Psalm 43-49
New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Deliverance.
43 (A)Vindicate me, O God, and (B)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
[a]O deliver me from (C)the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the (D)God of my strength; why have You (E)rejected me?
Why do I go (F)mourning [b]because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out Your (G)light and Your truth, let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your (H)holy hill
And to Your (I)dwelling places.
4 Then I will go to (J)the altar of God,
To God [c]my exceeding (K)joy;
And upon the (L)lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.
5 (M)Why are you [d]in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
[e]Hope in God, for I shall [f]again praise Him,
The [g]help of my countenance and my God.
Former Deliverances and Present Troubles.
For the choir director. A [h]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (N)fathers have told us
The (O)work that You did in their days,
In the (P)days of old.
2 You with Your own hand (Q)drove out the nations;
Then You (R)planted them;
You (S)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (T)spread them abroad.
3 For by their own sword they (U)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your (V)arm and the (W)light of Your presence,
For You (X)favored them.
4 You are (Y)my King, O God;
(Z)Command [i]victories for Jacob.
5 Through You we will (AA)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (AB)trample down those who rise up against us.
6 For I will (AC)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7 But You (AD)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have (AE)put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have (AF)boasted all day long,
And we will (AG)give thanks to Your name forever. [j]Selah.
9 Yet You (AH)have rejected us and brought us to (AI)dishonor,
And (AJ)do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to (AK)turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us (AL)have taken spoil for themselves.
11 You give us as (AM)sheep [k]to be eaten
And have (AN)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (AO)sell Your people [l]cheaply,
And have not [m]profited by their sale.
13 You make us a (AP)reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and a (AQ)derision to those around us.
14 You make us (AR)a byword among the nations,
A [n](AS)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [o]my (AT)humiliation has overwhelmed me,
16 Because of the voice of him who (AU)reproaches and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (AV)enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, but we have (AW)not forgotten You,
And we have not (AX)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not (AY)turned back,
And our steps (AZ)have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have (BA)crushed us in a place of (BB)jackals
And covered us with (BC)the shadow of death.
20 If we had (BD)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our [p]hands to (BE)a strange god,
21 Would not God (BF)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But (BG)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as (BH)sheep to be slaughtered.
23 (BI)Arouse Yourself, why (BJ)do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, (BK)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (BL)hide Your face
And (BM)forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our (BN)soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26 (BO)Rise up, be our help,
And (BP)redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.
A Song Celebrating the King’s Marriage.
For the choir director; according to the [q]Shoshannim. A [r]Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
45 My heart [s]overflows with a good theme;
I [t]address my [u]verses to the [v]King;
My tongue is the pen of (BQ)a ready writer.
2 You are fairer than the sons of men;
(BR)Grace is poured [w]upon Your lips;
Therefore God has (BS)blessed You forever.
3 Gird (BT)Your sword on Your thigh, O [x](BU)Mighty One,
In Your splendor and Your majesty!
4 And in Your majesty ride on victoriously,
For the cause of truth and (BV)meekness and righteousness;
Let Your (BW)right hand teach You [y]awesome things.
5 Your (BX)arrows are sharp;
The (BY)peoples fall under You;
Your arrows are (BZ)in the heart of the King’s enemies.
6 (CA)Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of (CB)uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You have (CC)loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has (CD)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
8 All Your garments are fragrant with (CE)myrrh and aloes and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces (CF)stringed instruments have made You glad.
9 Kings’ daughters are among (CG)Your noble ladies;
At Your (CH)right hand stands the queen in (CI)gold from Ophir.
10 Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:
(CJ)Forget your people and your father’s house;
11 Then the King will desire your beauty.
Because He is your (CK)Lord, (CL)bow down to Him.
12 The daughter of (CM)Tyre will come with a gift;
The (CN)rich among the people will seek your favor.
13 The King’s daughter is all glorious within;
Her clothing is (CO)interwoven with gold.
14 She will be (CP)led to the King (CQ)in embroidered work;
The (CR)virgins, her companions who follow her,
Will be brought to You.
15 They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing;
They will enter into the King’s palace.
16 In place of your fathers will be your sons;
You shall make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause (CS)Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the peoples (CT)will give You thanks forever and ever.
God the Refuge of His People.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, [z]set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our (CU)refuge and strength,
[aa]A very (CV)present help (CW)in [ab]trouble.
2 Therefore we will (CX)not fear, though (CY)the earth should change
And though (CZ)the mountains slip into the heart of the [ac]sea;
3 Though its (DA)waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [ad]Selah.
4 There is a (DB)river whose streams make glad the (DC)city of God,
The holy (DD)dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is (DE)in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will (DF)help her [ae]when morning dawns.
6 The [af]nations (DG)made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [ag](DH)raised His voice, the earth (DI)melted.
7 The Lord of hosts (DJ)is with us;
The God of Jacob is (DK)our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come, (DL)behold the works of the Lord,
[ah]Who has wrought (DM)desolations in the earth.
9 He (DN)makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He (DO)breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He (DP)burns the chariots with fire.
10 “[ai]Cease striving and (DQ)know that I am God;
I will be (DR)exalted among the [aj]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
God the King of the Earth.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
47 O (DS)clap your hands, all peoples;
(DT)Shout to God with the voice of [ak]joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is to be (DU)feared,
A (DV)great King over all the earth.
3 He (DW)subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our (DX)inheritance for us,
The (DY)glory of Jacob whom He loves. [al]Selah.
5 God has (DZ)ascended [am]with a shout,
The Lord, [an]with the (EA)sound of a trumpet.
