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Psalm 44-49
New King James Version
Psalm 44-49
New King James Version
Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor
To the Chief Musician. A (A)Contemplation[a] of the sons of Korah.
44 We have heard with our ears, O God,
(B)Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
2 (C)You drove out the [b]nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
3 For (D)they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
(E)Because You favored them.
4 (F)You are my King, [c]O God;
[d]Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You (G)we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
6 For (H)I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
8 (I)In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah
9 But (J)You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
10 You make us (K)turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken [e]spoil for themselves.
11 (L)You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have (M)scattered us among the nations.
12 (N)You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.
13 (O)You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 (P)You make us a byword among the nations,
(Q)A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
(R)Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 (S)All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
(T)Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19 But You have severely broken us in (U)the place of jackals,
And covered us (V)with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or (W)stretched[f] out our hands to a foreign god,
21 (X)Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 (Y)Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 (Z)Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 (AA)Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For (AB)our soul is bowed down to the [g]dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride
To the Chief Musician. (AC)Set to [h]“The Lilies.” A [i]Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
45 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a [j]ready writer.
2 You are fairer than the sons of men;
(AD)Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
3 [k]Gird Your (AE)sword upon Your thigh, (AF)O Mighty One,
With Your (AG)glory and Your majesty.
4 (AH)And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You.
6 (AI)Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A (AJ)scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has (AK)anointed You
With the oil of (AL)gladness more than Your companions.
8 All Your garments are (AM)scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
9 (AN)Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
(AO)At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
10 Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
(AP)Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
(AQ)Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
(AR)The rich among the people will seek your favor.
13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
14 (AS)She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.
16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
(AT)Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
17 (AU)I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.
God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song (AV)for Alamoth.
46 God is our (AW)refuge and strength,
(AX)A[l] very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the [m]midst of the sea;
3 (AY)Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a (AZ)river whose streams shall make glad the (BA)city of God,
The holy place of the [n]tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is (BB)in the midst of her, she shall not be [o]moved;
God shall help her, just [p]at the break of dawn.
6 (BC)The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The (BD)Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 (BE)He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
(BF)He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
(BG)He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
(BH)I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Praise to God, the Ruler of the Earth
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
47 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great (BI)King over all the earth.
3 (BJ)He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
4 He will choose our (BK)inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
5 (BL)God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 (BM)For God is the King of all the earth;
(BN)Sing praises with understanding.
8 (BO)God reigns over the nations;
God (BP)sits on His (BQ)holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
(BR)The people of the God of Abraham.
(BS)For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.
The Glory of God in Zion
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
48 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the (BT)city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
2 (BU)Beautiful in [q]elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
3 God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.
4 For behold, (BV)the kings assembled,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they marveled;
They were troubled, they hastened away.
6 Fear (BW)took hold of them there,
And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
7 As when You break the (BX)ships of Tarshish
With an east wind.
8 As we have heard,
So we have seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts,
In the city of our God:
God will (BY)establish it forever. Selah
9 We have thought, O God, on (BZ)Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 According to (CA)Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion rejoice,
Let the daughters of Judah be glad,
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers;
13 Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may (CB)tell it to the generation following.
14 For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
(CC)He will be our guide
[r]Even to death.
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,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my [s]dark saying on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who (CD)trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor (CE)give to God a ransom for him—
8 For (CF)the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
And (CG)not [t]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 [u]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They (CH)call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not [v]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are (CI)foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
(CJ)The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
(CK)And their beauty shall be consumed in [w]the grave, far from their dwelling.
15 But God (CL)will redeem my soul from the power of [x]the grave,
For He shall (CM)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 (CN)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 (CO)light.[y]
20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
(CP)Is like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 44:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 44:2 Gentiles, heathen
- Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. and my God
- Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. Who commands
- Psalm 44:10 plunder
- Psalm 44:20 Worshiped
- Psalm 44:25 Ground, in humiliation
- Psalm 45:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 45:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 45:1 skillful
- Psalm 45:3 Belt on
- Psalm 46:1 An abundantly available help
- Psalm 46:2 Lit. heart
- Psalm 46:4 dwelling places
- Psalm 46:5 shaken
- Psalm 46:5 Lit. at the turning of the morning
- Psalm 48:2 height
- Psalm 48:14 So with MT, Syr.; LXX, Vg. Forever
- Psalm 49:4 riddle
- Psalm 49:9 experience corruption
- Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Their graves shall be their houses forever
- Psalm 49:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. understand (cf. v. 20)
- Psalm 49:14 Or Sheol
- Psalm 49:15 Or Sheol
- Psalm 49:19 The light of life
Psalm 44-49
New International Version
Psalm 44-49
New International Version
Psalm 44[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]
1 We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.(C)
2 With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
3 It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.
4 You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,(R)
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
8 In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)
9 But now you have rejected(X) and humbled us;(Y)
you no longer go out with our armies.(Z)
10 You made us retreat(AA) before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered(AB) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(AC)
and have scattered us among the nations.(AD)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(AE)
gaining nothing from their sale.
