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Psalm 48

A song of the sons of Korah.

The Eternal is great and mighty, worthy of great praise
    in the city of our True God, upon His holy mountain.
Situated high above, Mount Zion is beautiful to see,
    the pleasure of the entire earth.
Mount Zion, in the north,[a]
    is the city of the great King.
In her palaces, the True God
    has revealed Himself as a mighty fortress.

Not long ago, enemy kings gathered together
    and moved forward as one to attack the city.
When they saw Mount Zion, they were amazed;
    amazement became fear, then panic. They fled for their lives.
They were overtaken by terror, trembling in anguish
    like a woman in childbirth.
God, You shattered the ships of Tarshish
    with the mighty east wind.
As we have heard stories of Your greatness,
    now we have also seen it with our own eyes
    right here, in the city of the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies.
Right here, in our God’s city,
    the True God will preserve her forever.

[pause][b]

We have meditated upon Your loyal love, O God,
    within Your holy temple.
10 Just as Your name reaches to the ends of the earth, O God,
    so Your praise flows there too;
Your right hand holds justice.
11 So because of Your judgments,
    may Mount Zion be delighted!
    May the villages of Judah celebrate!

12 Explore Zion; make an accounting,
    note all her towers;
13 Reflect upon her defenses;
    stroll through her palaces
So that you can tell the coming generation all about her.
14 For so is God,
    our True God, forever and ever;
    He will be our guide till the end.

Footnotes

  1. 48:2 Hebrew, zaphon
  2. 48:8 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”

48 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.

Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

10 According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

11 Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.