “I have made an agreement with my chosen one, I gave a binding promise to my servant David:
3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant,
4 I will make sure your lineage lasts forever; I will keep your throne secure for all generations.” Selah.
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah.
5 All the heavenly beings will sing of the wonderful things you have done, Lord; angels will gather to sing of your faithfulness.
5 The heavens will praise your wonders, Yahweh, your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in heaven can compare to the Lord? Who is like the Lord even among the angels?
6 For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like Yahweh,
7 The heavenly council are in awe of God; all who surround him are overwhelmed by him.
7 a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
8 Lord God Almighty, who is as powerful as you? In all this, Lord, you are completely trustworthy.
8 Yahweh, God of Armies, who is a mighty one, like you? Yah, your faithfulness is around you.
9 You rule the restless seas; you calm their stormy waves.
9 You rule the pride of the sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them.
10 You crushed Rahab the sea-monster to death; by your power you scattered your enemies.
10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens belong to you, and the earth too; you made the world and everything in it.
11 The heavens are yours. The earth also is yours, the world and its fullness. You have founded them.
12 You created north and south; Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon celebrate you.
12 You have created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13 Your arm is powerful. Your hand is strong. Your right hand is held up high in command.
13 You have a mighty arm. Your hand is strong, and your right hand is exalted.
14 Your character of goodness and fairness is the basis for the way you rule; dependable love and trustworthiness are always with you.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.
15 How happy are those who know how to shout your praises, Lord. They live in the light of your presence.
15 Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, Yahweh.
16 They celebrate the person you are all day long, so glad that you do what's right.
16 In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
17 They rely on you, their glory and strength; by your grace you lift us up.
17 For you are the glory of their strength. In your favor, our horn will be exalted.
18 Yes, the Lord is the one who shields us, and our king belongs to the Holy One of Israel.
18 For our shield belongs to Yahweh, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision to your faithful servant and said, “I have given strength to the warrior I have chosen from the people to become king.
19 Then you spoke in vision to your saints, and said, “I have given strength to the warrior. I have exalted a young man from the people.
20 I have selected David my servant, and I have anointed him with the oil of my holiness.
20 I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,
21 I have placed my hand on him to steady him; and I have made him strong by my powerful arm.
21 with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.
22 His enemies will not deceive him; the wicked will not bring him down.
22 No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him.
23 I will wipe out his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
24 My trustworthiness and unfailing love will be with him, and through me he will be victorious.
24 But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted.
25 I will extend his rule from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.
25 I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation!’
27 I will also make him my first-born son, the highest of the kings of the earth.
27 I will also appoint him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will love him faithfully forever; my agreement with him shall never come to an end.
28 I will keep my loving kindness for him forever more. My covenant will stand firm with him.
29 I will make sure his royal line lasts forever; his dynasty will continue as long as the heavens endure.
29 I will also make his offspring endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
30 But if his descendants abandon my laws, if they do not follow my rules,
30 If his children forsake my law, and don’t walk in my ordinances;
31 if they break my decrees, and do not keep my commandments,
31 if they break my statutes, and don’t keep my commandments;
32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a rod, and their sin by lashing them with a whip.
32 then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
33 However, I will not take away my love from him; I will not break my promise to him.
33 But I will not completely take my loving kindness from him, nor allow my faithfulness to fail.
34 I will not annul the agreement I have with him; I will not alter a single word I've said.
34 I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered.
35 By my holy character I have made a vow to David that I will not lie to him.
35 Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David.
36 His royal line will last forever, and his dynasty will continue before me as long as the sun endures.
36 His offspring will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.
37 It will continue forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the heavens.” Selah.
37 It will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah.
38 But you have rejected and abandoned him! You are angry with your chosen king!
38 But you have rejected and spurned. You have been angry with your anointed.
39 You have broken the agreement you had with him; you have thrown his crown to the ground!
39 You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have torn down his defensive walls; you have ruined his fortresses.
40 You have broken down all his hedges. You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41 Everyone who passes by has robbed him; he has become an object of mockery to the nations nearby.
41 All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42 You have made his enemies strong; you have made them celebrate their victory.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.
43 You have repelled his sharp sword; you have not helped him in battle.
43 Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven’t supported him in battle.
