Psalm 44–49

Psalm 44

Israel’s Complaint

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

¹God, we have heard with our ears—

our ancestors have told us—

the work You accomplished in their days,

in days long ago: ^j

²to plant them,

You drove out the nations with Your hand;

to settle them,

You crushed the peoples. ^k

³For they did not take the land by their sword—

their arm did not bring them victory—

but by Your right hand, Your arm,

and the light of Your face,

for You were pleased with them. ^l

⁴You are my King, my God,

who ordains ^mvictories for Jacob. ⁿ

⁵Through You we drive back our foes;

through Your name we trample our enemies. ^o

⁶For I do not trust in my bow,

and my sword does not bring me victory. ^p

⁷But You give us victory over our foes

and let those who hate us be disgraced. ^q

⁸We boast in God all day long;

we will praise Your name forever. ^rSelah

⁹But You have rejected and humiliated us;

You do not march out with our armies. ^s

¹⁰You make us retreat from the foe,

and those who hate us

have taken plunder for themselves. ^t

¹¹You hand us over to be eaten like sheep

and scatter us among the nations. ^u

¹²You sell Your people for nothing;

You make no profit from selling them. ^v

¹³You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors,

a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us. ^w

¹⁴You make us a joke among the nations,

a laughingstock ^xamong the peoples. ^y

¹⁵My disgrace is before me all day long,

and shame has covered my face, ^z

¹⁶because of the voice of the scorner and reviler,

because of the enemy and avenger. ^a

¹⁷All this has happened to us,

but we have not forgotten You

or betrayed Your covenant. ^b

¹⁸Our hearts have not turned back;

our steps have not strayed from Your path. ^c

¹⁹But You have crushed us in a haunt of jackals

and have covered us with deepest darkness. ^d

²⁰If we had forgotten the name of our God

and spread out our hands to a foreign god, ^e

²¹wouldn’t God have found this out,

since He knows the secrets of the heart? ^f

²²Because of You we are slain all day long;

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ^g

²³Wake up, Lord! Why are You sleeping?

Get up! Don’t reject us forever! ^h

²⁴Why do You hide Yourself

and forget our affliction and oppression? ⁱ

²⁵For we have sunk down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground. ^j

²⁶Rise up! Help us!

Redeem us because of Your faithful love. ^k

Psalm 45

A Royal Wedding Song

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” ^lA Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.

¹My heart is moved by a noble theme

as I recite my verses to the king;

my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. ^m

²You are the most handsome of men;

grace flows from your lips. ⁿ

Therefore God has blessed you forever. ^o

³Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side.

In your majesty and splendor ^p—

⁴in your splendor ride triumphantly

in the cause of truth, humility, and justice.

May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts. ^q

⁵Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you. ^r

⁶Your throne, ^sGod, is ^tforever and ever;

the scepter of Your ^ukingdom is a scepter of justice. ^v

⁷You love righteousness and hate wickedness; ^w

therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy

more than your companions.

⁸Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments;

from ivory palaces harps bring you joy. ^x

⁹Kings’ daughters are among your honored women; ^y

the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir,

stands at your right hand. ^z

¹⁰Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider:

forget your people and your father’s house, ^a

¹¹and the king will desire your beauty.

Bow down to him, for he is your lord. ^b

¹²The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people,

will seek your favor with gifts. ^c

¹³In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious,

her clothing embroidered with gold. ^d

¹⁴In colorful garments she is led to the king;

after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you. ^e

¹⁵They are led in with gladness and rejoicing;

they enter the king’s palace. ^f

¹⁶Your sons will succeed your ancestors;

you will make them princes throughout the land. ^g

¹⁷I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations;

therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever. ^h

Psalm 46

God Our Refuge

For the choir director. A song of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. ^ij

¹God is our refuge and strength,

a helper who is always found

in times of trouble. ^k

²Therefore we will not be afraid,

though the earth trembles

and the mountains topple

into the depths of the seas, ^l

³though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with its turmoil. ^mSelah

⁴There is a river—

its streams delight the city of God,

the holy dwelling place of the Most High. ⁿ

⁵God is within her; she will not be toppled.

