| 1 | A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. | |
| 2 | For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens." | |
| 3 | "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: | |
| 4 | 'Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.'" Selah | |
| 5 | And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. | |
| 6 | For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? | |
| 7 | God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. | |
| 8 | O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. | |
| 9 | You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. | |
| 10 | You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. | |
| 11 | The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. | |
| 12 | The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name. | |
| 13 | You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand. | |
| 14 | Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. | |
| 15 | Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance. | |
| 16 | In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. | |
| 17 | For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted. | |
| 18 | For our shield belongs to the LORD, And our king to the Holy One of Israel. | |
| 19 | Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, And said: "I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. | |
| 20 | I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, | |
| 21 | With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen him. | |
| 22 | The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. | |
| 23 | I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him. | |
| 24 | "But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name his horn shall be exalted. | |
| 25 | Also I will set his hand over the sea, And his right hand over the rivers. | |
| 26 | He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' | |
| 27 | Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. | |
| 28 | My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him. | |
| 29 | His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. | |
| 30 | "If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, | |
| 31 | If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, | |
| 32 | Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. | |
| 33 | Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. | |
| 34 | My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. | |
| 35 | Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: | |
| 36 | His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; | |
| 37 | It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky." Selah | |
| 38 | But You have cast off and abhorred, You have been furious with Your anointed. | |
| 39 | You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. | |
| 40 | You have broken down all his hedges; You have brought his strongholds to ruin. | |
| 41 | All who pass by the way plunder him; He is a reproach to his neighbors. | |
| 42 | You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice. | |
| 43 | You have also turned back the edge of his sword, And have not sustained him in the battle. | |
| 44 | You have made his glory cease, And cast his throne down to the ground. | |
| 45 | The days of his youth You have shortened; You have covered him with shame. Selah | |
| 46 | How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? | |
| 47 | Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men? | |
| 48 | What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah | |
| 49 | Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses, Which You swore to David in Your truth? | |
| 50 | Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants--How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples, | |
| 51 | With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD, With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed. | |
| 52 | Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen. | |