Psalm 44–49

Psalm 44

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹O God, we have heard it with our own ears—

our ancestors have told us

of all you did in their day,

in days long ago:

²You drove out the pagan nations by your power

and gave all the land to our ancestors.

You crushed their enemies

and set our ancestors free.

³They did not conquer the land with their swords;

it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.

It was your right hand and strong arm

and the blinding light from your face that helped them,

for you loved them.

⁴You are my King and my God.

You command victories for Israel.

⁵Only by your power can we push back our enemies;

only in your name can we trample our foes.

⁶I do not trust in my bow;

I do not count on my sword to save me.

⁷You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;

you disgrace those who hate us.

⁸O God, we give glory to you all day long

and constantly praise your name.

Interlude

⁹But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor.

You no longer lead our armies to battle.

¹⁰You make us retreat from our enemies

and allow those who hate us to plunder our land.

¹¹You have butchered us like sheep

and scattered us among the nations.

¹²You sold your precious people for a pittance,

making nothing on the sale.

¹³You let our neighbors mock us.

We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us.

¹⁴You have made us the butt of their jokes;

they shake their heads at us in scorn.

¹⁵We can’t escape the constant humiliation;

shame is written across our faces.

¹⁶All we hear are the taunts of our mockers.

All we see are our vengeful enemies.

¹⁷All this has happened though we have not forgotten you.

We have not violated your covenant.

¹⁸Our hearts have not deserted you.

We have not strayed from your path.

¹⁹Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home.

You have covered us with darkness and death.

²⁰If we had forgotten the name of our God

or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,

²¹God would surely have known it,

for he knows the secrets of every heart.

²²But for your sake we are killed every day;

we are being slaughtered like sheep.

²³Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep?

Get up! Do not reject us forever.

²⁴Why do you look the other way?

Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression?

²⁵We collapse in the dust,

lying face down in the dirt.

²⁶Rise up! Help us!

Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

Psalm 45

For the choir director: A love song to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹Beautiful words stir my heart.

I will recite a lovely poem about the king,

for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.

²You are the most handsome of all.

Gracious words stream from your lips.

God himself has blessed you forever.

³Put on your sword, O mighty warrior!

You are so glorious, so majestic!

⁴In your majesty, ride out to victory,

defending truth, humility, and justice.

Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!

⁵Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts.

The nations fall beneath your feet.

⁶Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

You rule with a scepter of justice.

⁷You love justice and hate evil.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you,

pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.

⁸Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes.

In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.

⁹Kings’ daughters are among your noble women.

At your right side stands the queen,

wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!

¹⁰Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.

Forget your people and your family far away.

¹¹For your royal husband delights in your beauty;

honor him, for he is your lord.

¹²The princess of Tyre will shower you with gifts.

The wealthy will beg your favor.

¹³The bride, a princess, looks glorious

in her golden gown.

¹⁴In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,

accompanied by her bridesmaids.

¹⁵What a joyful and enthusiastic procession

as they enter the king’s palace!

¹⁶Your sons will become kings like their father.

You will make them rulers over many lands.

¹⁷I will bring honor to your name in every generation.

Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

Psalm 46

For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices.

¹God is our refuge and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

²So we will not fear when earthquakes come

and the mountains crumble into the sea.

³Let the oceans roar and foam.

Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Interlude

⁴A river brings joy to the city of our God,

the sacred home of the Most High.

⁵God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.

From the very break of day, God will protect it.

⁶The nations are in chaos,

and their kingdoms crumble!

God’s voice thunders,

and the earth melts!

⁷The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress.

Interlude

⁸Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:

See how he brings destruction upon the world.

⁹He causes wars to end throughout the earth.

He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰“Be still, and know that I am God!

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.”

¹¹The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress.

Interlude

Psalm 47

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹Come, everyone! Clap your hands!

Shout to God with joyful praise!

²For the Lord Most High is awesome.

He is the great King of all the earth.

³He subdues the nations before us,

putting our enemies beneath our feet.

⁴He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,

the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.

Interlude

⁵God has ascended with a mighty shout.

The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

⁶Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

⁷For God is the King over all the earth.

Praise him with a psalm.

⁸God reigns above the nations,

sitting on his holy throne.

⁹The rulers of the world have gathered together

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For all the kings of the earth belong to God.

He is highly honored everywhere.

Psalm 48

A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹How great is the Lord,

how deserving of praise,

in the city of our God,

which sits on his holy mountain!

²It is high and magnificent;

the whole earth rejoices to see it!

Mount Zion, the holy mountain,

is the city of the great King!

³God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers,

revealing himself as its defender.

⁴The kings of the earth joined forces

and advanced against the city.

⁵But when they saw it, they were stunned;

they were terrified and ran away.

⁶They were gripped with terror

and writhed in pain like a woman in labor.

⁷You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish

shattered by a powerful east wind.

⁸We had heard of the city’s glory,

but now we have seen it ourselves—

the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

It is the city of our God;

he will make it safe forever.

Interlude

⁹O God, we meditate on your unfailing love

as we worship in your Temple.

¹⁰As your name deserves, O God,

you will be praised to the ends of the earth.

Your strong right hand is filled with victory.

¹¹Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.

Let all the towns of Judah be glad

because of your justice.

¹²Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.

Walk around and count the many towers.

¹³Take note of the fortified walls,

and tour all the citadels,

that you may describe them

to future generations.

¹⁴For that is what God is like.

He is our God forever and ever,

and he will guide us until we die.

Psalm 49

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹Listen to this, all you people!

Pay attention, everyone in the world!

²High and low,

rich and poor—listen!

³For my words are wise,

and my thoughts are filled with insight.

⁴I listen carefully to many proverbs

and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

⁵Why should I fear when trouble comes,

when enemies surround me?

⁶They trust in their wealth

and boast of great riches.

⁷Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death

by paying a ransom to God.

⁸Redemption does not come so easily,

for no one can ever pay enough

⁹to live forever

and never see the grave.

¹⁰Those who are wise must finally die,

just like the foolish and senseless,

leaving all their wealth behind.

¹¹The grave is their eternal home,

where they will stay forever.

They may name their estates after themselves,

¹²but their fame will not last.

They will die, just like animals.

¹³This is the fate of fools,

though they are remembered as being wise.

Interlude

¹⁴Like sheep, they are led to the grave,

where death will be their shepherd.

In the morning the godly will rule over them.

Their bodies will rot in the grave,

far from their grand estates.

¹⁵But as for me, God will redeem my life.

He will snatch me from the power of the grave.

Interlude

¹⁶So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich

and their homes become ever more splendid.

¹⁷For when they die, they take nothing with them.

Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.

¹⁸In this life they consider themselves fortunate

and are applauded for their success.

¹⁹But they will die like all before them

and never again see the light of day.

²⁰People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;

they will die, just like animals.