Psalms 41-50
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 41
1Blessed is one who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him on a day of trouble. 2The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, And he will be called blessed upon the earth; And do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies. 3The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. 4As for me, I said, 'Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.' 5My enemies speak evil against me, 'When will he die, and his name perish?' 6And when he comes to see me, he speaks empty words; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it. 7All who hate me whisper together against me; They plot my harm against me, saying, 8'A wicked thing is poured out upon him, So that when he lies down, he will not get up again.' 9Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. 10But You, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11By this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. 12As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You place me in Your presence forever. 13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.Chapter 42
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?' 4I remember these things and pour out my soul within me. For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God, With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival. 5Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God. 6My soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me. 8The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9I will say to God my rock, 'Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' 10As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, While they say to me all day long, 'Where is your God?' 11Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.Chapter 43
1Vindicate me, God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; Save me from the deceitful and unjust person! 2For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3Send out Your light and Your truth, they shall lead me; They shall bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. 4Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And I will praise You on the lyre, God, my God. 5Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God.Chapter 44
1 God, we have heard with our ears, Our fathers have told us The work that You did in their days, In the days of old. 2You with Your own hand drove out the nations; Then You planted them; You afflicted the peoples, Then You let them go free. 3For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them. 4You are my King, God; Command victories for Jacob. 5Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us. 6For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me. 7But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us. 8In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah 9Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, And do not go out with our armies. 10You cause us to turn back from the enemy; And those who hate us have taken spoils for themselves. 11You turn us over to be eaten like sheep, And have scattered us among the nations. 12You sell Your people cheaply, And have not profited by their sale. 13You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors, Of scoffing and ridicule to those around us. 14You make us a proverb among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. 15All day long my dishonor is before me And I am covered with my humiliation, 16Because of the voice of one who taunts and reviles, Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger. 17All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You, And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. 18Our heart has not turned back, And our steps have not deviated from Your way, 19Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals And covered us with deep darkness. 20If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, 21Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. 22But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 23Wake Yourself up, why do You sleep, Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever. 24Why do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and oppression? 25For our souls have sunk down into the dust; Our bodies cling to the earth. 26Rise up, be our help, And redeem us because of Your mercy.Chapter 45
1My heart is moved with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2You are the most handsome of the sons of mankind; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. 3Strap Your sword on Your thigh, Mighty One, In Your splendor and majesty! 4And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, For the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness; Let Your right hand teach You awesome things. 5Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies. 6Your throne, God, is forever and ever; The scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. 7You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions. 8All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia; From ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You joyful. 9Kings’ daughters are among Your noble women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. 10Listen, daughter, look and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house; 11Then the King will crave your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. 12The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The wealthy among the people will seek your favor. 13The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold. 14She will be brought to the King in colorful garments; The virgins, her companions who follow her, Will be brought to You. 15They will be brought with joy and rejoicing; They will enter into the King’s palace. 16In place of your fathers will be your sons; You shall make them princes in all the earth. 17I will make Your name known among all generations; Therefore the peoples will praise You forever and ever.Chapter 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very ready help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shakes And the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah 4There is a river whose streams make the city of God happy, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth quaked. 7The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah 8Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has inflicted horrific events on the earth. 9He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10'Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.' 11The Lord of armies is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. SelahChapter 47
1Clap your hands, all you peoples; Shout to God with a voice of joy. 2For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. 3He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet. 4He chooses our inheritance for us, The pride of Jacob whom He loves. Selah 5God has ascended with a shout, The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a psalm of wisdom. 8God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. 9The princes of the people have assembled as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.Chapter 48
1Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, His holy mountain. 2Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. 3In its palaces, God has made Himself known as a stronghold. 4For, behold, the kings arrived, They passed by together. 5They saw it, then they were amazed; They were terrified, they fled in a hurry. 6 Panic seized them there, Anguish, as that of a woman in childbirth. 7With the east wind You smash the ships of Tarshish. 8Just as we have heard, so have we seen In the city of the Lord of armies, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever. Selah 9We have thought over Your goodness, God, In the midst of Your temple. 10As is Your name, God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 11Mount Zion shall be glad, The daughters of Judah shall rejoice Because of Your judgments. 12Walk around Zion and encircle her; Count her towers; 13Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, So that you may tell of her to the next generation. 14For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will lead us until death.Chapter 49
