Zion, the City of Godd

48 The Lord is great and is to be highly praised

in the city of our God, on his sacred hill.e

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 for ever.

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 judgements;

let there be joy in the cities of Judah!

12 People of God, walk round 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 for ever and ever;

he will lead us for all time to come.”

The Foolishness of Trusting in Richesf

49 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 A person can never redeem himself;

he cannot pay God the price for his life,

8 because the payment for a human life is too great.

What he could pay would never be enough

9 to keep him from the grave,

to let him live for ever.

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 gravesg are their homes for ever;

there they stay for all time,

though they once had lands of their own.

12 No one’s greatness can save him from death;

he will still die like the animals.

13 See what happens to those who trust in themselves,

the fate of thoseh 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.i

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 he 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 for ever.

20 His greatness cannot save him from death;

he will still die like the animals.

True Worshipj

50 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 is round 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,k

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 was 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 honours me,

and I will surely save all who obey me.”

A Prayer for Forgiveness+l

51 Be merciful to me, O God,

because of your constant love.

Because of your great mercy

wipe away my sins!

2 Wash away all my evil

and make me clean from my sin!

3 I recognize my faults;

I am always conscious of my sins.

4* I have sinned against you—only against you—

and done what you consider evil.

So you are right in judging me;

you are justified in condemning me.

5 I have been evil from the day I was born;

from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

6 Sincerity and truth are what you require;

fill my mind with your wisdom.

7 Remove my sin, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;

and though you have crushed me and broken me,

I will be happy once again.

9 Close your eyes to my sins

and wipe out all my evil.

10 Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

11 Do not banish me from your presence;

do not take your holy spirit away from me.

12 Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you.

13 Then I will teach sinners your commands,

and they will turn back to you.

14 Spare my life, O God, and save me,m

and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.

15 Help me to speak, Lord,

and I will praise you.

16 You do not want sacrifices,

or I would offer them;

you are not pleased with burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God;

you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

18 O God, be kind to Zion and help her;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices

and with our burnt offerings;

and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

God’s Judgement and Grace+n

52 Why do you boast, great one, of your evil?

God’s faithfulness is eternal.

2 You make plans to ruin others;

your tongue is like a sharp razor.

You are always inventing lies.

3 You love evil more than good

and falsehood more than truth.

4 You love to hurt people with your words, you liar!

5 So God will ruin you for ever;

he will take hold of you and snatch you from your home;

he will remove you from the world of the living.

6 Righteous people will see this and be afraid;

then they will laugh at you and say,

7 “Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety,

but trusted instead in his great wealth

and looked for security in being wicked.”

8 But I am like an olive tree growing in the house of God;

I trust in his constant love for ever and ever.

9 I will always thank you, God, for what you have done;

in the presence of your people

I will proclaim that you are good.