Psalm 49–50

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

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

^1gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

^2hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

³My mouth shall speak ⁱwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to ^ja proverb;

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

^5lWhy should I fear in ^mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

⁶those who ⁿtrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

⁷Truly no man ^ocan ransom another,

or ^pgive to God ^qthe price of his life,

⁸for ^rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

⁹that he should live on forever

and ^snever see the pit.

¹⁰For he sees ^tthat even the wise die;

^uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and ^vleave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their ^wgraves are their homes forever,¹

their dwelling places ^xto all generations,

though they ^ycalled lands by their own names.

¹²Man in his pomp ^zwill not remain;

^ahe is like the beasts that perish.

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

yet after them people approve of their boasts.² Selah

¹⁴Like 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.

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

for he will ^greceive me. Selah

¹⁶Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

^17hFor when he dies he will ⁱcarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

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

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

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

who will never again ^lsee light.

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

God Himself Is Judge

50A Psalm of ⁿAsaph.

^1oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

^pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

²Out of Zion, ^qthe perfection of beauty,

^rGod shines forth.

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

before him is a devouring ^tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

^4uHe 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!”

^6wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for ^xGod himself is judge! Selah

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

O Israel, I will testify against you.

^zI am God, your God.

⁸Not for your sacrifices ^ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

⁹I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

¹⁰For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

^11bI 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.

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

^14dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,²

and ^eperform your vows to the Most High,

¹⁵and ^fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

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

¹⁶But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

¹⁷ⁱFor you hate discipline,

^jand you cast my words behind you.

¹⁸If 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.

²⁰You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

²¹These 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!

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

to one who ^torders his way rightly

I will show the ^usalvation of God!”