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Psalm 48-49
English Standard Version
Psalm 48-49
English Standard Version
Zion, the City of Our God
A Song. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.
48 (B)Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in (C)the city of our God!
His (D)holy mountain, 2 (E)beautiful in elevation,
is (F)the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
(G)the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God
has made himself known as a fortress.
4 For behold, (H)the kings assembled;
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight.
6 (I)Trembling took hold of them there,
anguish (J)as of a woman in labor.
7 By (K)the east wind you (L)shattered
the ships of (M)Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in (N)the city of our God,
which God will (O)establish forever. Selah
9 We have thought on your (P)steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 As your (Q)name, O God,
so your praise reaches to (R)the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Let Mount (S)Zion be glad!
Let (T)the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments!
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
number her towers,
13 consider well her (U)ramparts,
go through her citadels,
(V)that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will (W)guide us forever.[a]
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (X)the Sons of Korah.
49 (Y)Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 (Z)both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak (AA)wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (AB)a proverb;
I will solve my (AC)riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 (AD)Why should I fear in (AE)times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who (AF)trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man (AG)can ransom another,
or (AH)give to God (AI)the price of his life,
8 for (AJ)the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and (AK)never see the pit.
10 For he sees (AL)that even the wise die;
(AM)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and (AN)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (AO)graves are their homes forever,[b]
their dwelling places (AP)to all generations,
though they (AQ)called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp (AR)will not remain;
(AS)he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have (AT)foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts.[c] Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright (AU)shall rule over them in the morning.
(AV)Their form shall be consumed (AW)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will (AX)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will (AY)receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17 (AZ)For when he dies he will (BA)carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself (BB)blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will (BC)go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again (BD)see light.
20 (BE)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Footnotes
- 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
Psalm 48-49
New International Version
Psalm 48-49
New International Version
Psalm 48[a]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)
2 Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
the city of the Great King.(H)
3 God is in her citadels;(I)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(K)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(L)
6 Trembling seized(M) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
shattered by an east wind.(P)
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.[c](Q)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(R) on your unfailing love.(S)
10 Like your name,(T) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(U)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(V)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(W)
13 consider well her ramparts,(X)
view her citadels,(Y)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(Z)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AA) even to the end.
Psalm 49[d]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear(AB) this, all you peoples;(AC)
listen, all who live in this world,(AD)
2 both low and high,(AE)
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;(AF)
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.(AG)
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;(AH)
with the harp(AI) I will expound my riddle:(AJ)
5 Why should I fear(AK) when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth(AL)
and boast(AM) of their great riches?(AN)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom(AO) for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—(AP)
9 so that they should live on(AQ) forever
and not see decay.(AR)
10 For all can see that the wise die,(AS)
that the foolish and the senseless(AT) also perish,
leaving their wealth(AU) to others.(AV)
11 Their tombs(AW) will remain their houses[e] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,(AX)
though they had[f] named(AY) lands after themselves.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,(BB)
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[g]
14 They are like sheep and are destined(BC) to die;(BD)
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail(BE) 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;(BF)
he will surely take me to himself.(BG)
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing(BH) with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.(BI)
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—(BJ)
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,(BK)
who will never again see the light(BL) of life.
Footnotes
- 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.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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.