Psalm 46–49

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.