Psalm 49-51
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 49
Misplaced Trust in Wealth
For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who inhabit the world,(A)
2 both low and high,[a]
rich and poor together.(B)
3 My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation brings understanding.(C)
4 I turn my ear to a proverb;
I explain my riddle with a lyre.(D)
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble?
The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.(E)
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of their abundant riches.(F)
7 Yet these cannot redeem a person[b]
or pay his ransom to God(G)—
8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should forever stop trying[c](H)—
9 so that he may live forever
and not see the Pit.(I)
10 For one can see that wise men die;
foolish and stupid men also pass away.(J)
Then they leave their wealth to others.(K)
11 Their graves are their eternal homes,[d]
their homes from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.(L)
12 But despite his assets,[e] man will not last;
he is like the animals that perish.(M)
13 This is the way of those who are arrogant,
and of their followers,
who approve of their words.[f](N)
14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning,(O)
and their form will waste away in Sheol,[g]
far from their lofty abode.(P)
15 But God will redeem my life
from the power of Sheol,
for He will take me.(Q)
16 Do not be afraid when a man gets rich,
when the wealth[h] of his house increases.(R)
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all;
his wealth[i] will not follow him down.(S)
18 Though he praises himself during his lifetime—
and people praise you when you do well for yourself(T)—
19 he will go to the generation of his fathers;
they will never see the light.(U)
20 A man with valuable possessions[j]
but without understanding
is like the animals that perish.(V)
Psalm 50
God as Judge
A psalm of Asaph.(W)
1 Yahweh, the God of gods[k] speaks;
He summons the earth from east to west.[l](X)
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God appears in radiance.[m](Y)
3 Our God is coming; He will not be silent!
Devouring fire precedes Him,
and a storm rages around Him.(Z)
4 On high, He summons heaven and earth
in order to judge His people.(AA)
5 “Gather My faithful ones to Me,
those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”(AB)
6 The heavens proclaim His righteousness,(AC)
for God is the Judge.(AD)
7 “Listen, My people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.(AE)
8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or for your burnt offerings,
which are continually before Me.(AF)
9 I will not accept a bull from your household
or male goats from your pens,(AG)
10 for every animal of the forest is Mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird of the mountains,[n]
and the creatures of the field are Mine.(AH)
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and everything in it is Mine.(AI)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?(AJ)
14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God,(AK)
and pay your vows to the Most High.(AL)
15 Call on Me in a day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.”(AM)
16 But God says to the wicked:
“What right do you have to recite My statutes
and to take My covenant on your lips?(AN)
17 You hate instruction
and turn your back on My words.[o](AO)
18 When you see a thief,
you make friends with him,
and you associate with adulterers.(AP)
19 You unleash your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue for deceit.(AQ)
20 You sit, maligning your brother,
slandering your mother’s son.(AR)
21 You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was just like you.(AS)
But I will rebuke you
and lay out the case before you.[p](AT)
22 “Understand this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart,
and there will be no one to rescue you.(AU)
23 Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
and whoever orders his conduct,
I will show him the salvation of God.”(AV)
Psalm 51
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.(AW)
1 Be gracious to me, God,
according to Your faithful love;
according to Your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.(AX)
2 Wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.(AY)
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.(AZ)
4 Against You—You alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in Your sight.(BA)
So You are right when You pass sentence;
You are blameless when You judge.(BB)
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.(BC)
6 Surely You desire integrity in the inner self,
and You teach me wisdom deep within.(BD)
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(BE)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.(BF)
9 Turn Your face away[q] from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.(BG)
10 God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast[r] spirit within me.(BH)
11 Do not banish me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.(BI)
12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me,
and give me a willing spirit.[s](BJ)
13 Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.(BK)
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God,(BL)
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.(BM)
15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.(BN)
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.(BO)
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is[t] a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.(BP)
18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build[u] the walls of Jerusalem.(BQ)
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.(BR)
Footnotes
- Psalm 49:2 Lit both sons of Adam and sons of man
- Psalm 49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother
- Psalm 49:8 Or costly, it will cease forever
- Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal
- Psalm 49:12 Or honor
- Psalm 49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased
- Psalm 49:14 Hb obscure
- Psalm 49:16 Or glory
- Psalm 49:17 Or glory
- Psalm 49:20 Or with honor
- Psalm 50:1 Or The Mighty One, God, the Lord, or The God of gods, the Lord
- Psalm 50:1 Lit from the rising of the sun to its setting
- Psalm 50:2 Or God shines forth
- Psalm 50:11 LXX, Syr, Tg read heavens
- Psalm 50:17 Or and cast My words behind you
- Psalm 50:21 Lit out before your eyes
- Psalm 51:9 Lit Hide Your face
- Psalm 51:10 Or right
- Psalm 51:12 Or and sustain me with a noble spirit
- Psalm 51:17 Lit The sacrifices of God are
- Psalm 51:18 Or rebuild
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