49:1 For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.
2 Pay attention, all you people,
both rich and poor.
3 I will declare a wise saying;
I will share my profound thoughts.
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother;
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price
8 (the ransom price for a human life is too high,
and people go to their final destiny),
9 so that he might continue to live forever
and not experience death.
10 Surely one sees that even wise people die;
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place.
They name their lands after themselves,
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last.
They are like animals that perish.
13 This is the destiny of fools,
and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep,
with death as their shepherd.
The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns.
Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.
15 But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol;
certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich
and his wealth multiplies.
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well.”
19 But he will join his ancestors;
they will never again see the light of day.
20 Wealthy people do not understand;
they are like animals that perish.
50:1 A psalm by Asaph.
El, God, the Lord has spoken,
and summoned the earth to come from the east and west.
2 From Zion, the most beautiful of all places,
God has come in splendor.
3 “May our God come
and not be silent.”
Consuming fire goes ahead of him,
and all around him a storm rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people.
5 He says:
“Assemble my covenant people before me,
those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 The heavens declare his fairness,
for God is judge. (Selah)
7 He says:
“Listen, my people. I am speaking!
Listen, Israel. I am accusing you.
I am God, your God!
8 I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices,
or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.
9 I do not need to take a bull from your household
or goats from your sheepfolds.
10 For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me,
as well as the cattle that graze on a thousand hills.
11 I keep track of every bird in the hills,
and the insects of the field are mine.
12 Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all it contains belong to me.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Present to God a thank offering.
Repay your vows to the Most High.
15 Pray to me when you are in trouble.
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16 God says this to the evildoer:
“How can you declare my commands,
and talk about my covenant?
17 For you hate instruction
and reject my words.
18 When you see a thief, you join him;
you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives.
19 You do damage with words,
and use your tongue to deceive.
20 You plot against your brother;
you slander your own brother.
21 When you did these things, I was silent,
so you thought I was exactly like you.
But now I will condemn you
and state my case against you.
22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God.
Otherwise I will rip you to shreds
and no one will be able to rescue you.
23 Whoever presents a thank offering honors me.
To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.”
51:1 For the music director, a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love.
Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts.
2 Wash away my wrongdoing.
Cleanse me of my sin.
3 For I am aware of my rebellious acts;
I am forever conscious of my sin.
4 Against you—you above all—I have sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
So you are just when you confront me;
you are right when you condemn me.
5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,
a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.
6 Look, you desire integrity in the inner man;
you want me to possess wisdom.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be pure;
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Grant me the ultimate joy of being forgiven.
May the bones you crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins.
Wipe away all my guilt.
10 Create for me a pure heart, O God.
Renew a resolute spirit within me.
11 Do not reject me.
Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance.
Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.
13 Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways,
and sinners will turn to you.
14 Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me.
Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, give me the words.
Then my mouth will praise you.
16 Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it;
you do not desire a burnt sacrifice.
17 The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit—
O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.
18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her.
Fortify the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will accept the proper sacrifices, burnt sacrifices and whole offerings;
then bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® copyright © 1996, 2019, used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
