Psalm 46–49

Psalm 46^a

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^b A song.

¹God is our refuge^m and strength,ⁿ

an ever-present^o help^p in trouble.^q

²Therefore we will not fear,^r though the earth give way^s

and the mountains fall^t into the heart of the sea,^u

³though its waters roar^v and foam^w

and the mountains quake^x with their surging.^c

⁴There is a river^y whose streams^z make glad the city of God,^a

the holy place where the Most High^b dwells.^c

⁵God is within her,^d she will not fall;^e

God will help^f her at break of day.

⁶Nations^g are in uproar,^h kingdomsⁱ fall;

he lifts his voice,^j the earth melts.^k

⁷The Lord Almighty^l is with us;^m

the God of Jacobⁿ is our fortress.^o

⁸Come and see what the Lord has done,^p

the desolations^q he has brought on the earth.

⁹He makes wars^r cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow^s and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields^d with fire.^t

¹⁰He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;^u

I will be exalted^v among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob^w is our fortress.^x

Psalm 47^a

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

¹Clap your hands,^y all you nations;

shout to God with cries of joy.^z

²For the Lord Most High^a is awesome,^b

the great King^c over all the earth.

³He subdued^d nations under us,

peoples under our feet.

⁴He chose our inheritance^e for us,

the pride of Jacob,^f whom he loved.^b

⁵God has ascended^g amid shouts of joy,^h

the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.ⁱ

⁶Sing praises^j to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

⁷For God is the King of all the earth;^k

sing to him a psalm^l of praise.

⁸God reigns^m over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.ⁿ

⁹The nobles of the nations assemble

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kings^c of the earth belong to God;^o

he is greatly exalted.^p

Psalm 48^a

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹Great is the Lord,^q and most worthy of praise,^r

in the city of our God,^s his holy mountain.^t

²Beautiful^u in its loftiness,

the joy of the whole earth,

like the heights of Zaphon^bv is Mount Zion,^w

the city of the Great King.^x

³God is in her citadels;^y

he has shown himself to be her fortress.^z

⁴When the kings joined forces,

when they advanced together,^a

⁵they saw her and were astounded;

they fled in terror.^b

⁶Trembling seized^c them there,

pain like that of a woman in labor.^d

⁷You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish^e

shattered by an east wind.^f

⁸As we have heard,

so we have seen

in the city of the Lord Almighty,

in the city of our God:

God makes her secure

forever.^cg

⁹Within your temple, O God,

we meditate^h on your unfailing love.ⁱ

¹⁰Like your name,^j O God,

your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;^k

your right hand is filled with righteousness.

¹¹Mount Zion rejoices,

the villages of Judah are glad

because of your judgments.^l

¹²Walk about Zion, go around her,

count her towers,^m

¹³consider well her ramparts,ⁿ

view her citadels,^o

that you may tell of them

to the next generation.^p

¹⁴For this God is our God for ever and ever;

he will be our guide^q even to the end.

Psalm 49^a

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

¹Hear^r this, all you peoples;^s

listen, all who live in this world,^t

²both low and high,^u

rich and poor alike:

³My mouth will speak words of wisdom;^v

the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.^w

⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb;^x

with the harp^y I will expound my riddle:^z

⁵Why should I fear^a when evil days come,

when wicked deceivers surround me—

⁶those who trust in their wealth^b

and boast^c of their great riches?^d

⁷No one can redeem the life of another

or give to God a ransom for them—

⁸the ransom^e for a life is costly,

no payment is ever enough—^f

⁹so that they should live on^g forever

and not see decay.^h

¹⁰For all can see that the wise die,ⁱ

that the foolish and the senseless^j also perish,

leaving their wealth^k to others.^l

¹¹Their tombs^m will remain their houses^b forever,

their dwellings for endless generations,ⁿ

though they had^c named^o lands after themselves.

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure;^p

they are like the beasts that perish.^q

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,^r

and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^d

¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined^s to die;^t

death will be their shepherd

(but the upright will prevail^u over them in the morning).

Their forms will decay in the grave,

far from their princely mansions.

¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;^v

he will surely take me to himself.^w

¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich,

when the splendor of their houses increases;

¹⁷for they will take nothing^x with them when they die,

their splendor will not descend with them.^y

¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed—^z

and people praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them,^a

who will never again see the light^b of life.

²⁰People who have wealth but lack understanding^c

are like the beasts that perish.^d