Psalm 46-49

English Standard Version

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of ^(A)the Sons of Korah. According to ^(B)Alamoth.^[a] A Song.

46 God is our ^(C)refuge and strength,
    a very ^(D)present^[b] help in ^(E)trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear ^(F)though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into ^(G)the heart of the sea,
³though ^(H)its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴There is ^(I)a river whose streams make glad ^(J)the city of God,
    the holy ^(K)habitation of the Most High.
⁵^(L)God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶^(M)The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he ^(N)utters his voice, the earth ^(O)melts.
⁷^(P)The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸^(Q)Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹^(R)He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he ^(S)breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    ^(T)he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰^(U)“Be still, and know that I am God.
    ^(V)I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹^(W)The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^(X)the Sons of Korah.

47 ^(Y)Clap your hands, all peoples!
    ^(Z)Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
²For the Lord, the Most High, ^(AA)is to be feared,
    ^(AB)a great king over all the earth.
³He ^(AC)subdued peoples under us,
    and nations under our feet.
⁴He chose our ^(AD)heritage for us,
    ^(AE)the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

⁵God ^(AF)has gone up with a shout,
    the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
⁶Sing praises to God, sing praises!
    Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
⁷For God is ^(AG)the King of all the earth;
    sing praises ^(AH)with a psalm!^[c]

⁸God ^(AI)reigns over the nations;
    God sits on his holy throne.
⁹^(AJ)The princes of the peoples gather
    as the people of the God of Abraham.
For ^(AK)the shields of the earth belong to God;
    he is highly exalted!

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of ^(AL)the Sons of Korah.

48 ^(AM)Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in ^(AN)the city of our God!
His ^(AO)holy mountain, ²^(AP)beautiful in elevation,
    is ^(AQ)the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    ^(AR)the city of the great King.
³Within her citadels God
    has made himself known as a fortress.

⁴For behold, ^(AS)the kings assembled;
    they came on together.
⁵As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
    they were in panic; they took to flight.
⁶^(AT)Trembling took hold of them there,
    anguish ^(AU)as of a woman in labor.
⁷By ^(AV)the east wind you ^(AW)shattered
    the ships of ^(AX)Tarshish.
⁸As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in ^(AY)the city of our God,
    which God will ^(AZ)establish forever. Selah

⁹We have thought on your ^(BA)steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰As your ^(BB)name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to ^(BC)the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹    Let Mount ^(BD)Zion be glad!
Let ^(BE)the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments!

¹²Walk about Zion, go around her,
    number her towers,
¹³consider well her ^(BF)ramparts,
    go through her citadels,
^(BG)that you may tell the next generation
¹⁴    that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will ^(BH)guide us forever.^[d]

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^(BI)the Sons of Korah.

49 ^(BJ)Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
²^(BK)both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
³My mouth shall speak ^(BL)wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
⁴I will incline my ear to ^(BM)a proverb;
    I will solve my ^(BN)riddle to the music of the lyre.

⁵^(BO)Why should I fear in ^(BP)times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
⁶those who ^(BQ)trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
⁷Truly no man ^(BR)can ransom another,
    or ^(BS)give to God ^(BT)the price of his life,
⁸for ^(BU)the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
⁹that he should live on forever
    and ^(BV)never see the pit.

¹⁰For he sees ^(BW)that even the wise die;
    ^(BX)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and ^(BY)leave their wealth to others.
¹¹Their ^(BZ)graves are their homes forever,^[e]
    their dwelling places ^(CA)to all generations,
    though they ^(CB)called lands by their own names.
¹²Man in his pomp ^(CC)will not remain;
    ^(CD)he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the path of those who have ^(CE)foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts.^[f] Selah
¹⁴Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright ^(CF)shall rule over them in the morning.
    ^(CG)Their form shall be consumed ^(CH)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
¹⁵But God will ^(CI)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will ^(CJ)receive me. Selah

¹⁶Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
¹⁷^(CK)For when he dies he will ^(CL)carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
¹⁸For though, while he lives, he counts himself ^(CM)blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
¹⁹his soul will ^(CN)go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again ^(CO)see light.
²⁰^(CP)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Footnotes

Psalm 46:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 46:1 Or well proved
Psalm 47:7 Hebrew maskil
Psalm 48:14 Septuagint; another reading is (compare Jerome, Syriac) He will guide us beyond death
Psalm 49:11 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew Their inward thought was that their homes were forever
Psalm 49:13 Or and of those after them who approve of their boasts