Psalm 77

God’s Mighty Deeds Recalled

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

77 I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, that he may hear me.

2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

3 I think of God, and I moan;

I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah

4 Thou dost hold my eyelids from closing;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I consider the days of old,

I remember the years long ago.

6 I commune with my heart in the night;

I meditate and search my spirit:

7 “Will the Lord spurn for ever,

and never again be favorable?

8 Has his steadfast love for ever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 And I say, “It is my grief

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;

yea, I will remember thy wonders of old.

12 I will meditate on all thy work,

and muse on thy mighty deeds.

13 Thy way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

14 Thou art the God who workest wonders,

who hast manifested thy might among the peoples.

15 Thou didst with thy arm redeem thy people,

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.Selah

16 When the waters saw thee, O God,

when the waters saw thee, they were afraid,

yea, the deep trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

thy arrows flashed on every side.

18 The crash of thy thunder was in the whirlwind;

thy lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

19 Thy way was through the sea,

thy path through the great waters;

yet thy footprints were unseen.

20 Thou didst lead thy people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 49

The Folly of Trust in Riches

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

49 Hear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2 both low and high,

rich and poor together!

3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,

6 men who trust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7 Truly no man can ransom himself,

or give to God the price of his life,

8 for the ransom of his life is costly,

and can never suffice,

9 that he should continue to live on for ever,

and never see the Pit.

10 Yea, he shall see that even the wise die,

the fool and the stupid alike must perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves are their homes for ever,

their dwelling places to all generations,

though they named lands their own.

12 Man cannot abide in his pomp,

he is like the beasts that perish.

13 This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence,

the end of those who are pleased with their portion. Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

Death shall be their shepherd;

straight to the grave they descend,

and their form shall waste away;

Sheol shall be their home.

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will receive me. Selah

16 Be not afraid when one becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18 Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy,

and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself,

19 he will go to the generation of his fathers,

who will never more see the light.

20 Man cannot abide in his pomp,

he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 14

Denunciation of Godlessness

To the choirmaster. Of David.

14 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,

there is none that does good.

2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

to see if there are any that act wisely,

that seek after God.

3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt;

there is none that does good,

no, not one.

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon the Lord?

5 There they shall be in great terror,

for God is with the generation of the righteous.

6 You would confound the plans of the poor,

but the Lord is his refuge.

7 O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,

Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.