The Confidence of the Foolish

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my [a]dark saying on the harp.

Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
Those who (A)trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor (B)give to God a ransom for him—
For (C)the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
That he should continue to live eternally,
And (D)not [b]see the Pit.

10 For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 [c]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They (E)call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not [d]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the way of those who are (F)foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
(G)The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
(H)And their beauty shall be consumed in [e]the grave, far from their dwelling.
15 But God (I)will redeem my soul from the power of [f]the grave,
For He shall (J)receive me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives (K)he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see (L)light.[g]
20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
(M)Is like the beasts that perish.

God the Righteous Judge

A Psalm of Asaph.

50 The (N)Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
(O)God will shine forth.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
(P)A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

(Q)He shall call to the heavens from above,
And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
“Gather (R)My saints together to Me,
(S)Those who have [h]made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
Let the (T)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (U)God Himself is Judge. Selah

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
(V)I am God, your God!
(W)I will not [i]rebuke you (X)for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
(Y)I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I 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;
(Z)For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 (AA)Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
14 (AB)Offer to God thanksgiving,
And (AC)pay your vows to the Most High.
15 (AD)Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 (AE)Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
18 When you saw a thief, you (AF)consented[j] with him,
And have been a (AG)partaker with adulterers.
19 You give your mouth to evil,
And (AH)your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
(AI)You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And (AJ)set them in order before your eyes.

22 “Now consider this, you who (AK)forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And (AL)to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”

A Prayer of Repentance

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David (AM)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
(AN)Blot out my transgressions.
(AO)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
(AP)Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil (AQ)in Your sight—
(AR)That You may be found just [k]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

(AS)Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

(AT)Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be (AU)whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken (AV)may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 (AW)Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your (AX)Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your (AY)generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For (AZ)You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 (BA)The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with (BB)the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 49:4 riddle
  2. Psalm 49:9 experience corruption
  3. Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Their graves shall be their houses forever
  4. Psalm 49:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. understand (cf. v. 20)
  5. Psalm 49:14 Or Sheol
  6. Psalm 49:15 Or Sheol
  7. Psalm 49:19 The light of life
  8. Psalm 50:5 Lit. cut
  9. Psalm 50:8 reprove
  10. Psalm 50:18 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. ran
  11. Psalm 51:4 LXX, Tg., Vg. in Your words

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