Psalm 44–49
Psalm 44a
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.b
1 We have heard it with our ears,h O God;
our ancestors have told usi
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.j
2 With your hand you drove outk the nations
and plantedl our ancestors;
you crushedm the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.n
3 It was not by their swordo that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,p your arm,q
and the lightr of your face, for you loveds them.
4 You are my Kingt and my God,u
who decreesc victoriesv for Jacob.
5 Through you we push backw our enemies;
through your name we tramplex our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,y
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victoryz over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.a
8 In God we make our boastb all day long,c
and we will praise your name forever.d d
9 But now you have rejectede and humbled us;f
you no longer go out with our armies.g
10 You made us retreath before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plunderedi us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheepj
and have scattered us among the nations.k
12 You sold your people for a pittance,l
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproachm to our neighbors,n
the scorno and derisionp of those around us.
14 You have made us a bywordq among the nations;
the peoples shake their headsr at us.
15 I live in disgraces all day long,
and my face is covered with shamet
16 at the tauntsu of those who reproach and revilev me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.w
though we had not forgottenx you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turnedy back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushedz us and made us a haunt for jackals;a
you covered us over with deep darkness.b
20 If we had forgottenc the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,d
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?e
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheepf to be slaughtered.g
23 Awake,h Lord! Why do you sleep?i
Rouse yourself!j Do not reject us forever.k
24 Why do you hide your facel
and forgetm our misery and oppression?n
25 We are brought down to the dust;o
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise upp and help us;
rescueq us because of your unfailing love.r
Psalm 45a
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.b A wedding song.s
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,t
since God has blessed you forever.u
3 Gird your swordv on your side, you mighty one;w
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.x
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriouslyy
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;z
let your right handa achieve awesome deeds.b
5 Let your sharp arrowsc pierce the heartsd of the king’s enemies;e
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,c will last for ever and ever;f
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousnessg and hate wickedness;h
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointingi you with the oil of joy.j
8 All your robes are fragrantk with myrrhl and aloesm and cassia;n
from palaces adorned with ivoryo
the music of the stringsp makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kingsq are among your honored women;
at your right handr is the royal brides in gold of Ophir.t
10 Listen, daughter,u and pay careful attention:v
Forget your peoplew and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;x
honory him, for he is your lord.z
12 The city of Tyrea will come with a gift,d b
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All gloriousc is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.d
14 In embroidered garmentse she is led to the king;f
her virgin companionsg follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,h
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princesi throughout the land.
17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;j
therefore the nations will praise youk for ever and ever.l
Psalm 46a
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.b A song.
1 God is our refugem and strength,n
an ever-presento helpp in trouble.q
2 Therefore we will not fear,r though the earth give ways
and the mountains fallt into the heart of the sea,u
3 though its waters roarv and foamw
and the mountains quakex with their surging.c
4 There is a rivery whose streamsz make glad the city of God,a
the holy place where the Most Highb dwells.c
5 God is within her,d she will not fall;e
God will helpf her at break of day.
6 Nationsg are in uproar,h kingdomsi fall;
he lifts his voice,j the earth melts.k
7 The Lord Almightyl is with us;m
the God of Jacobn is our fortress.o
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,p
the desolationsq he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes warsr cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bows and shatters the spear;
he burns the shieldsd with fire.t
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;u
I will be exaltedv among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacobw is our fortress.x
Psalm 47a
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Clap your hands,y all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.z
2 For the Lord Most Higha is awesome,b
the great Kingc over all the earth.
3 He subduedd nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritancee for us,
the pride of Jacob,f whom he loved.b
5 God has ascendedg amid shouts of joy,h
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.i
6 Sing praisesj to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;k
sing to him a psalml of praise.
8 God reignsm over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.n
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kingsc of the earth belong to God;o
he is greatly exalted.p
Psalm 48a
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,q and most worthy of praise,r
in the city of our God,s his holy mountain.t
2 Beautifulu in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphonb v is Mount Zion,w
the city of the Great King.x
3 God is in her citadels;y
he has shown himself to be her fortress.z
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,a
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.b
6 Trembling seizedc them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.d
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshishe
shattered by an east wind.f
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
we meditateh on your unfailing love.i
10 Like your name,j O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;k
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.l
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,m
13 consider well her ramparts,n
view her citadels,o
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.p
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guideq even to the end.
Psalm 49a
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hearr this, all you peoples;s
listen, all who live in this world,t
2 both low and high,u
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;v
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.w
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;x
with the harpy I will expound my riddle:z
5 Why should I feara when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealthb
and boastc of their great riches?d
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransome for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—f
9 so that they should live ong forever
and not see decay.h
10 For all can see that the wise die,i
that the foolish and the senselessj also perish,
leaving their wealthk to others.l
11 Their tombsm will remain their housesb forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,n
though they hadc namedo lands after themselves.
12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;p
they are like the beasts that perish.q
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,r
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.d
14 They are like sheep and are destineds to die;t
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevailu over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;v
he will surely take me to himself.w
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothingx with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.y
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—z
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,a
who will never again see the lightb of life.
20 People who have wealth but lack understandingc
are like the beasts that perish.d