God will help her when the morning dawns. ^o

⁶Nations rage, kingdoms topple;

the earth melts when He lifts His voice. ^p

⁷The Lord of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our stronghold. ^qSelah

⁸Come, see the works of the Lord,

who brings devastation on the earth. ^r

⁹He makes wars cease throughout the earth.

He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces;

He burns up the chariots. ^st

¹⁰“Stop your fighting—and know that I am God,

exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” ^u

¹¹Yahweh of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our stronghold. ^vSelah

Psalm 47

God Our King

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹Clap your hands, all you peoples; ^w

shout to God with a jubilant cry. ^x

²For Yahweh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,

a great King over all the earth. ^y

³He subdues peoples under us

and nations under our feet. ^z

⁴He chooses for us our inheritance—

the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. ^aSelah

⁵God ascends among shouts of joy,

the Lord, among the sound of trumpets. ^b

⁶Sing praise to God, sing praise;

sing praise to our King, sing praise! ^c

⁷Sing a song of wisdom, ^d

for God is King of all the earth. ^e

⁸God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on His holy throne. ^f

⁹The nobles of the peoples have assembled

with the people of the God of Abraham. ^g

For the leaders ^hof the earth belong to God;

He is greatly exalted. ⁱ

Psalm 48

Zion Exalted

A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹The Lord is great and highly praised

in the city of our God. ^j

His holy mountain, ²rising splendidly,

is the joy of the whole earth.

Mount Zion on the slopes of the north

is the city of the great King. ^k

³God is known as a stronghold

in its citadels. ^l

⁴Look! The kings assembled;

they advanced together. ^m

⁵They looked and froze with fear;

they fled in terror. ⁿ

⁶Trembling seized them there,

agony like that of a woman in labor, ^o

⁷as You wrecked the ships of Tarshish

with the east wind. ^p

⁸Just as we heard, so we have seen

in the city of Yahweh of Hosts,

in the city of our God;

God will establish it forever. ^qSelah

⁹God, within Your temple,

we contemplate Your faithful love. ^r

¹⁰Your name, God, like Your praise,

reaches to the ends of the earth; ^s

Your right hand is filled with justice. ^t

¹¹Mount Zion is glad.

The towns ^uof Judah rejoice

because of Your judgments. ^v

¹²Go around Zion, encircle it;

count its towers,

¹³note its ramparts; tour its citadels

so that you can tell a future generation: ^w

¹⁴“This God, our God forever and ever—

He will always lead us.” ^xy

Psalm 49

Misplaced Trust in Wealth

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹Hear this, all you peoples;

listen, all who inhabit the world, ^z

²both low and high, ^a

rich and poor together. ^b

³My mouth speaks wisdom;

my heart’s meditation brings understanding. ^c

⁴I turn my ear to a proverb;

I explain my riddle with a lyre. ^d

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble?

The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. ^e

⁶They trust in their wealth

and boast of their abundant riches. ^f

⁷Yet these cannot redeem a person ^g

or pay his ransom to God ^h—

⁸since the price of redeeming him is too costly,

one should forever stop trying ^ij—

⁹so that he may live forever

and not see the Pit. ^k

¹⁰For one can see that wise men die;

foolish and stupid men also pass away. ^l

Then they leave their wealth to others. ^m

¹¹Their graves are their eternal homes, ⁿ

their homes from generation to generation,

though they have named estates after themselves. ^o

¹²But despite his assets, ^pman will not last;

he is like the animals that perish. ^q

¹³This is the way of those who are arrogant,

and of their followers,

who approve of their words. ^rsSelah

¹⁴Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;

Death will shepherd them.

The upright will rule over them in the morning, ^t

and their form will waste away in Sheol, ^u

far from their lofty abode. ^v

¹⁵But God will redeem my life

from the power of Sheol,

for He will take me. ^wSelah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man gets rich,

when the wealth ^xof his house increases. ^y

¹⁷For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;

his wealth ^zwill not follow him down. ^a

¹⁸Though he praises himself during his lifetime—

and people praise you when you do well for yourself ^b—

¹⁹he will go to the generation of his fathers;

they will never see the light. ^c

²⁰A man with valuable possessions ^d

but without understanding

is like the animals that perish. ^e