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Psalm 45

Ode for a Royal Wedding

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.

My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.(A)

You are the most handsome of men;
    grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.(B)
Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
    in your glory and majesty.(C)

In your majesty ride on victoriously
    for the cause of truth and to defend[a] the right;
    let your right hand teach you dread deeds.(D)
Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king’s enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.

Your throne, O God,[b] endures forever and ever.
    Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;(E)
    you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;(F)
    your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;(G)
    daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.(H)

10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
    forget your people and your father’s house,(I)
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;(J)
12     Daughter Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people(K) 13     with all kinds of wealth.

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;[c](L)
14     in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
    behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.(M)
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.

16 In the place of ancestors you, O king,[d] shall have sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.(N)
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
    therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.(O)

Footnotes

  1. 45.4 Cn: Heb and the meekness of
  2. 45.6 Or Your throne is a throne of God, it
  3. 45.13 Or people. All glorious is the princess within, gold embroidery is her clothing
  4. 45.16 Heb lacks O king

23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better,(A) 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that, by my presence again with you, your boast might abound in Christ Jesus because of me.(B)

27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel 28 and in no way frightened by those opposing you. For them, this is evidence of their destruction but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.(C) 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well,(D) 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.(E)

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23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better,(A) 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that, by my presence again with you, your boast might abound in Christ Jesus because of me.(B)

27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel 28 and in no way frightened by those opposing you. For them, this is evidence of their destruction but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.(C) 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well,(D) 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.(E)

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Psalm 47

God’s Rule over the Nations

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
    shout to God with loud songs of joy.(A)
For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
    a great king over all the earth.(B)
He subdued peoples under us
    and nations under our feet.(C)
He chose our heritage for us,
    the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah(D)

God has gone up with a shout,
    the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.(E)
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
    sing praises to our King, sing praises.(F)
For God is the king of all the earth;
    sing praises with a psalm.[a](G)

God is king over the nations;
    God sits on his holy throne.(H)
The princes of the peoples gather
    as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
    he is highly exalted.(I)

Footnotes

  1. 47.7 Heb Maskil

Psalm 48

The Glory and Strength of Zion

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,(A) beautiful in elevation,
    is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    the city of the great King.(B)
Within its citadels God
    has shown himself a sure defense.(C)

Then the kings assembled;
    they came on together.(D)
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
    they were in panic; they took to flight;(E)
trembling took hold of them there,
    pains as of a woman in labor,
as when an east wind shatters
    the ships of Tarshish.(F)
As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
    which God establishes forever. Selah

We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise,
    reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.(G)
11     Let Mount Zion be glad;
let the towns[a] of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments.(H)

12 Walk about Zion; go all around it;
    count its towers;
13 consider well its ramparts;
    go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation(I)
14     that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will be our guide forever.(J)

Footnotes

  1. 48.11 Heb daughters