Psalm 48
New Living Translation
Psalm 48
A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 How great is the Lord,
how deserving of praise,
in the city of our God,
which sits on his holy mountain!
2 It is high and magnificent;
the whole earth rejoices to see it!
Mount Zion, the holy mountain,[a]
is the city of the great King!
3 God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers,
revealing himself as its defender.
4 The kings of the earth joined forces
and advanced against the city.
5 But when they saw it, they were stunned;
they were terrified and ran away.
6 They were gripped with terror
and writhed in pain like a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish
shattered by a powerful east wind.
8 We had heard of the city’s glory,
but now we have seen it ourselves—
the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
It is the city of our God;
he will make it safe forever. Interlude
9 O God, we meditate on your unfailing love
as we worship in your Temple.
10 As your name deserves, O God,
you will be praised to the ends of the earth.
Your strong right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice.
Let all the towns of Judah be glad
because of your justice.
12 Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.[b]
Walk around and count the many towers.
13 Take note of the fortified walls,
and tour all the citadels,
that you may describe them
to future generations.
14 For that is what God is like.
He is our God forever and ever,
and he will guide us until we die.
Psalm 48
Lexham English Bible
The Greatness of God in Zion
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.[a]
48 Yahweh is great and very worthy of praise
in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.[b]
2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
is Mount Zion,[c] in the far north,[d]
the city of the great king.
3 God is in her citadels;
he is known as a high stronghold.
4 For see, the kings assembled;[e]
they advanced together.
5 They themselves saw[f] it, so they were astonished.
They were terrified; they ran off.
6 Trembling seized them there—
pain as of a woman in labor.
7 With an east wind
you shatter[g] the ships of Tarshish.[h]
8 As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of Yahweh of hosts, in the city of our God.
God will establish her forever. Selah
9 We have pondered your loyal love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 As is 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[i] rejoice;
let the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion and circle it;
count her towers.
13 Consider well[j] her ramparts.
Go through her citadels
so that you can tell the next generation
14 that this is God, our God forever and ever.
He himself[k] will guide us until death.
Footnotes
- Psalm 48:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 48:1 Literally “mountain of holiness”
- Psalm 48:2 Literally “the mountain of Zion”
- Psalm 48:2 Literally “far of north”; the word translated “north” could refer to Mount Zaphon
- Psalm 48:4 That is, preparing for battle
- Psalm 48:5 Literally “They, they saw”
- Psalm 48:7 A few Hebrew manuscripts read “like an east wind that shatters”
- Psalm 48:7 That is, ships that can sail to Tarshish, i.e. well built, able to traverse great distances
- Psalm 48:11 Literally “the mountain of Zion”
- Psalm 48:13 Literally “Set your heart to”
- Psalm 48:14 Literally “he, he will …”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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