1Hear this, all peoples; Listen, all inhabitants of the world, 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together. 3My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp. 5Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me, 6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches? 7No one can by any means redeem another Or give God a ransom for him— 8For the redemption of his soul is priceless, And he should cease imagining forever— 9That he might live on eternally, That he might not undergo decay. 10For he sees that even wise people die; The foolish and the stupid alike perish And leave their wealth to others. 11Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names. 12But man in his splendor will not endure; He is like the animals that perish. 13This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah 14Like sheep they sink down to Sheol; Death will be their shepherd; And the upright will rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no lofty home. 15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah 16Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich, When the splendor of his house is increased; 17For when he dies, he will take nothing with him; His wealth will not descend after him. 18Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself— 19 He will go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. 20Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding, Is like the animals that perish.Chapter 50
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken And summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone. 3May our God come and not keep silent; Fire devours before Him, And a storm is violently raging around Him. 4He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people: 5'Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.' 6And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah 7'Hear, My people, and I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. 8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. 9I will not take a bull from your house, Nor male goats from your folds. 10For every animal of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. 11I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. 12If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and everything it contains. 13Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? 14Offer God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; 15Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.' 16But to the wicked God says, 'What right do you have to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? 17For you yourself hate discipline, And you throw My words behind you. 18When you see a thief, you become friends with him, And you associate with adulterers. 19You let your mouth loose in evil, And your tongue harnesses deceit. 20You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. 21These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will rebuke you and present the case before your eyes. 22'Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to save you. 23He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who sets his way properly I will show the salvation of God.'King James Version
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 41
1For the choir director. A psalm of David. Happy is one who is considerate of the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity. 2The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; you will heal him on the bed where he lies.
4I said, "Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5My enemies speak maliciously about me: "When will he die and be forgotten?"
6When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully; he stores up evil in his heart; he goes out and talks.
7All who hate me whisper together about me; they plan to harm me.
8"Something awful has overwhelmed him, and he won’t rise again from where he lies!"
9Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me.
10But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them.
11By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12You supported me because of my integrity and set me in your presence forever.
13Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen.
Chapter 42
1For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. 2I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, "Where is your God?"
4I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.
5Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
6I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me.
8The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the God of my life.
9I will say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?"
10My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, "Where is your God?"
11Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
2For you are the God of my refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?
3Send your light and your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place.
4Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise you with the lyre, God, my God.
5Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
Chapter 44
1For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. God, we have heard with our ears— our ancestors have told us— the work you accomplished in their days, in days long ago: 2In order to plant them, you displaced the nations by your hand; in order to settle them, you brought disaster on the peoples.
3For they did not take the land by their sword— their arm did not bring them victory— but by your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable toward them.
4You are my King, my God, who ordains victories for Jacob.
5Through you we drive back our foes; through your name we trample our enemies.
6For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory.
7But you give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced.
8We boast in God all day long; we will praise your name forever. Selah
9But you have rejected and humiliated us; you do not march out with our armies.
10You make us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have taken plunder for themselves.
11You hand us over to be eaten like sheep and scatter us among the nations.
12You sell your people for nothing; you make no profit from selling them.
13You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors, a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.
14You make us a joke among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15My disgrace is before me all day long, and shame has covered my face,
16because of the taunts of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy and avenger.
17All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or betrayed your covenant.
18Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from your path.
19But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals and have covered us with deepest darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21wouldn’t God have found this out, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
23Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever!
24Why do you hide and forget our affliction and oppression?
25For we have sunk down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up! Help us! Redeem us because of your faithful love.
2You are the most handsome of men; grace flows from your lips. Therefore God has blessed you forever.
3Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side. In your majesty and splendor —
4in your splendor ride triumphantly in the cause of truth, humility, and justice. May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts.
5Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
7You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions.
8Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments; from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.
9Kings’ daughters are among your honored women; the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir, stands at your right hand.
10Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider: forget your people and your father’s house,
11and the king will desire your beauty. Bow down to him, for he is your lord.
12The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people, will seek your favor with gifts.
13In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold.
14In colorful garments she is led to the king; after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you.
15They are led in with gladness and rejoicing; they enter the king’s palace.
16Your sons will succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land.
17I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
Chapter 46
1For the choir director. A song of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. 2Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas,
3though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah
4There is a river— its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns.
6Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice.
7The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah
8Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth.
9He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze.
10"Stop your fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth."
Chapter 47
1For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. 2For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth. 3He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet.
4He chooses for us our inheritance— the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah
5God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, with the sound of trumpets.
6Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise!
7Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of the whole earth.
8God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
Chapter 48
1A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. The Lord is great and highly praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, 2rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth. Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon— is the city of the great King.
3God is known as a stronghold in its citadels.
4Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together.
5They looked and froze with fear; they fled in terror.
6Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,
8Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of Armies, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever. Selah
9God, within your temple, we contemplate your faithful love.
10Like your name, God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with justice.
11Mount Zion is glad. Judah’s villages rejoice because of your judgments.
12Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,
13note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation:
14"This God, our God forever and ever— he will always lead us."
Chapter 49
1For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world, 2both low and high, rich and poor together. 3My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart’s meditation brings understanding.
4I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre.
5Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.
6They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches.
7Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God —
8since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying —
9so that he may live forever and not see the Pit.
10For one can see that the wise die; the foolish and stupid also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others.
11Their graves are their permanent homes, their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves.
13This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah
14Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.
15But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me. Selah
16Do not be afraid when a person gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases.
17For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down.
18Though he blesses himself during his lifetime— and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself —
19he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light.
20Mankind, with his assets but without understanding, is like the animals that perish.
Chapter 50
1A psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks; he summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God appears in radiance. 3Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him. 4On high, he summons heaven and earth in order to judge his people: 5"Gather my faithful ones to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God is the Judge. Selah
7"Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God.
8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings, which are continually before me.
9I will not take a bull from your household or male goats from your pens,
10for every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird of the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
12If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15Call on me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor me."
16But God says to the wicked: "What right do you have to recite my statutes and to take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate instruction and fling my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you make friends with him, and you associate with adulterers.
19You unleash your mouth for evil and harness your tongue for deceit.
20You sit, maligning your brother, slandering your mother’s son.
21You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.
22"Understand this, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to rescue you.
23Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the salvation of God."
New Living Translation
Chapter 41
1Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. 2The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. 3The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.
4'O Lord,' I prayed, 'have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.'
5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. 'How soon will he die and be forgotten?' they ask.
6They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
7All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst.
8'He has some fatal disease,' they say. 'He will never get out of that bed!'
9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
10Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
11I know you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
12You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever.
Chapter 42
1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 2I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? 3Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, 'Where is this God of yours?'
6my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you — even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.
7I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
9'O God my rock,' I cry, 'Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?'
10Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, 'Where is this God of yours?'
Chapter 43
1Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. 2For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies? 3Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. 4There I will go to the altar of God, to God — the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!Chapter 44
1 O 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.
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.
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.
Chapter 46
1 God 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.
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!
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.
Chapter 47
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.
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.
Chapter 48
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.
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.
Chapter 49
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.
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.
Chapter 50
1The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. 2From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. 3Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. 4He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people. 5'Bring my faithful people to me — those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.'
7'O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God!
8I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
9But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens.
10For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
12If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
14Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.'
16But God says to the wicked: 'Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?
17For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash.
18When you see thieves, you approve of them, and you spend your time with adulterers.
19Your mouth is filled with wickedness, and your tongue is full of lies.
20You sit around and slander your brother — your own mother’s son.
21While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
22Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
23But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 41
1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; 2the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. 3The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. 4As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!" 5My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die, and his name perish?" 6And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies." 9Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 10But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 11By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 12But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.Chapter 42
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 4These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 8By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.Chapter 43
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! 2For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.Chapter 44
1O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: 2you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 3for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. 4 You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! 5Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. 6For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. 7But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. 8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah 9But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. 10You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil. 11You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. 12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. 13You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us. 14You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. 15All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face 16at the sound of the taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. 17 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. 18Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way; 19yet you have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death. 20If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! 24Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? 25For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground. 26Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!Chapter 45
1My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 2You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! 4In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king 's enemies; the peoples fall under you. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 8your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 9daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 10Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father 's house, 11and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. 12The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people. 13All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. 14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. 15With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. 16In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.Chapter 46
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. SelahChapter 47
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!Chapter 48
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. 4For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. 5As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. 7By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 8As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah 9We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. 10As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! 12Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, 13consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 14that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.Chapter 49
1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together! 3My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. 5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, 6those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, 8for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, 9that he should live on forever and never see the pit. 10For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 11Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. 12Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. 13This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah 14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. 15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah 16Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. 17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 18For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed— — and though you get praise when you do well for yourself — 19his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. 20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.Chapter 50
1 The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. 3Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5"Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah 7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. 8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 9I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. 10For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12"If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. 13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." 16But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips? 17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. 18If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. 19"You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. 20You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother 's son. 21These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. 22"Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver! 23The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"New International Version
Chapter 41
1For the director of music. A psalm of David. Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. 2The Lord protects and preserves them— they are counted among the blessed in the land— he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.
