Psalm 48

Zion Exalted

A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

The Lord is great and highly praised
in the city of our God.(A)
His holy mountain, rising splendidly,
is the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon—
is the city of the great King.(B)
God is known as a stronghold
in its citadels.(C)

Look! The kings assembled;
they advanced together.(D)
They looked and froze with fear;
they fled in terror.(E)
Trembling seized them there,
agony like that of a woman in labor,(F)
as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish
with the east wind.(G)

Just as we heard, so we have seen
in the city of the Lord of Armies,
in the city of our God;
God will establish it forever.(H)Selah

God, within your temple,
we contemplate your faithful love.(I)
10 Like your name, God, so your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth;(J)
your right hand is filled with justice.(K)
11 Mount Zion is glad.
Judah’s villages[a] rejoice
because of your judgments.(L)

12 Go around Zion, encircle it;
count its towers,
13 note its ramparts; tour its citadels
so that you can tell a future generation:(M)
14 “This God, our God forever and ever—
he will always lead us.”[b](N)

Footnotes

  1. 48:11 Lit daughters
  2. 48:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read over death

Psalm 48[a]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
    in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)

Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
    the city of the Great King.(H)
God is in her citadels;(I)
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)

When the kings joined forces,
    when they advanced together,(K)
they saw her and were astounded;
    they fled in terror.(L)
Trembling seized(M) them there,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
    shattered by an east wind.(P)

As we have heard,
    so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
    in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
    forever.[c](Q)

Within your temple, O God,
    we meditate(R) on your unfailing love.(S)
10 Like your name,(T) O God,
    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(U)
    your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
    the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments.(V)

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
    count her towers,(W)
13 consider well her ramparts,(X)
    view her citadels,(Y)
that you may tell of them
    to the next generation.(Z)

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
    he will be our guide(AA) even to the end.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 48:1 In Hebrew texts 48:1-14 is numbered 48:2-15.
  2. Psalm 48:2 Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
  3. Psalm 48:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.