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(A song and a psalm by the clan of Korah.)

The City of God

The Lord God is wonderful!
He deserves all praise
    in the city where he lives.
His holy mountain,
(A) beautiful and majestic,
    brings joy to all on earth.
Mount Zion, truly sacred,
    is home for the Great King.
God is there to defend it
and has proved to be
    its protector.

Kings joined forces
    to attack the city,
but when they saw it,
they were terrified
    and ran away.
They trembled all over
    like women giving birth
or like seagoing ships[a]
    wrecked by eastern winds.
We had heard about it,
and now we have seen it
    in the city of our God,
    the Lord All-Powerful.
This is the city that God
    will let stand forever.

Our God, here in your temple
    we think about your love.
10 You are famous and praised
    everywhere on earth,
as you win victories
    with your powerful arm.
11 Mount Zion will celebrate,
and all Judah will be glad,
    because you bring justice.

12 Let's walk around Zion
    and count its towers.
13 We will see its strong walls
    and visit each fortress.
Then you can say
    to future generations,
14 “Our God is like this forever
    and will always[b] guide us.”

(A psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)

Don't Depend on Wealth

Everyone on this earth,
    now listen to what I say!
Listen, no matter who you are,
    rich or poor.
I speak words of wisdom,
    and my thoughts make sense.
I have in mind a mystery
that I will explain
    while playing my harp.

Why should I be afraid
    in times of trouble,
when I am surrounded
    by vicious enemies?
They trust in their riches
and brag about
    all their wealth.
You cannot buy back your life
    or pay off God!
It costs far too much
    to buy back your life.
You can never pay God enough
to stay alive forever
    and safe from death.

10 (B) We see that wise people die,
    and so do stupid fools.
Then their money is left
    for someone else.
11 The grave[c] will be their home
    forever and ever,
although they once had land
    of their own.
12 Our human glory disappears,
    and, like animals, we die.

13 Here is what happens to fools
and to those who trust
    the words of fools:[d]
14 They are like sheep
with death as their shepherd,
    leading them to the grave.
In the morning God's people
    will walk all over them,[e]
as their bodies lie rotting
    in their home, the grave.
15 But God will rescue me
    from the power of death.

16 Don't let it bother you
when others get rich
    and live in luxury.
17 Soon they will die
and all their wealth
    will be left behind.

18 We humans are praised
    when we do well,
and all of us are glad
    to be alive.
19 But we each will go down
    to our ancestors,
never again to see
    the light of day.
20 Our human glory disappears,
    and, like animals, we die.

(A psalm by Asaph.)

What Pleases God

From east to west,
    the powerful Lord God
has been calling together
    everyone on earth.
God shines brightly from Zion,
    the most beautiful city.

Our God approaches,
    but not silently;
a flaming fire comes first,
    and a storm surrounds him.
God comes to judge his people.
He shouts to the heavens
    and to the earth,
“Call my followers together!
They offered me a sacrifice,
    and we made an agreement.”

The heavens announce,
“God is the judge,
    and he is always honest.”

My people, I am God!
    Israel, I am your God.
Listen to my charges
    against you.
Although you offer sacrifices
    and always bring gifts,
I won't accept your offerings
    of bulls and goats.

10 Every animal in the forest
    belongs to me,
and so do the cattle
    on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds
    in the mountains,
and every wild creature
    is in my care.

12 If I were hungry,
    I wouldn't tell you,
because I own the world
    and everything in it.
13 I don't eat the meat of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats.
14 I am God Most High!
    The only sacrifice I want
is for you to be thankful
    and to keep your word.
15 Pray to me in time of trouble.
I will rescue you,
    and you will honor me.

16 But to the wicked I say:
    “You don't have the right
to mention my laws or claim
    to keep our agreement!
17 You refused correction
    and rejected my commands.
18 You made friends
    with every crook you met,
and you liked people who break
    their wedding vows.
19 You talked only about violence
    and told nothing but lies;
20 you sat around gossiping,
ruining the reputation
    of your own relatives.”

21 When you did all this,
I didn't say a word,
    and you thought,
“God is just like us!”
    But now I will accuse you.
22 You have ignored me!
    So pay close attention
or I will tear you apart,
    and no one can help you.

23 The sacrifice that honors me
    is a thankful heart.
Obey me,[f] and I, your God,
    will show my power to save.

Footnotes

  1. 48.7 seagoing ships: The Hebrew text has “ships of Tarshish,” which probably means large, seagoing ships.
  2. 48.14 always: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 49.11 The grave: Some ancient translations; Hebrew “Their inward thoughts.”
  4. 49.13 and to those … fools: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. 49.14 as their shepherd … over them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 50.23 Obey me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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