4I said, "Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you."
5My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die and his name perish?"
6When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around.
7All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8"A vile disease has afflicted him; he will never get up from the place where he lies."
9Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.
10But may you have mercy on me, Lord; raise me up, that I may repay them.
11I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.
Chapter 42
1For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
5Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
8By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.
9I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"
10My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
11Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Chapter 43
1Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. 2You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? 3Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
5Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Chapter 44
1For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. 2With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish.
3It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
5Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.
6I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
7but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame.
8In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
9But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies.
10You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
11You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.
12You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
14You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
15I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame
16at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant.
18Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.
19But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?
25We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.
2You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
3Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
5Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.
9Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
10Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house.
11Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
12The city of Tyre will come with a gift, people of wealth will seek your favor.
13All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
14In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her— those brought to be with her.
16Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
17I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
Chapter 46
1For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
7The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
11The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Chapter 47
1For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
5God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
8God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
Chapter 48
1A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. 2Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
3God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,
5they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.
6Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.
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.
9Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
10Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.
12Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,
13consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Chapter 49
1For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, 2both low and high, rich and poor alike: 3My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—
6those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
7No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—
8the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
9so that they should live on forever and not see decay.
10For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
12People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.
13This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
14They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail 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; he will surely take me to himself.
16Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases;
17for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them.
18Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper—
19they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.
20People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.
Chapter 50
1A psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. 2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5"Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.
7"Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God.
8I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
10for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.
12If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?
14"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
16But to the wicked person, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.
20You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.
21When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.
22"Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
23Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation."
New King James Version
Chapter 41
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 2The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 3The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. 4I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” 5My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it. 7All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt. 8“An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.” 9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. 10But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. 12As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever. 13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.Chapter 42
1{To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.} As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” 4When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 6O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. 7Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. 8The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life. 9I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.Chapter 43
1Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.Chapter 44
1{To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.} We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old: 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand, But them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. 3For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them. 4 You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. 5Through You we will push down our enemies; Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. 6For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me. 7But You have saved us from our enemies, And have put to shame those who hated us.
9But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies.
10You make us turn back from the enemy, And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
11 You have given us up like sheep intended for food, And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people for next to nothing, And are not enriched by selling them.
13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors, A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 You make us a byword among the nations, A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15My dishonor is continually before me, And the shame of my face has covered me,
16Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles, Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us; But we have not forgotten You, Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back, Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals, And covered us with the shadow of death.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 Why do You hide Your face, And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25For our soul is bowed down to the dust; Our body clings to the ground.
26Arise for our help, And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
Chapter 45
1{To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.} My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. 3Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty. 4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. 5Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; The peoples fall under You. 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. 8All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. 9 Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. 10Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father’s house; 11So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him. 12And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; The rich among the people will seek your favor. 13The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold. 14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. 15With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; They shall enter the King’s palace. 16Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.Chapter 46
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.} God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
10Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Chapter 47
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.} Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. 3 He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet.
5 God has gone up with a shout, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
9The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
Chapter 48
1{A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.} Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. 3God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. 4For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together. 5They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away. 6Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs, 7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
9We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.
10According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.
12Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers;
13Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.
14For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
Chapter 49
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.} Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2Both low and high, Rich and poor together. 3My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. 4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. 5Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, 7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— 8For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever— 9That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. 10For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others. 11Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names. 12Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish.
16Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
17For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.
18Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.
20A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.
Chapter 50
1{A Psalm of Asaph.} The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down. 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. 3Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people: 5“Gather My saints together to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
7“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God!
8 I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices Or your burnt offerings, Which are continually before Me.
9 I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds.
10For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
12“If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
16But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?
18When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers.
19You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
20You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
21These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.
22“Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver:
23Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
