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Psalm 89

God’s Covenant with David

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord,[a] forever;
    with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.(A)
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
    your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.(B)

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
    I have sworn to my servant David:(C)
‘I will establish your descendants forever
    and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah(D)

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.(E)
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,(F)
a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
    great and awesome[b] above all who are around him?(G)
O Lord God of hosts,
    who is as mighty as you, O Lord?
    Your faithfulness surrounds you.(H)
You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them.(I)
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
    you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.(J)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
    the world and all that is in it—you founded them.(K)
12 The north and the south[c]—you created them;
    Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.(L)
13 You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.(M)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.(N)
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
    who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;(O)
16 they exult in your name all day long
    and extol[d] your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our horn is exalted.(P)
18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.(Q)

19 Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one and said,
    “I have set the crown[e] on one who is mighty;
    I have exalted one chosen from the people.(R)
20 I have found my servant David;
    with my holy oil I have anointed him;(S)
21 my hand shall always remain with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
    the wicked shall not humble him.(T)
23 I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.(U)
24 My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name his horn shall be exalted.(V)
25 I will set his hand on the sea
    and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’(W)
27 I will make him the firstborn,
    the highest of the kings of the earth.(X)
28 Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him,
    and my covenant with him will stand firm.(Y)
29 I will establish his line forever
    and his throne as long as the heavens endure.(Z)
30 If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my ordinances,(AA)
31 if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
    and their iniquity with scourges,(AB)
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.(AC)
34 I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.(AD)
35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
    I will not lie to David.(AE)
36 His line shall continue forever,
    and his throne endure before me like the sun.(AF)
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
    an enduring witness in the skies.” Selah

38 But now you have spurned and rejected him;
    you are full of wrath against your anointed.(AG)
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
    you have defiled his crown in the dust.(AH)
40 You have broken through all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.(AI)
41 All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.(AJ)
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.(AK)
43 Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not supported him in battle.(AL)
44 You have removed the scepter from his hand[f]
    and hurled his throne to the ground.(AM)
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with shame. Selah(AN)

46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?(AO)
47 Remember how short my time is—[g]
    for what vanity you have created all mortals!(AP)
48 Who can live and never see death?
    Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah(AQ)

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
    which by your faithfulness you swore to David?(AR)
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted,
    how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,[h](AS)
51 with which your enemies taunt, O Lord,
    with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.(AT)

52 Blessed be the Lord forever.
                Amen and Amen.(AU)

Book IV

(Psalms 90–106)

Psalm 90

God’s Eternity and Human Frailty

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place[i]
    in all generations.(AV)
Before the mountains were brought forth
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.(AW)

You turn us[j] back to dust
    and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”(AX)
For a thousand years in your sight
    are like yesterday when it is past
    or like a watch in the night.(AY)

You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning;(AZ)
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers.(BA)

For we are consumed by your anger;
    by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your countenance.(BB)

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    our years come to an end[k] like a sigh.(BC)
10 The days of our life are seventy years
    or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span[l] is only toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.(BD)

11 Who considers the power of your anger?
    Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.(BE)
12 So teach us to count our days
    that we may gain a wise heart.(BF)

13 Turn, O Lord! How long?
    Have compassion on your servants!(BG)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.(BH)
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us
    and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants
    and your glorious power to their children.(BI)
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
    and prosper for us the work of our hands—
    O prosper the work of our hands!(BJ)

Footnotes

  1. 89.1 Gk: Heb the steadfast love of the Lord
  2. 89.7 Gk Syr: Heb greatly awesome
  3. 89.12 Or Zaphon and Yamin
  4. 89.16 Cn: Heb are exalted in
  5. 89.19 Cn: Heb help
  6. 89.44 Cn: Heb removed his cleanness
  7. 89.47 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  8. 89.50 Cn: Heb bosom all of many peoples
  9. 90.1 Or our refuge
  10. 90.3 Heb humankind
  11. 90.9 Syr: Heb we bring our years to an end
  12. 90.10 Cn Compare Gk Syr Jerome Tg: Heb pride

Psalm 89[a]

A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

I will sing(A) of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known(B)
    through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.(C)
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to David my servant,
‘I will establish your line forever
    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c](D)

The heavens(E) praise your wonders, Lord,
    your faithfulness too, in the assembly(F) of the holy ones.
For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
    Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?(G)
In the council(H) of the holy ones(I) God is greatly feared;
    he is more awesome than all who surround him.(J)
Who is like you,(K) Lord God Almighty?(L)
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea;
    when its waves mount up, you still them.(M)
10 You crushed Rahab(N) like one of the slain;
    with your strong arm you scattered(O) your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours,(P) and yours also the earth;(Q)
    you founded the world and all that is in it.(R)
12 You created the north and the south;
    Tabor(S) and Hermon(T) sing for joy(U) at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
    your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.(V)

