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