13 You have made us a reproach(AF) to our neighbors,(AG)
the scorn(AH) and derision(AI) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(AJ) among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads(AK) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(AL) all day long,
and my face is covered with shame(AM)
16 at the taunts(AN) of those who reproach and revile(AO) me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(AP)
17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten(AQ) you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(AR) back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(AS) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(AT)
you covered us over with deep darkness.(AU)
20 If we had forgotten(AV) the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(AW)
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AX)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep(AY) to be slaughtered.(AZ)
23 Awake,(BA) Lord! Why do you sleep?(BB)
Rouse yourself!(BC) Do not reject us forever.(BD)
24 Why do you hide your face(BE)
and forget(BF) our misery and oppression?(BG)
25 We are brought down to the dust;(BH)
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(BI) and help us;
rescue(BJ) us because of your unfailing love.(BK)
Psalm 45[e]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[f] A wedding song.(BL)
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,(BM)
since God has blessed you forever.(BN)
3 Gird your sword(BO) on your side, you mighty one;(BP)
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.(BQ)
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously(BR)
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;(BS)
let your right hand(BT) achieve awesome deeds.(BU)
5 Let your sharp arrows(BV) pierce the hearts(BW) of the king’s enemies;(BX)
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God,[g] will last for ever and ever;(BY)
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness(BZ) and hate wickedness;(CA)
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing(CB) you with the oil of joy.(CC)
8 All your robes are fragrant(CD) with myrrh(CE) and aloes(CF) and cassia;(CG)
from palaces adorned with ivory(CH)
the music of the strings(CI) makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings(CJ) are among your honored women;
at your right hand(CK) is the royal bride(CL) in gold of Ophir.(CM)
10 Listen, daughter,(CN) and pay careful attention:(CO)
Forget your people(CP) and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;(CQ)
honor(CR) him, for he is your lord.(CS)
12 The city of Tyre(CT) will come with a gift,[h](CU)
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious(CV) is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.(CW)
14 In embroidered garments(CX) she is led to the king;(CY)
her virgin companions(CZ) follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,(DA)
they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes(DB) throughout the land.
17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;(DC)
therefore the nations will praise you(DD) for ever and ever.(DE)
Psalm 46[i]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[j] A song.
1 God is our refuge(DF) and strength,(DG)
an ever-present(DH) help(DI) in trouble.(DJ)
2 Therefore we will not fear,(DK) though the earth give way(DL)
and the mountains fall(DM) into the heart of the sea,(DN)
3 though its waters roar(DO) and foam(DP)
and the mountains quake(DQ) with their surging.[k]
4 There is a river(DR) whose streams(DS) make glad the city of God,(DT)
the holy place where the Most High(DU) dwells.(DV)
5 God is within her,(DW) she will not fall;(DX)
God will help(DY) her at break of day.
6 Nations(DZ) are in uproar,(EA) kingdoms(EB) fall;
he lifts his voice,(EC) the earth melts.(ED)
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,(EI)
the desolations(EJ) he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars(EK) cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow(EL) and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[l] with fire.(EM)
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;(EN)
I will be exalted(EO) among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 47[m]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
2 For the Lord Most High(ET) is awesome,(EU)
the great King(EV) over all the earth.
3 He subdued(EW) nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance(EX) for us,
the pride of Jacob,(EY) whom he loved.[n]
5 God has ascended(EZ) amid shouts of joy,(FA)
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.(FB)
6 Sing praises(FC) to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;(FD)
sing to him a psalm(FE) of praise.
8 God reigns(FF) over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.(FG)
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[o] of the earth belong to God;(FH)
he is greatly exalted.(FI)
Psalm 48[p]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(FJ) and most worthy of praise,(FK)
in the city of our God,(FL) his holy mountain.(FM)
2 Beautiful(FN) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[q](FO) is Mount Zion,(FP)
the city of the Great King.(FQ)
3 God is in her citadels;(FR)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(FS)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(FT)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(FU)
6 Trembling seized(FV) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(FW)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(FX)
shattered by an east wind.(FY)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[r](FZ)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(GA) on your unfailing love.(GB)
10 Like your name,(GC) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(GD)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(GE)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(GF)
13 consider well her ramparts,(GG)
view her citadels,(GH)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(GI)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(GJ) even to the end.
Psalm 49[s]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear(GK) this, all you peoples;(GL)
listen, all who live in this world,(GM)
2 both low and high,(GN)
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;(GO)
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.(GP)
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;(GQ)
with the harp(GR) I will expound my riddle:(GS)
5 Why should I fear(GT) when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth(GU)
and boast(GV) of their great riches?(GW)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom(GX) for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—(GY)
9 so that they should live on(GZ) forever
and not see decay.(HA)
10 For all can see that the wise die,(HB)
that the foolish and the senseless(HC) also perish,
leaving their wealth(HD) to others.(HE)
11 Their tombs(HF) will remain their houses[t] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,(HG)
though they had[u] named(HH) lands after themselves.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,(HK)
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[v]
14 They are like sheep and are destined(HL) to die;(HM)
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail(HN) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;(HO)
he will surely take me to himself.(HP)
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing(HQ) with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.(HR)
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—(HS)
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,(HT)
who will never again see the light(HU) of life.
Footnotes
- Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
- Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
- Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 45:1 In Hebrew texts 45:1-17 is numbered 45:2-18.
- Psalm 45:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 45:6 Here the king is addressed as God’s representative.
- Psalm 45:12 Or A Tyrian robe is among the gifts
- Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.
- Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term
- Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.
- Psalm 46:9 Or chariots
- Psalm 47:1 In Hebrew texts 47:1-9 is numbered 47:2-10.
- Psalm 47:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 47:9 Or shields
- Psalm 48:1 In Hebrew texts 48:1-14 is numbered 48:2-15.
- Psalm 48:2 Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
- Psalm 48:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 49:1 In Hebrew texts 49:1-20 is numbered 49:2-21.
- Psalm 49:11 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew In their thoughts their houses will remain
- Psalm 49:11 Or generations, / for they have
- Psalm 49:13 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 15.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.