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;(W)
    love and faithfulness go before you.(X)
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
    who walk(Y) in the light(Z) of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name(AA) all day long;
    they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,(AB)
    and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d](AC)
18 Indeed, our shield[e](AD) belongs to the Lord,
    our king(AE) 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 David(AF) my servant;(AG)
    with my sacred oil(AH) I have anointed(AI) him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
    surely my arm will strengthen him.(AJ)
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;(AK)
    the wicked will not oppress(AL) him.
23 I will crush his foes before him(AM)
    and strike down his adversaries.(AN)
24 My faithful love will be with him,(AO)
    and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
    his right hand over the rivers.(AP)
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,(AQ)
    my God, the Rock(AR) my Savior.’(AS)
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,(AT)
    the most exalted(AU) of the kings(AV) of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
    and my covenant with him will never fail.(AW)
29 I will establish his line forever,
    his throne as long as the heavens endure.(AX)

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;(AY)
33 but I will not take my love from him,(AZ)
    nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
    or alter what my lips have uttered.(BA)
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;(BB)
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
    the faithful witness in the sky.”(BC)

38 But you have rejected,(BD) 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.(BE)
40 You have broken through all his walls(BF)
    and reduced his strongholds(BG) to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered(BH) him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.(BI)
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.(BJ)
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
    and have not supported him in battle.(BK)
44 You have put an end to his splendor
    and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short(BL) the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with a mantle of shame.(BM)

46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?(BN)
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.(BO)
    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?(BP)
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
    which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,(BQ)
    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.(BR)

52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.(BS)

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place(BT)
    throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born(BU)
    or you brought forth the whole world,
    from everlasting to everlasting(BV) you are God.(BW)

You turn people back to dust,
    saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”(BX)
A thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by,
    or like a watch in the night.(BY)
Yet you sweep people away(BZ) in the sleep of death—
    they are like the new grass of the morning:
In the morning it springs up new,
    but by evening it is dry and withered.(CA)

We are consumed by your anger
    and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins(CB) in the light of your presence.(CC)
All our days pass away under your wrath;
    we finish our years with a moan.(CD)
10 Our days may come to seventy years,(CE)
    or eighty,(CF) if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,(CG)
    for they quickly pass, and we fly away.(CH)
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
    Your wrath(CI) is as great as the fear that is your due.(CJ)
12 Teach us to number our days,(CK)
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.(CL)

13 Relent, Lord! How long(CM) will it be?
    Have compassion on your servants.(CN)
14 Satisfy(CO) us in the morning with your unfailing love,(CP)
    that we may sing for joy(CQ) and be glad all our days.(CR)
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.(CS)

17 May the favor[h] of the Lord our God rest on us;
    establish the work of our hands for us—
    yes, establish the work of our hands.(CT)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
  2. Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.
  4. Psalm 89:17 Horn here symbolizes strong one.
  5. Psalm 89:18 Or sovereign
  6. Psalm 89:24 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  7. Psalm 89:50 Or your servants have
  8. Psalm 90:17 Or beauty

Do Not Judge Another

14 Welcome those who are weak in faith[a] but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.(A) Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.(B) Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat, for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on slaves of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord[b] is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it for the Lord. Also those who eat, eat for the Lord, since they give thanks to God, while those who abstain, abstain for the Lord and give thanks to God.(C)

For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.(D) If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.(E)

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.[c](F) 11 For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
    and every tongue shall give praise to[d] God.”(G)

12 So then, each one of us will be held accountable.[e](H)

Do Not Make Another Stumble

13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother or sister.(I) 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who considers it unclean.(J) 15 If your brother or sister is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your good be slandered. 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.(K) 18 The one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and has human approval.(L) 19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.(M) 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong to make someone stumble by what you eat; 21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.[f](N) 22 Hold the conviction that you have as your own before God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves because of what they approve. 23 But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat because they do not act from faith,[g] for whatever does not proceed from faith[h] is sin.[i]

Footnotes

  1. 14.1 Or conviction
  2. 14.4 Other ancient authorities read for God
  3. 14.10 Other ancient authorities read of Christ
  4. 14.11 Or confess
  5. 14.12 Other ancient authorities add to God
  6. 14.21 Other ancient authorities add or be upset or be weakened
  7. 14.23 Or conviction
  8. 14.23 Or conviction
  9. 14.23 Other ancient authorities add here 16.25–27

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,(A) without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.(B) The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt(C) the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge(D) the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?(E) To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

One person considers one day more sacred than another;(F) another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God;(G) and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone,(H) and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.(I) For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life(J) so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.(K)

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?(L) For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.(M) 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’(N) says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b](O)

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.(P)

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment(Q) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.(R) 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.(S) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.(T) 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.(U) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.(V) 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.(W) 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,(X) but of righteousness, peace(Y) and joy in the Holy Spirit,(Z) 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.(AA)

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace(AB) and to mutual edification.(AC) 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.(AD) All food is clean,(AE) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.(AF) 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.(AG)

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn(AH) himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts(AI) is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c]

Footnotes

  1. Romans 14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.
  2. Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
  3. Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.