Psalms 46; Psalms 47; Psalms 48; Psalms 49; Psalms 50

Psalms 46

1 God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths;

3 even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence.

4 There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, to the sacred house of the Most High.

5 God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed; at early dawn he will come to its aid.

6 Nations are terrified, kingdoms are shaken; God thunders, and the earth dissolves.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done. See what amazing things he has done on earth.

9 He stops wars all over the world; he breaks bows, destroys spears, and sets shields on fire.

10 "Stop fighting," he says, "and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the world."

11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Psalms 47

1 Clap your hands for joy, all peoples! Praise God with loud songs!

2 The Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; he is a great king, ruling over all the world.

3 He gave us victory over the peoples; he made us rule over the nations.

4 He chose for us the land where we live, the proud possession of his people, whom he loves.

5 God goes up to his throne. There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets, as the Lord goes up.

6 Sing praise to God; sing praise to our king!

7 God is king over all the world; praise him with songs!

8 God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations.

9 The rulers of the nations assemble with the people of the God of Abraham. More powerful than all armies is he; he rules supreme.

Psalms 48

1 The Lord is great and is to be highly praised in the city of our God, on his sacred hill.

2 Zion, the mountain of God, is high and beautiful; the city of the great king brings joy to all the world.

3 God has shown that there is safety with him inside the fortresses of the city.

4 The kings gathered together and came to attack Mount Zion.

5 But when they saw it, they were amazed; they were afraid and ran away.

6 There they were seized with fear and anguish, like a woman about to bear a child,

7 like ships tossing in a furious storm.

8 We have heard what God has done, and now we have seen it in the city of our God, the Lord Almighty; he will keep the city safe forever.

9 Inside your Temple, O God, we think of your constant love.

10 You are praised by people everywhere, and your fame extends over all the earth. You rule with justice;

11 let the people of Zion be glad! You give right judgments; let there be joy in the cities of Judah!

12 People of God, walk around Zion and count the towers;

13 take notice of the walls and examine the fortresses, so that you may tell the next generation:

14 "This God is our God forever and ever; he will lead us for all time to come."

Psalms 49

1 Hear this, everyone! Listen, all people everywhere,

2 great and small alike, rich and poor together.

3 My thoughts will be clear; I will speak words of wisdom.

4 I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

5 I am not afraid in times of danger when I am surrounded by enemies,

6 by evil people who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth.

7 We can never redeem ourselves; we cannot pay God the price for our lives,

8 because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough

9 to keep us from the grave, to let us live forever.

10 Anyone can see that even the wise die, as well as the foolish and stupid. They all leave their riches to their descendants.

11 Their graves are their homes forever; there they stay for all time, though they once had lands of their own.

12 Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.

13 See what happens to those who trust in themselves, the fate of those who are satisfied with their wealth -

14 they are doomed to die like sheep, and Death will be their shepherd. The righteous will triumph over them, as their bodies quickly decay in the world of the dead far from their homes.

15 But God will rescue me; he will save me from the power of death.

16 Don't be upset when someone becomes rich, when his wealth grows even greater;

17 he cannot take it with him when he dies; his wealth will not go with him to the grave.

18 Even if someone is satisfied with this life and is praised because he is successful,

19 he will join all his ancestors in death, where the darkness lasts forever.

20 Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.

Psalms 50

1 The Almighty God, the Lord, speaks; he calls to the whole earth from east to west.

2 God shines from Zion, the city perfect in its beauty.

3 Our God is coming, but not in silence; a raging fire is in front of him, a furious storm around him.

4 He calls heaven and earth as witnesses to see him judge his people.

5 He says, "Gather my faithful people to me, those who made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice."

6 The heavens proclaim that God is righteous, that he himself is judge.

7 "Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God.

8 I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices and the burnt offerings you always bring me.

9 And yet I do not need bulls from your farms or goats from your flocks;

10 all the animals in the forest are mine and the cattle on thousands of hills.

11 All the wild birds are mine and all living things in the fields.

12 "If I were hungry, I would not ask you for food, for the world and everything in it is mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

14 Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God, and give the Almighty all that you promised.

15 Call to me when trouble comes; I will save you, and you will praise me."

16 But God says to the wicked, "Why should you recite my commandments? Why should you talk about my covenant?

17 You refuse to let me correct you; you reject my commands.

18 You become the friend of every thief you see, and you associate with adulterers.

19 "You are always ready to speak evil; you never hesitate to tell lies.

20 You are ready to accuse your own relatives and to find fault with them.

21 You have done all this, and I have said nothing, so you thought that I am like you. But now I reprimand you and make the matter plain to you.

22 "Listen to this, you that ignore me, or I will destroy you, and there will be no one to save you.

23 Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me, and I will surely save all who obey me."