Psalm 49–50

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

Psalm 50

God as Judge

A psalm of Asaph. ^f

¹Yahweh, the God of gods ^gspeaks;

He summons the earth from east to west. ^hi

²From Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God appears in radiance. ^jk

³Our God is coming; He will not be silent!

Devouring fire precedes Him,

and a storm rages around Him. ^l

⁴On high, He summons heaven and earth

in order to judge His people. ^m

⁵“Gather My faithful ones to Me,

those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” ⁿ

⁶The heavens proclaim His righteousness, ^o

for God is the Judge. ^pSelah

⁷“Listen, My people, and I will speak;

I will testify against you, Israel.

I am God, your God. ^q

⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices

or for your burnt offerings,

which are continually before Me. ^r

⁹I will not accept a bull from your household

or male goats from your pens, ^s

¹⁰for every animal of the forest is Mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know every bird of the mountains, ^t

and the creatures of the field are Mine. ^u

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

for the world and everything in it is Mine. ^v

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats? ^w

¹⁴Sacrifice a thank offering to God, ^x

and pay your vows to the Most High. ^y

¹⁵Call on Me in a day of trouble;

I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” ^z

¹⁶But God says to the wicked:

“What right do you have to recite My statutes

and to take My covenant on your lips? ^a

¹⁷You hate instruction

and turn your back on My words. ^bc

¹⁸When you see a thief,

you make friends with him,

and you associate with adulterers. ^d

¹⁹You unleash your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue for deceit. ^e

²⁰You sit, maligning your brother,

slandering your mother’s son. ^f

²¹You have done these things, and I kept silent;

you thought I was just like you. ^g

But I will rebuke you

and lay out the case before you. ^hi

²²“Understand this, you who forget God,

or I will tear you apart,

and there will be no one to rescue you. ^j

²³Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,

and whoever orders his conduct,

I will show him the salvation of God.” ^k