God, the King of the Earth.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

47 (A)Clap your hands, all you peoples;
(B)Shout to God with a voice of joy.
For the Lord Most High is to be (C)feared,
A (D)great King over all the earth.
He (E)subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
He chooses our (F)inheritance for us,
The (G)pride of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

God has (H)ascended [a]with a shout,
The Lord, [b]with the (I)sound of a trumpet.
(J)Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to (K)our King, sing praises.
For God is the (L)King of all the earth;
Sing praises (M)with a psalm of wisdom.
God (N)reigns over the nations,
God [c]sits on (O)His holy throne.
The [d](P)princes of the people have assembled as the (Q)people of the God of Abraham,
For the (R)shields of the earth belong to God;
He is (S)highly exalted.

The Beauty and Glory of Zion.

A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.

48 (T)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the (U)city of our God, His (V)holy mountain.
(W)Beautiful in elevation, (X)the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The (Y)city of the great King.
In its palaces,
God has made Himself known as a (Z)stronghold.

For, behold, the (AA)kings arrived,
They passed by together.
They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were (AB)terrified, they fled in a hurry.
[e]Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as that of (AC)a woman in childbirth.
With the (AD)east wind
You (AE)smash the (AF)ships of Tarshish.
Just as we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of armies, in the city of our God;
God will (AG)establish her forever. Selah

We have thought over (AH)Your goodness, God,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 As is Your (AI)name, God,
So is Your (AJ)praise to the ends of the earth;
Your (AK)right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Mount (AL)Zion shall be glad,
The (AM)daughters of Judah shall rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk around Zion and encircle her;
Count her (AN)towers;
13 Consider her (AO)ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
So that you may (AP)tell of her to the next generation.
14 For [f]such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will (AQ)lead us [g]until death.

The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 (AR)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all (AS)inhabitants of the world,
Both (AT)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth will (AU)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (AV)understanding.
I will incline my ear to (AW)a proverb;
(AX)I will [h]express my (AY)riddle on the harp.

Why should I (AZ)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
Those who (BA)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
No one can by any means (BB)redeem another
Or give God a (BC)ransom for him—
For (BD)the redemption of [i]his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
That he might (BE)live on eternally,
That he might not [j](BF)undergo decay.

10 For he sees that even (BG)wise people die;
The (BH)foolish and the stupid alike perish
And (BI)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [k](BJ)inner thought is that their houses (BK)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (BL)named their lands after their own names.
12 But (BM)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that [l]perish.

13 This is the (BN)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (BO)approve their words. Selah
14 Like sheep they sink down (BP)to [m]Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the (BQ)upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for [n]Sheol (BR)to consume
[o]So that they have no lofty home.
15 But God will (BS)redeem my soul from the [p]power of [q]Sheol,
For (BT)He will receive me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid (BU)when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies, he will (BV)take nothing with him;
His [r]wealth will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he (BW)congratulates [s]himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 [t]He will (BX)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see (BY)the light.
20 (BZ)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is (CA)like the animals that [u]perish.

God, the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.

A Psalm of [v]Asaph.

50 (CB)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken
And summoned the earth, (CC)from [w]the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, (CD)the perfection of beauty,
God (CE)has shone.
May our God (CF)come and not keep silent;
(CG)Fire devours before Him,
And a storm is violently (CH)raging around Him.
He (CI)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
“Gather My (CJ)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (CK)covenant with Me by (CL)sacrifice.”
And the (CM)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (CN)God Himself is judge. Selah

(CO)Hear, My people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify [x]against you;
I am God, (CP)your God.
I do (CQ)not rebuke you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
I will not take a (CR)bull from your house,
Nor male goats from your folds.
10 For (CS)every animal of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every (CT)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [y]Mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (CU)world is Mine, and [z]everything it contains.
13 Shall I eat the flesh of [aa](CV)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 Offer God (CW)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (CX)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (CY)Call upon Me on the day of trouble;
I will (CZ)rescue you, and you will (DA)honor Me.”

