Psalms 48–50; 1 Corinthians 11:1–16

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Psalms 48–50

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of kthe Sons of Korah.

lGreat is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in mthe city of our God!

His nholy mountain, obeautiful in elevation,

is pthe joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

qthe city of the great King.

Within her citadels God

has made himself known as a fortress.

For behold, rthe kings assembled;

they came on together.

As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;

they were in panic; they took to flight.

sTrembling took hold of them there,

anguish tas of a woman in labor.

By uthe east wind you vshattered

the ships of wTarshish.

As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of the Lord of hosts,

in mthe city of our God,

which God will xestablish forever. Selah

We have thought on your ysteadfast love, O God,

in the midst of your temple.

10  As your zname, O God,

so your praise reaches to athe ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11  Let Mount bZion be glad!

Let bthe daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your judgments!

12  Walk about Zion, go around her,

number her towers,

13  consider well her cramparts,

go through her citadels,

dthat you may tell the next generation

14  that this is God,

our God forever and ever.

He will eguide us forever.1

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

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

gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

My mouth shall speak iwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

I will incline my ear to ja proverb;

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

lWhy should I fear in mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

those who ntrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

Truly no man ocan ransom another,

or pgive to God qthe price of his life,

for rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

that he should live on forever

and snever see the pit.

10  For he sees tthat even the wise die;

uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and vleave their wealth to others.

11  Their wgraves are their homes forever,2

their dwelling places xto all generations,

though they ycalled lands by their own names.

12  Man in his pomp zwill not remain;

ahe is like the beasts that perish.

13  This is the path of those who have bfoolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts.3 Selah

14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright cshall rule over them in the morning.

dTheir form shall be consumed ein Sheol, with no place to dwell.

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

for he will greceive me. Selah

16  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17  hFor when he dies he will icarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18  For though, while he lives, he counts himself jblessed

and though you get praise when you do well for yourself

19  his soul will kgo to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again lsee light.

20  mMan in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

God Himself Is Judge

A Psalm of nAsaph.

oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, qthe perfection of beauty,

rGod shines forth.

Our God comes; he sdoes not keep silence;4

before him is a devouring tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

uHe calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made va covenant with me by sacrifice!

wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for xGod himself is judge! Selah

yHear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

zI am God, your God.

Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10  For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11  bI know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12  If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

cfor the world and its fullness are mine.

13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14  dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,5

and eperform your vows to the Most High,

15  and fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

I will gdeliver you, and you shall hglorify me.

16  But to the wicked God says:

What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17  iFor you hate discipline,

jand you cast my words behind you.

18  If you see a thief, kyou are pleased with him,

land you keep company with adulterers.

19  You give your mouth free rein for evil,

mand your tongue frames deceit.

20  You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21  These things you have done, and I nhave been silent;

you thought that I6 was one like yourself.

But now I orebuke you and play the charge before you.

22  Mark this, then, you who qforget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be rnone to deliver!

23  The one who soffers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who torders his way rightly

I will show the usalvation of God!


1 Corinthians 11:1–16

zBe imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Head Coverings

Now I commend you abecause you remember me in everything and bmaintain the traditions ceven as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that dthe head of every man is Christ, ethe head of a wife1 is her husband,2 and fthe head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife3 who prays or gprophesies hwith her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same ias if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since jhe is the image and glory of God, but kwoman is the glory of man. For lman was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but mwoman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.4 11 Nevertheless, nin the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And oall things are from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 pIf anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do qthe churches of God.