His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

118 fOh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!

2  gLet Israel say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”

3  gLet the house of Aaron say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”

4  gLet those who fear the Lord say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”

5  hOut of my distress I icalled on the Lord;

the Lord answered me and set me jfree.

6  kThe Lord is on my side; lI will not fear.

What can man do to me?

7  mThe Lord is on my side as my helper;

I shall nlook in triumph on those who hate me.

8  oIt is better to take refuge in the Lord

pthan to trust in man.

9  It is better to take refuge in the Lord

pthan to trust in princes.

10  qAll nations surrounded me;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

11  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

12  rThey surrounded me like bees;

they went out like sa fire among thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

13  I was tpushed hard,1 so that I was falling,

but the Lord helped me.

14  The Lord is my strength and my song;

uhe has become my salvation.

15  Glad songs of salvation

are in the tents of the righteous:

v“The right hand of the Lord wdoes valiantly,

16  the right hand of the Lord exalts,

the right hand of the Lord wdoes valiantly!”

17  xI shall not die, but I shall live,

and yrecount the deeds of the Lord.

18  The Lord has zdisciplined me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

19  aOpen to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the Lord.

20  This is the gate of the Lord;

bthe righteous shall enter through it.

21  I thank you that cyou have answered me

uand have become my salvation.

22  dThe stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.2

23  This is the Lord’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

24  This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25  Save us, we pray, O Lord!

O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26  eBlessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We fbless you from the house of the Lord.

27  The Lord is God,

and he has made ghis light to shine upon us.

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,

up to hthe horns of the altar!

28  You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will iextol you.

29  jOh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

49 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of fthe Sons of Korah.

1  gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2  hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

3  My mouth shall speak iwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

4  I will incline my ear to ja proverb;

I will solve my kriddle to the music of the lyre.

5  lWhy should I fear in mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

6  those who ntrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7  Truly no man ocan ransom another,

or pgive to God qthe price of his life,

8  for rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

9  that he should live on forever

and snever see the pit.

10  For he sees tthat even the wise die;

uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and vleave their wealth to others.

11  Their wgraves are their homes forever,1

their dwelling places xto all generations,

though they ycalled lands by their own names.

12  Man in his pomp zwill not remain;

ahe is like the beasts that perish.

13  This is the path of those who have bfoolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts.2 Selah

14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright cshall rule over them in the morning.

dTheir form shall be consumed ein Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15  But God will fransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will greceive me. Selah

16  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17  hFor when he dies he will icarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18  For though, while he lives, he counts himself jblessed

—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19  his soul will kgo to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again lsee light.

20  mMan in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

God Himself Is Judge

50 A Psalm of nAsaph.

1  oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

2  Out of Zion, qthe perfection of beauty,

rGod shines forth.

3  Our God comes; he sdoes not keep silence;1

before him is a devouring tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

4  uHe calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

5  “Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made va covenant with me by sacrifice!”

6  wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for xGod himself is judge! Selah

7  y“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

zI am God, your God.

8  Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9  I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10  For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11  bI know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

cfor the world and its fullness are mine.

13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14  dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,2

and eperform your vows to the Most High,

15  and fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

I will gdeliver you, and you shall hglorify me.”

16  But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17  iFor you hate discipline,

jand you cast my words behind you.

18  If you see a thief, kyou are pleased with him,

land you keep company with adulterers.

19  “You give your mouth free rein for evil,

mand your tongue frames deceit.

20  You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21  These things you have done, and I nhave been silent;

you thought that I3 was one like yourself.

But now I orebuke you and play the charge before you.

22  “Mark this, then, you who qforget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be rnone to deliver!

23  The one who soffers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who torders his way rightly

I will show the usalvation of God!”