16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right do you have to tell of My statutes
And to take (DB)My covenant in your mouth?
17 For you yourself (DC)hate discipline,
And you (DD)throw My words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you (DE)become friends with him,
And [ab]you (DF)associate with adulterers.
19 You [ac](DG)let your mouth loose in evil,
And your (DH)tongue harnesses deceit.
20 You sit and (DI)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done and (DJ)I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (DK)rebuke you and present the case before your eyes.

22 “Now consider this, you who (DL)forget God,
Or I will (DM)tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to save you.
23 He who (DN)offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who (DO)sets his way properly
I will (DP)show the salvation of God.”

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the music director. A Psalm of David, when [ad]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 (DQ)Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
According to the greatness of (DR)Your compassion, (DS)wipe out my wrongdoings.
(DT)Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And (DU)cleanse me from my sin.
For I (DV)know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
(DW)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is (DX)evil in Your sight,
So that (DY)You [ae]are justified [af]when You speak
And [ag]blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was (DZ)brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire (EA)truth in the [ah]innermost being,
And in secret You will (EB)make wisdom known to me.
[ai]Purify me (EC)with hyssop, and I will be clean;
[aj]Cleanse me, and I will be (ED)whiter than snow.
[ak]Let me hear (EE)joy and gladness,
Let the (EF)bones You have broken rejoice.
(EG)Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.

10 (EH)Create [al]in me a (EI)clean heart, God,
And renew a (EJ)steadfast spirit within me.
11 (EK)Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your (EL)Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the (EM)joy of Your salvation,
And sustain me with a (EN)willing spirit.
13 Then I will (EO)teach wrongdoers Your ways,
And sinners will [am]be (EP)converted to You.

14 Save me from (EQ)the guilt of bloodshed, God, (ER)the God of my salvation;
Then my (ES)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, [an](ET)open my lips,
So that my mouth may (EU)declare Your praise.
16 For You (EV)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a (EW)broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.

18 (EX)By Your favor do good to Zion;
[ao](EY)Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [ap](EZ)righteous sacrifices,
In (FA)burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [aq]bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 47:5 Or amid
  2. Psalm 47:5 Or amid
  3. Psalm 47:8 Or has taken His seat
  4. Psalm 47:9 Or nobles
  5. Psalm 48:6 Lit Trembling
  6. Psalm 48:14 Lit this
  7. Psalm 48:14 Lit upon; some mss and LXX forever
  8. Psalm 49:4 Lit open up
  9. Psalm 49:8 Lit their
  10. Psalm 49:9 Or see corruption; lit see the pit
  11. Psalm 49:11 Some ancient versions graves are their houses
  12. Psalm 49:12 Lit are destroyed
  13. Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
  14. Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
  15. Psalm 49:14 Lit Away from his habitation
  16. Psalm 49:15 Lit hand
  17. Psalm 49:15 I.e., the netherworld
  18. Psalm 49:17 Lit glory
  19. Psalm 49:18 Lit his soul
  20. Psalm 49:19 Lit You; or It
  21. Psalm 49:20 Lit are destroyed
  22. Psalm 50 Title 1 Chr 15:17; 2 Chr 29:30
  23. Psalm 50:1 I.e., the east to the west
  24. Psalm 50:7 Or to
  25. Psalm 50:11 Or in My mind; lit with Me
  26. Psalm 50:12 Lit its fullness
  27. Psalm 50:13 Lit strong ones
  28. Psalm 50:18 Lit your part is with
  29. Psalm 50:19 Lit send
  30. Psalm 51 Title 2 Sam 12:1
  31. Psalm 51:4 Or may be in the right
  32. Psalm 51:4 Many mss in Your words
  33. Psalm 51:4 Lit pure
  34. Psalm 51:6 Or inward parts
  35. Psalm 51:7 Or May You purify...that I may be clean
  36. Psalm 51:7 Or May You cleanse
  37. Psalm 51:8 Or May You cause
  38. Psalm 51:10 Lit for
  39. Psalm 51:13 Or turn back
  40. Psalm 51:15 Or may You open
  41. Psalm 51:18 Or May You build
  42. Psalm 51:19 Or sacrifices of righteousness
  43. Psalm 51:19 Lit they will offer bulls

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