Psalm 48-50

New Living Translation

¹ How great is the Lord,
    how deserving of praise,
in the city of our God,
    which sits on his holy mountain!
² It is high and magnificent;
    the whole earth rejoices to see it!
Mount Zion, the holy mountain,^[a]
    is the city of the great King!
³ God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers,
    revealing himself as its defender.

⁴ The kings of the earth joined forces
    and advanced against the city.
⁵ But when they saw it, they were stunned;
    they were terrified and ran away.
⁶ They were gripped with terror
    and writhed in pain like a woman in labor.
⁷ You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish
    shattered by a powerful east wind.

⁸ We had heard of the city’s glory,
    but now we have seen it ourselves—
    the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
It is the city of our God;
    he will make it safe forever. Interlude

⁹ O God, we meditate on your unfailing love
    as we worship in your Temple.
¹⁰ As your name deserves, O God,
    you will be praised to the ends of the earth.
    Your strong right hand is filled with victory.
¹¹ Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.
    Let all the towns of Judah be glad
    because of your justice.

¹² Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.^[b]
    Walk around and count the many towers.
¹³ Take note of the fortified walls,
    and tour all the citadels,
that you may describe them
    to future generations.
¹⁴ For that is what God is like.
    He is our God forever and ever,
    and he will guide us until we die.

¹ Listen to this, all you people!
    Pay attention, everyone in the world!
² High and low,
    rich and poor—listen!
³ For my words are wise,
    and my thoughts are filled with insight.
⁴ I listen carefully to many proverbs
    and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

⁵ Why should I fear when trouble comes,
    when enemies surround me?
⁶ They trust in their wealth
    and boast of great riches.
⁷ Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death^[c]
    by paying a ransom to God.
⁸ Redemption does not come so easily,
    for no one can ever pay enough
⁹ to live forever
    and never see the grave.

¹⁰ Those who are wise must finally die,
    just like the foolish and senseless,
    leaving all their wealth behind.
¹¹ The grave^[d] is their eternal home,
    where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
¹²     but their fame will not last.
    They will die, just like animals.
¹³ This is the fate of fools,
    though they are remembered as being wise.^[e] Interlude

¹⁴ Like sheep, they are led to the grave,^[f]
    where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
    Their bodies will rot in the grave,
    far from their grand estates.
¹⁵ But as for me, God will redeem my life.
    He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude

¹⁶ So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
    and their homes become ever more splendid.
¹⁷ For when they die, they take nothing with them.
    Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
¹⁸ In this life they consider themselves fortunate
    and are applauded for their success.
¹⁹ But they will die like all before them
    and never again see the light of day.
²⁰ People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
    they will die, just like animals.

¹ The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
    and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
    from where the sun rises to where it sets.
² From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines in glorious radiance.
³ Our God approaches,
    and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way,
    and a great storm rages around him.
⁴ He 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.”
⁶ Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,
    for God himself will be the judge. Interlude

⁷ “O my people, listen as I speak.
    Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
    I am God, your God!
⁸ I have no complaint about your sacrifices
    or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.
⁹ But I do not need the bulls from your barns
    or the goats from your pens.
¹⁰ For all the animals of the forest are mine,
    and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird on the mountains,
    and all the animals of the field are mine.
¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for all the world is mine and everything in it.
¹³ Do I eat the meat of bulls?
    Do I drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.”

¹⁶ But God says to the wicked:
“Why bother reciting my decrees
    and pretending to obey my covenant?
¹⁷ For you refuse my discipline
    and treat my words like trash.
¹⁸ When you see thieves, you approve of them,
    and you spend your time with adulterers.
¹⁹ Your mouth is filled with wickedness,
    and your tongue is full of lies.
²⁰ You sit around and slander your brother—
    your own mother’s son.
²¹ While 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.
²² Repent, all of you who forget me,
    or I will tear you apart,
    and no one will help you.
²³ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
    If you keep to my path,
    I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”