Psalm 48-49

New Living Translation

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.

¹ Listen to this, all you people!
    Pay attention, everyone in the world!
² High and low,
    rich and poor—listen!
³ For my words are wise,
    and my thoughts are filled with insight.
⁴ I listen carefully to many proverbs
    and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

⁵ Why should I fear when trouble comes,
    when enemies surround me?
⁶ They trust in their wealth
    and boast of great riches.
⁷ Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death^[c]
    by paying a ransom to God.
⁸ Redemption does not come so easily,
    for no one can ever pay enough
⁹ to live forever
    and never see the grave.

¹⁰ Those who are wise must finally die,
    just like the foolish and senseless,
    leaving all their wealth behind.
¹¹ The grave^[d] is their eternal home,
    where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
¹²     but their fame will not last.
    They will die, just like animals.
¹³ This is the fate of fools,
    though they are remembered as being wise.^[e] Interlude

¹⁴ Like sheep, they are led to the grave,^[f]
    where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
    Their bodies will rot in the grave,
    far from their grand estates.
¹⁵ But as for me, God will redeem my life.
    He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude

¹⁶ So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
    and their homes become ever more splendid.
¹⁷ For when they die, they take nothing with them.
    Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
¹⁸ In this life they consider themselves fortunate
    and are applauded for their success.
¹⁹ But they will die like all before them
    and never again see the light of day.
²⁰ People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
    they will die, just like animals.