Psalm 47–50

Psalm 47

For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹Clap your hands, all you nations.

Shout to God with cries of joy.

²How wonderful is the Lord Most High!

He is the great King over the whole earth.

³He brought nations under our control.

He made them fall under us.

⁴He chose our land for us.

The people of Jacob are proud of their land,

and God loves them. Selah

⁵God went up to his throne while his people were shouting with joy.

The Lord went up while trumpets were playing.

⁶Sing praises to God. Sing praises.

Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.

⁷God is the King of the whole earth.

Sing a psalm of praise to him.

⁸God rules over the nations.

He is seated on his holy throne.

⁹The nobles of the nations come together.

They are now part of the people of the God of Abraham.

The kings of the earth belong to God.

He is greatly honored.

Psalm 48

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹The Lord is great. He is really worthy of praise.

Praise him in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

²Mount Zion is high and beautiful.

It brings joy to everyone on earth.

Mount Zion is like the highest parts of Mount Zaphon.

It is the city of the Great King.

³God is there to keep it safe.

He has shown himself to be like a fort to the city.

⁴Many kings joined forces.

They entered Israel together.

⁵But when they saw Mount Zion, they were amazed.

They ran away in terror.

⁶Trembling took hold of them.

They felt pain like a woman giving birth to a baby.

⁷Lord, you destroyed them like ships of Tarshish

that were torn apart by an east wind.

⁸What we heard we have also seen.

We have seen it

in the city of the Lord who rules over all.

We have seen it in the city of our God.

We have heard and seen that God makes her secure forever. Selah

⁹God, inside your temple

we think about your faithful love.

¹⁰God, your fame reaches from one end of the earth to the other.

In the same way, people praise you from one end of the earth to the other.

You use your power to do what is right.

¹¹Mount Zion is filled with joy.

The villages of Judah are glad.

That’s because you judge fairly.

¹²Walk around Zion. Go all around it.

Count its towers.

¹³Think carefully about its outer walls.

Just look at how safe it is!

Then you can tell its people that God keeps them safe.

¹⁴This God is our God for ever and ever.

He will be our guide to the very end.

Psalm 49

For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹Hear this, all you nations.

Listen, all you who live in this world.

²Listen, ordinary and important people alike.

Listen, those of you who are rich or poor.

³My mouth will speak wise words.

What I say from my heart will give understanding.

⁴I will pay attention to a proverb.

I will explain my riddle as I play the harp.

⁵Why should I be afraid when trouble comes?

Why should I fear when sinners are all around me?

They are the kind of people who want to take advantage of me.

⁶They trust in their wealth.

They brag about how rich they are.

⁷No man can pay for the life of anyone else.

No one can give God what that would cost.

⁸The price for a life is very high.

No payment is ever enough.

⁹No one can pay enough to live forever

and not rot in the grave.

¹⁰Everyone can see that even wise people die.

Foolish and dumb people also pass away.

All of them leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their graves will remain their houses forever.

Their graves will be their homes for all time to come.

Naming lands after themselves won’t help either.

¹²Even though people may be very rich, they don’t live on and on.

They are like the animals. They die.

¹³That’s what happens to those who trust in themselves.

It also happens to their followers, who agree with what they say. Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they will end up in the grave.

Death will swallow them up.

When honest people come to power, a new day will dawn.

The bodies of sinners will waste away in the grave.

They will end up far away from their princely houses.

¹⁵But God will save me from the grave.

He will certainly take me to himself. Selah

¹⁶Don’t be upset when someone becomes rich.

Don’t be troubled when he becomes more and more wealthy.

¹⁷He won’t take anything with him when he dies.

His riches won’t go down to the grave with him.

¹⁸While he lived, he believed he was blessed.

People praised him when things were going well for him.

¹⁹But he will die, like his people of long ago.

He will never again see the light that leads to life.

²⁰People who have riches but don’t understand

are like the animals. They die.

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks.

He calls out to the earth

from the sunrise in the east

to the sunset in the west.

²From Zion, perfect and beautiful,

God’s glory shines out.

³Our God comes, and he won’t be silent.

A burning fire goes ahead of him.

A terrible storm is all around him.

⁴He calls out to heaven and earth to be his witnesses.

Then he judges his people.

⁵He says, “Gather my holy people around me.

They made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”

⁶The heavens announce that what God decides is right.

He himself is the Judge. Selah

⁷God says, “Listen, my people, and I will speak.

Listen, Israel, and I will give witness against you.

I am God, your God.

⁸I don’t find fault with you because of your sacrifices.

I don’t find fault with the burnt offerings you always bring me.

⁹I don’t need a bull from your barn.

I don’t need goats from your pens.

¹⁰Every animal in the forest already belongs to me.

And so do the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I own every bird in the mountains.

The creatures of the field belong to me.

¹²If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you.

The world belongs to me. And so does everything in it.

¹³Do I eat the meat of bulls?

Do I drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Bring me thank offerings, because I am your God.

Carry out the promises you made to me, because I am the Most High God.

¹⁵Call out to me when trouble comes.

I will save you. And you will honor me.”

¹⁶But here is what God says to sinful people.

“What right do you have to speak the words of my laws?

How dare you speak the words of my covenant!

¹⁷You hate my teaching.

You turn your back on what I say.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you join him.

You make friends with those who commit adultery.

¹⁹You use your mouth to speak evil.

You use your tongue to spread lies.

²⁰You always speak against your brother.

You always tell lies about your own mother’s son.

²¹You have done those things, and I kept silent.

So you thought I was just like you.

But now I’m going to correct you.

I will bring charges against you.

²²“You who forget God, think about this.

If you don’t, I will tear you to pieces.

No one will be able to save you.

²³Anyone who sacrifices thank offerings to me honors me.

He makes it possible for me to show him

that I am the God who saves.”