44 You took away his glory; you threw his throne to the ground.
44 You have ended his splendor, and thrown his throne down to the ground.
45 You have made him grow old before his time; you have totally humiliated him. Selah.
45 You have shortened the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself from us forever, your anger burning like fire?
46 How long, Yahweh? Will you hide yourself forever? Will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember me—my life is so short! Why did you bother creating futile humanity?
47 Remember how short my time is, for what vanity you have created all the children of men!
48 There's no one who doesn't die—no one can save themselves from the power of the grave. Selah.
48 What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.
49 Where is the trustworthy love you used to have, Lord, that you faithfully promised to David?
49 Lord, where are your former loving kindnesses, which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
50 Don't forget, Lord, how your servants are being humiliated! I'm burdened down with the insults of so many nations!
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the mighty peoples,
51 Your enemies taunt me, Lord, mocking your king wherever he goes.
51 With which your enemies have mocked, Yahweh, with which they have mocked the footsteps of your anointed one.
52 May the Lord be blessed for ever. Amen and amen.
52 Blessed be Yahweh forever more. Amen, and Amen.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ethan the Ezrahite
A wise man whom Solomon's wisdom surpassed.
Cited in the guide: 1 Kings 4:31; Psalm 89:1
Cross references (52)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 101:1; Psalm 89:8; Psalm 119:90; Lamentations 3:23; Psalm 89:33
- 2 Psalm 36:5; Nehemiah 9:31; Psalm 103:17; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18
- 3 Psalm 132:11; 2 Samuel 7:10–16; 1 Kings 8:16; Hebrews 7:21; Acts 2:30
- 4 Luke 1:32–33; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 9:6–7; Psalm 132:12; Philippians 2:9–11
- 5 Psalm 19:1; Psalm 97:6; Isaiah 44:23; Revelation 7:10–12; 2 Thessalonians 1:7
- 6 Psalm 86:8; Jeremiah 10:6; Psalm 71:19; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 113:5
- 7 Psalm 47:2; Psalm 76:7–11; Hebrews 12:28–29; Jeremiah 10:7; Revelation 15:3–4
- 8 Psalm 71:19; Jeremiah 32:17; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 40:25–26; Psalm 147:5
- 9 Psalm 65:7; Psalm 107:25–29; Mark 4:41; Mark 4:39; Matthew 8:24–27
- 10 Psalm 87:4; Psalm 68:30; Psalm 144:6; Isaiah 24:1; Exodus 3:19–20
- 11 1 Chronicles 29:11; Genesis 1:1; Psalm 115:16; Psalm 24:1–2; 1 Corinthians 10:26
- 12 Job 26:7; Joshua 12:1; Joshua 19:22; Deuteronomy 3:8–9; Judges 4:6
- 13 Psalm 62:11; Psalm 89:10; Daniel 4:34–35; Matthew 6:13
- 14 Psalm 97:2; Proverbs 16:12; Psalm 45:6–7; Psalm 145:17; Psalm 85:13
- 15 Psalm 44:3; Isaiah 2:5; Psalm 4:6; Job 29:3; Psalm 100:1
- 16 Philippians 4:4; Philippians 3:9; Psalm 29:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Psalm 89:12
- 17 Psalm 75:10; Psalm 92:10; Psalm 148:14; 1 Samuel 2:10; 1 Corinthians 1:30–31
- 18 Psalm 47:9; Psalm 71:22; Isaiah 33:22; Isaiah 1:4; Isaiah 12:6
- 19 1 Samuel 16:18; 1 Kings 11:34; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:6–11; 2 Samuel 7:8–17
- 20 1 Samuel 16:12–13; Isaiah 61:1–3; 1 Samuel 16:1; John 3:34; Acts 13:22
- 21 Isaiah 42:1; Psalm 18:32–39; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 89:13; Ezekiel 30:24–25
- 22 2 Samuel 7:10; 1 Chronicles 17:9; Matthew 4:1–10; John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- 23 2 Samuel 7:9; 2 Samuel 22:40–44; 2 Samuel 3:1; Psalm 18:40; 2 Samuel 7:1
- 24 2 Corinthians 1:20; Psalm 89:16–17; Psalm 91:14; John 17:6; Psalm 89:33
- 25 Psalm 80:11; Psalm 72:8–11; 1 Kings 4:21; Revelation 11:15; Psalm 2:8
- 26 2 Samuel 7:14; 2 Samuel 22:47; Psalm 95:1; Psalm 62:6–7; Matthew 26:42
