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Psalm 48-50
The Message
Psalm 48-50
The Message
48 1-3 God majestic,
praise abounds in our God-city!
His sacred mountain,
breathtaking in its heights—earth’s joy.
Zion Mountain looms in the North,
city of the world-King.
God in his citadel peaks
undefeatable.
4-6 The kings got together,
they united and came.
They took one look and shook their heads,
they scattered and ran away.
They doubled up in pain
like a woman having a baby.
7-8 You smashed the ships of Tarshish
with a storm out of the East.
We heard about it, then we saw it
with our eyes—
In God’s city of Angel Armies,
in the city our God
Set on firm foundations,
firm forever.
9-10 We pondered your love-in-action, God,
waiting in your temple:
Your name, God, evokes a train
of Hallelujahs wherever
It is spoken, near and far;
your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.
11 Be glad, Zion Mountain;
Dance, Judah’s daughters!
He does what he said he’d do!
12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure,
count her fortress peaks,
Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,
climb her citadel heights—
Then you can tell the next generation
detail by detail the story of God,
Our God forever,
who guides us till the end of time.
49 1-2 Listen, everyone, listen—
earth-dwellers, don’t miss this.
All you haves
and have-nots,
All together now: listen.
3-4 I set plainspoken wisdom before you,
my heart-seasoned understandings of life.
I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise,
I solve life’s riddle with the help of a harp.
5-6 So why should I fear in bad times,
hemmed in by enemy malice,
Shoved around by bullies,
demeaned by the arrogant rich?
7-9 Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue,
pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
The cost of rescue is beyond our means,
and even then it doesn’t guarantee
Life forever, or insurance
against the Black Hole.
10-11 Anyone can see that the brightest and best die,
wiped out right along with fools and idiots.
They leave all their prowess behind,
move into their new home, The Coffin,
The cemetery their permanent address.
And to think they named counties after themselves!
12 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.
13-15 This is what happens to those who live for the moment,
who only look out for themselves:
Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;
they disappear down the gullet of the grave;
They waste away to nothing—
nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.
But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death,
he reaches down and grabs me.
16-19 So don’t be impressed with those who get rich
and pile up fame and fortune.
They can’t take it with them;
fame and fortune all get left behind.
Just when they think they’ve arrived
and folks praise them because they’ve made good,
They enter the family burial plot
where they’ll never see sunshine again.
20 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.
50 1-3 The God of gods—it’s God!—speaks out, shouts, “Earth!”
welcomes the sun in the east,
farewells the disappearing sun in the west.
From the dazzle of Zion,
God blazes into view.
Our God makes his entrance,
he’s not shy in his coming.
Starbursts of fireworks precede him.
4-5 He summons heaven and earth as a jury,
he’s taking his people to court:
“Round up my saints who swore
on the Bible their loyalty to me.”
6 The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of this court,
that here God is judge.
7-15 “Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;
Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
speaking to you.
I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,
the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?
All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
or drink drafts of goats’ blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you’re in trouble—
I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”
16-21 Next, God calls up the wicked:
“What are you up to, quoting my laws,
talking like we are good friends?
You never answer the door when I call;
you treat my words like garbage.
If you find a thief, you make him your buddy;
adulterers are your friends of choice.
Your mouth drools filth;
lying is a serious art form with you.
You stab your own brother in the back,
rip off your little sister.
I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;
you thought I went along with your game.
I’m calling you on the carpet, now,
laying your wickedness out in plain sight.
22-23 “Time’s up for playing fast and
loose with me.
I’m ready to pass sentence,
and there’s no help in sight!
It’s the praising life that honors me.
As soon as you set your foot on the Way,
I’ll show you my salvation.”
Psalm 48-50
New International Version
Psalm 48-50
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.
Psalm 50
A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,(BO)
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.(BP)
2 From Zion,(BQ) perfect in beauty,(BR)
God shines forth.(BS)
3 Our God comes(BT)
and will not be silent;(BU)
a fire devours(BV) before him,(BW)
and around him a tempest(BX) rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth,(BY) that he may judge his people:(BZ)
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,(CA)
who made a covenant(CB) with me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim(CC) his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.[h][i](CD)
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify(CE) against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.(CF)
8 I bring no charges(CG) against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings,(CH) which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull(CI) from your stall
or of goats(CJ) from your pens,(CK)
10 for every animal of the forest(CL) is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.(CM)
11 I know every bird(CN) in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields(CO) are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world(CP) is mine, and all that is in it.(CQ)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings(CR) to God,
fulfill your vows(CS) to the Most High,(CT)
15 and call(CU) on me in the day of trouble;(CV)
I will deliver(CW) you, and you will honor(CX) me.”
16 But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant(CY) on your lips?(CZ)
17 You hate(DA) my instruction
and cast my words behind(DB) you.
18 When you see a thief, you join(DC) with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.(DD)
19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.(DE)
20 You sit and testify against your brother(DF)
and slander your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things and I kept silent,(DG)
you thought I was exactly[j] like you.
But I now arraign(DH) you
and set my accusations(DI) before you.
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.
- Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
- Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
- Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
- Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.