Psalm 46–49

God Is with Us^a

46 God is our shelter and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

²So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken

and mountains fall into the ocean depths;

³even if the seas roar and rage,

and the hills are shaken by the violence.

⁴There is a river that brings joy

to the city of God, to the sacred house of the Most High.

⁵God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed;

at early dawn he will come to its aid.

⁶Nations are terrified, kingdoms are shaken;

God thunders, and the earth dissolves.

⁷The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

⁸Come and see what the Lord has done.

See what amazing things he has done on earth.

⁹He stops wars all over the world;

he breaks bows, destroys spears,

and sets shields on fire.

¹⁰“Stop fighting,” he says, “and know that I am God,

supreme among the nations,

supreme over the world.”

¹¹The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

The supreme Ruler^b

47 Clap your hands for joy, all peoples!

Praise God with loud songs!

²The Lord, the Most High, is to be feared;

he is a great king, ruling over all the world.

³He gave us victory over the peoples;

he made us rule over the nations.

⁴He chose for us the land where we live,

the proud possession of his people, whom he loves.

⁵God goes up to his throne.

There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets,

as the Lord goes up.

⁶Sing praise to God;

sing praise to our king!

⁷God is king over all the world;

praise him with songs!

⁸God sits on his sacred throne;

he rules over the nations.

⁹The rulers of the nations assemble

with the people^c of the God of Abraham.

More powerful than all armies is he;

he rules supreme.

Zion, the City of God^d

48 The Lord is great and is to be highly praised

in the city of our God, on his sacred hill.^e

^2*Zion, the mountain of God, is high and beautiful;

the city of the great king brings joy to all the world.

³God has shown that there is safety with him

inside the fortresses of the city.

⁴The kings gathered together

and came to attack Mount Zion.

⁵But when they saw it,

they were amazed; they were afraid and ran away.

⁶There they were seized with fear and anguish,

like a woman about to bear a child,

⁷like ships tossing in a furious storm.

⁸We have heard what God has done,

and now we have seen it

in the city of our God, the Lord Almighty;

he will keep the city safe for ever.

⁹Inside your Temple, O God,

we think of your constant love.

¹⁰You are praised by people everywhere,

and your fame extends over all the earth.

You rule with justice;

¹¹let the people of Zion be glad!

You give right judgements;

let there be joy in the cities of Judah!

¹²People of God, walk round Zion and count the towers;

¹³take notice of the walls and examine the fortresses,

so that you may tell the next generation:

¹⁴“This God is our God for ever and ever;

he will lead us for all time to come.”

The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches^f

49 Hear this, everyone!

Listen, all people everywhere,

²great and small alike,

rich and poor together.

³My thoughts will be clear;

I will speak words of wisdom.

⁴I will turn my attention to proverbs

and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

⁵I am not afraid in times of danger

when I am surrounded by enemies,

⁶by evil people who trust in their riches

and boast of their great wealth.

⁷A person can never redeem himself;

he cannot pay God the price for his life,

⁸because the payment for a human life is too great.

What he could pay would never be enough

⁹to keep him from the grave,

to let him live for ever.

¹⁰Anyone can see that even the wise die,

as well as the foolish and stupid.

They all leave their riches to their descendants.

¹¹Their graves^g are their homes for ever;

there they stay for all time,

though they once had lands of their own.

¹²No one’s greatness can save him from death;

he will still die like the animals.

¹³See what happens to those who trust in themselves,

the fate of those^h who are satisfied with their wealth-

¹⁴they are doomed to die like sheep,

and Death will be their shepherd.

The righteous will triumph over them,

as their bodies quickly decay

in the world of the dead far from their homes.ⁱ

¹⁵But God will rescue me;

he will save me from the power of death.

¹⁶Don’t be upset when someone becomes rich,

when his wealth grows even greater;

¹⁷he cannot take it with him when he dies;

his wealth will not go with him to the grave.

¹⁸Even if he is satisfied with this life

and is praised because he is successful,

¹⁹he will join all his ancestors in death,

where the darkness lasts for ever.

²⁰His greatness cannot save him from death;

he will still die like the animals.