- 27 Colossians 1:15; Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Revelation 19:16; Psalm 2:7
- 28 Isaiah 55:3; Acts 13:32–34; Jeremiah 33:20–21; Isaiah 54:10; 2 Samuel 7:15–16
- 29 Psalm 89:4; Deuteronomy 11:21; Isaiah 9:7; Psalm 89:36; Daniel 2:44
- 30 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 119:53; Proverbs 28:4; Psalm 132:12
- 31 Psalm 55:20
- 32 2 Samuel 7:14; Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:6–11; 1 Kings 11:39; 1 Kings 11:14
- 33 Isaiah 54:8–10; 2 Samuel 7:15; Lamentations 3:31–32; Hebrews 6:18; Jeremiah 33:20–26
- 34 Numbers 23:19; Matthew 24:35; James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; Romans 11:29
- 35 Psalm 132:11; Hebrews 6:13; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:17; Amos 4:2
- 36 Psalm 72:5; Psalm 89:29; Isaiah 59:21; Psalm 72:17; Luke 1:33
- 37 Jeremiah 31:35–36; Psalm 104:19; Genesis 1:14–18; Genesis 9:13–16; Isaiah 54:9–10
- 38 1 Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 32:19; Psalm 89:51; Psalm 106:40; Zechariah 13:7
- 39 Lamentations 5:16; Psalm 74:7; Isaiah 43:28; Psalm 89:34–36; John 13:7
- 40 Psalm 80:12; Lamentations 2:2; Lamentations 2:5; Isaiah 5:5–6; Job 1:10
- 41 Psalm 79:4; Jeremiah 50:17; Jeremiah 24:9; Deuteronomy 28:37; Daniel 9:16
- 42 Revelation 11:10; Psalm 80:6; Leviticus 26:17; John 16:20; Deuteronomy 28:25
- 43 2 Chronicles 25:8; Leviticus 26:36–37; Numbers 14:42; Numbers 14:45; Joshua 7:8–12
- 44 1 Kings 12:16–20; 1 Samuel 4:21–22; 1 Kings 14:25–28; 2 Thessalonians 2:3–10; Daniel 7:20–25
- 45 Psalm 109:29; Psalm 44:15; Micah 7:10; Psalm 102:23; Psalm 89:28–29
- 46 Psalm 79:5; Psalm 78:63; Psalm 90:13; Isaiah 45:15; Isaiah 8:17
- 47 Job 14:1; Job 7:7; Job 10:9; Job 9:25–26; James 4:14
- 48 Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 49:15; Hebrews 11:5; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Psalm 49:7–9
- 49 2 Samuel 7:15; Hebrews 7:21; Isaiah 55:3; Psalm 54:5; Isaiah 63:7–15
- 50 Psalm 74:18; Psalm 74:22; Psalm 69:9; Romans 15:3; Psalm 79:10–12
- 51 1 Peter 4:14–16; Psalm 74:10; Matthew 5:10–12; Hebrews 11:36; Matthew 12:24
- 52 Psalm 41:13; Psalm 72:18–19; 1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 106:48; Habakkuk 3:17–19
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The Title of this eighty-seventh Psalm contains a fresh subject for enquiry: the words occurring here, "for Melech to respond," being nowhere else found.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
Their fierce and bloody minds were awed, and bridled, and marvellously tempered by Him who so long before said by His prophet, "I will visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquities with stripes; nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from them." Chapter 8 — Of the Advantages and Disadvantages Which Often Indiscriminately Accrue to… Will some …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Human witness oftentimes there is not; but He who fashioned us, an unerring witness, abides faithful in heaven, and beholds what thou doest.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
In the Old Testament it is said through (en) God we shall do valiantly, and, "My praise shall be continually of (en) thee;" and again, "In thy name will I rejoice." In Paul we read, "In God who created all things," and, "Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father;" and "if now …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)
… Israelite," mention is made of the promises God made to king David, and some things are there added similar to those found in the Book of Samuel, such as this, "I have sworn to David my servant that I will prepare his seed for ever." And again, "Then thou spakest in vision to thy sons, and saidst, I have laid …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)