A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite.
1I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds;to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.
2For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”
3The Lord said,“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
4‘I will give you an eternal dynastyand establish your throne throughout future generations.’” (Selah)
5O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds,as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.
6For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,
7a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly,and more awesome than all who surround him?
8O Lord, sovereign God!Who is strong like you, O Lord?Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9You rule over the proud sea.When its waves surge, you calm them.
10You crushed the Proud One and killed it;with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.You made the world and all it contains.
12You created the north and the south.Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
13Your arm is powerful,your hand strong,your right hand victorious.
14Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.
15How blessed are the people who worship you!O Lord, they experience your favor.
16They rejoice in your name all day long,and are vindicated by your justice.
17For you give them splendor and strength.By your favor we are victorious.
18For our shield belongs to the Lord,our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said:“I have energized a warrior;I have raised up a young man from the people.
20I have discovered David, my servant.With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.
21My hand will support him,and my arm will strengthen him.
22No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him;a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.
23I will crush his enemies before him;I will strike down those who hate him.
24He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,and by my name he will win victories.
25I will place his hand over the sea,his right hand over the rivers.
26He will call out to me,‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’
27I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
28I will always extend my loyal love to him,and my covenant with him is secure.
29I will give him an eternal dynasty,and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.
30If his sons reject my lawand disobey my regulations,
31if they break my rulesand do not keep my commandments,
32I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,their sin by inflicting them with bruises.
33But I will not remove my loyal love from him,nor be unfaithful to my promise.
34I will not break my covenantor go back on what I promised.
35Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,I will never deceive David.
36His dynasty will last forever.His throne will endure before me, like the sun,
37it will remain stable, like the moon,his throne will endure like the skies.” (Selah)
38But you have spurned and rejected him;you are angry with your chosen king.
39You have repudiated your covenant with your servant;you have thrown his crown to the ground.
40You have broken down all his walls;you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
41All who pass by have robbed him;he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.
42You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious,and all his enemies to rejoice.
43You turn back his sword from the adversary,and have not sustained him in battle.
44You have brought to an end his splendor,and have knocked his throne to the ground.
45You have cut short his youth,and have covered him with shame. (Selah)
46How long, O Lord, will this last?Will you remain hidden forever?Will your anger continue to burn like fire?
47Take note of my brief lifespan!Why do you make all people so mortal?
48No man can live on without experiencing death,or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)
49Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord,the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?
50Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted,and of how I must bear so many insults from people!
51Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.
52The Lord deserves praise forevermore!We agree! We agree!