6 (EB)Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to (EC)our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the (ED)King of all the earth;
Sing praises (EE)with a [ao]skillful psalm.
8 God (EF)reigns over the nations,
God [ap]sits on (EG)His holy throne.
9 The [aq](EH)princes of the people have assembled themselves as the (EI)people of the God of Abraham,
For the (EJ)shields of the earth belong to God;
He [ar]is (EK)highly exalted.
The Beauty and Glory of Zion.
A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
48 (EL)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
In the (EM)city of our God, His (EN)holy mountain.
2 (EO)Beautiful in elevation, (EP)the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The (EQ)city of the great King.
3 God, in her palaces,
Has made Himself known as a (ER)stronghold.
4 For, lo, the (ES)kings assembled themselves,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were (ET)terrified, they [as]fled in alarm.
6 [at]Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as of (EU)a woman in childbirth.
7 With the (EV)east wind
You (EW)break the (EX)ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God will (EY)establish her forever. [au]Selah.
9 We have thought on (EZ)Your lovingkindness, O God,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 As is Your (FA)name, O God,
So is Your (FB)praise to the ends of the earth;
Your (FC)right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount (FD)Zion be glad,
Let the (FE)daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion and go around her;
Count her (FF)towers;
13 Consider her (FG)ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
That you may (FH)tell it to the next generation.
14 For [av]such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will (FI)guide us [aw]until death.
The Folly of Trusting in Riches.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 (FJ)Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all (FK)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both (FL)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (FM)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (FN)understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (FO)a proverb;
(FP)I will [ax]express my (FQ)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (FR)fear in days of adversity,
When the iniquity of my [ay]foes surrounds me,
6 Even those who (FS)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No man can by any means (FT)redeem his brother
Or give to God a (FU)ransom for him—
8 For (FV)the redemption of [az]his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
9 That he should (FW)live on eternally,
That he should not [ba](FX)undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even (FY)wise men die;
The (FZ)stupid and the senseless alike perish
And (GA)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [bb](GB)inner thought is that their houses (GC)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (GD)called their lands after their own names.
12 But (GE)man in his [bc]pomp will not endure;
He is like the [bd]beasts that [be]perish.
13 This is the (GF)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who (GG)approve their words. [bf]Selah.
14 As sheep they are appointed (GH)for [bg]Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
And the (GI)upright shall rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for [bh]Sheol (GJ)to consume
[bi]So that they have no habitation.
15 But God will (GK)redeem my soul from the [bj]power of [bk]Sheol,
For (GL)He will receive me. Selah.
16 Do not be afraid (GM)when a man becomes rich,
When the [bl]glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he will (GN)carry nothing away;
His [bm]glory will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he (GO)congratulates [bn]himself—
And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 [bo]He shall (GP)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see (GQ)the light.
20 (GR)Man in his [bp]pomp, yet without understanding,
Is (GS)like the [bq]beasts that [br]perish.
Footnotes
- Psalm 43:1 Or May You
- Psalm 43:2 Or while the enemy oppresses
- Psalm 43:4 Lit the gladness of my joy
- Psalm 43:5 Or sunk down
- Psalm 43:5 Or Wait for
- Psalm 43:5 Or still
- Psalm 43:5 Or saving acts of
- Psalm 44:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 44:4 Lit salvation
- Psalm 44:8 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
- Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
- Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
- Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
- Psalm 44:15 Lit the shame of my face has covered me
- Psalm 44:20 Lit palms
- Psalm 45:1 Or possibly Lilies
- Psalm 45:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 45:1 Lit is astir
- Psalm 45:1 Lit am saying
- Psalm 45:1 Lit works
- Psalm 45:1 Probably refers to Solomon as a type of Christ
- Psalm 45:2 Or through
- Psalm 45:3 Or warrior
- Psalm 45:4 Or fearful
- Psalm 46:1 Possibly for soprano voices
- Psalm 46:1 Or Abundantly available for help
- Psalm 46:1 Or tight places
- Psalm 46:2 Lit seas
- Psalm 46:3 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 46:5 Lit at the turning of the morning
- Psalm 46:6 Or Gentiles
- Psalm 46:6 Lit gave forth
- Psalm 46:8 Or Which He has wrought as desolations
- Psalm 46:10 Or Let go, relax
- Psalm 46:10 Or Gentiles
- Psalm 47:1 Or a ringing cry
- Psalm 47:4 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 47:5 Or amid
- Psalm 47:5 Or amid
- Psalm 47:7 Heb Maskil
- Psalm 47:8 Or has taken His seat
- Psalm 47:9 Or nobles
- Psalm 47:9 Lit has greatly exalted Himself
- Psalm 48:5 Lit were hurried away
- Psalm 48:6 Lit Trembling
- Psalm 48:8 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 48:14 Lit this
- Psalm 48:14 Lit upon; some mss and the Gr read forever
- Psalm 49:4 Lit open up
- Psalm 49:5 Lit supplanters
- Psalm 49:8 Lit their
- Psalm 49:9 Or see corruption or the pit
- Psalm 49:11 Some versions read graves are their houses
- Psalm 49:12 Lit honor
- Psalm 49:12 Or animals
- Psalm 49:12 Lit are destroyed
- Psalm 49:13 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 49:14 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 49:14 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 49:14 Lit Away from his habitation
- Psalm 49:15 Lit hand
- Psalm 49:15 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 49:16 Or wealth
- Psalm 49:17 Or wealth
- Psalm 49:18 Lit his soul
- Psalm 49:19 Lit You; or It
- Psalm 49:20 Lit honor
- Psalm 49:20 Or animals
- Psalm 49:20 Lit are destroyed
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
