Psalm 44

To the director.* A maskil* from the Korah family.

¹God, we have heard about you. Our fathers told us what you did in their lifetime. They told us what you did long ago. ²God, with your great power you took this land from other people, and you gave it to us. You crushed those foreign people. You forced them to leave this land. ³It was not our father’s swords that took the land. It was not their strong arms that made them winners. It was because you were with our fathers. God, your great power saved our fathers. Why? Because you loved them! ⁴My God, you are my king. Give the command and lead Jacob’s people to victory. ⁵My God, with your help, we will push back our enemies. With your name, we will walk on our enemies. ⁶I don’t trust my bow {and arrows}. My sword can’t save me. ⁷God, you saved us from Egypt. You put our enemies to shame. ⁸We have praised God all day long! And we will praise your name forever! SELAH* ⁹But, God, you left us. You embarrassed us. You did not come with us into battle. ¹⁰You let our enemies push us back. Our enemies took our wealth. ¹¹You gave us away like sheep to be eaten as food. You scattered us among the foreigners. ¹²God, you sold your people for nothing. You didn’t even argue over the price. ¹³You made us a joke to our neighbors. They laugh at us and make fun of us. ¹⁴We are one of the funny stories people tell. Even people without a nation of their own laugh at us and shake their heads. ¹⁵I am covered with shame. All day long I see my shame. ¹⁶{I hide in shame} at the jokes and insults coming from my enemy who wanted to get even with me. ¹⁷God, we have not forgotten you. Yet you do all those things to us. We did not lie when we signed our Agreement* with you! ¹⁸God, we have not turned away from you. We have not stopped following you. ¹⁹But, God, you crushed us in this place where jackals* live. You left us in this place as dark as death. ²⁰Did we forget the name of our God? Did we pray to foreign gods? {No!} ²¹Surely, God knows these things. He knows even our deepest secrets. ²²God, all day long we died for you! We were like sheep being led away to be killed. ²³Get up, my Master! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t leave us forever! ²⁴God, why are you hiding from us? Have you forgotten our pain and troubles? ²⁵We have been pushed down into the dirt. We are lying with our belly in the dust.* ²⁶God, get up and help us! Rescue us because of your true love!

director Or, “performer.” maskil The exact meaning of “maskil” is not known. It might mean “a poem of meditation,” “a poem of instruction,” or “a skillfully-written poem.” SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. Agreement Literally, “Proof.” The flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were proof of the Agreement between God and Israel. jackal(s) A wild animal, like a dog. Jackals live only where no people are. We … dust This shows the people were being treated like slaves that must bow down to their masters.

Psalm 45

To the director.* To the tune of “Shoshanim.”* A maskil* from the Korah family. A love song.

¹Beautiful words fill my mind as I write these things for the king. Words come from my tongue like words coming from a skilled writer’s pen. ²You are more handsome than anyone! You are a very good speaker. So God will bless you forever! ³Put your sword on. Put on your glorious uniform. ⁴You look wonderful! Go and win the fight for goodness and fairness. Your powerful right arm was trained to do amazing things. ⁵Your arrows are sharp, deep in the heart of your enemies, people will fall to the ground in front of you. ⁶God,* your throne continues forever! Goodness is your royal scepter.* ⁷You love goodness and you hate evil. So God, your God, chose you to be king over your friends.* ⁸Your clothes smell like the sweet spices myrrh, aloes, and cassia. From here in palaces decorated with ivory, comes music to entertain you. ⁹The bridesmaids are the daughters of kings. Your bride* stands at your right side, wearing a crown of pure gold. ¹⁰My lady,* listen to me. Listen carefully and you will understand. Forget your people and your father’s family, ¹¹so the king will be pleased with your beauty. He will be your new husband.* So you must honor him. ¹²Wealthy people from Tyre will bring gifts to you so they might meet with you. ¹³The princess in her gown made with threads of pure gold {is like a pearl in a gold setting}. ¹⁴The bride in her beautiful clothes, is led to the king, her bridesmaids following behind her. ¹⁵They come filled with happiness. Filled with happiness, they enter the king’s palace. ¹⁶{King,} your sons will rule after you. You will make them rulers throughout the land. ¹⁷I will make your name famous forever. People will praise you forever and ever!

director Or, “performer.” To the tune of Shoshanim Or, “On the Shoshanim.” maskil The exact meaning of “maskil” is not clear. It might mean “a poem of meditation,” “a poem of instruction,” or “a skillfully-written poem.” God This might be a song to God, as king. Or here the writer might be using the word “God” as a title for the king. scepter A special stick that kings carried to show they were rulers. chose you to be king over your friends Literally, “poured the sweet oil on you over your friends.” This was the special oil kept in the temple and used to anoint kings, priests, and prophets. bride Or, “queen.” My lady Literally, “My daughter.” husband Or, “master.”

Psalm 46

To the director.* {A song} from the Korah family. By the Alamoth.* A song.

¹God is our storehouse of strength. In him, we can always find help in times of trouble. ²So we are not afraid when the earth quakes, and the mountains fall into the sea. ³We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark, and the mountains shake. SELAH* ⁴There is a river whose streams bring happiness to God’s city, to the holy city of God Most High. ⁵God is in that city, so it will never be destroyed. God is there to help even before sunrise. ⁶The nations will shake with fear, those kingdoms will fall when the Lord shouts, and the earth crumbles. ⁷The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. SELAH* ⁸Look at the powerful things the Lord does. See the awesome things he has done on earth. ⁹The Lord can stop wars anywhere on earth. He can break the soldiers’ bows, shatter their spears and burn their shields.* ¹⁰God says, “Stop fighting and learn that I am God! I defeat the nations! I control the world!” ¹¹The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. SELAH*

director Or, “performer.” By the Alamoth This might be a special instrument, a special way of tuning an instrument, or one of the groups that played harps in the temple orchestra. See 1 Chron.15:21. SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. shields Or, “chariots”.

Psalm 47

To the director.* A song from the Korah family.

¹Clap your hands, all you people. Shout with joy to God! ²The Lord Most High is awesome. He is the Great King over all the earth. ³He helped us defeat other people. He put those nations under our control. ⁴God chose our land for us. He chose that wonderful land for Jacob, the man he loved. SELAH* ⁵The Lord goes up {to his throne} at the sound of the trumpet and horn. ⁶Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises. ⁷God is the King of the whole world. Sing songs of praise.* ⁸God sits on his holy throne. God rules all the nations. ⁹The leaders of the nations meet together with the people of the God of Abraham. All of the leaders of all the nations belong to God. God is over them all!

SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. director Or, “performer.” songs of praise Literally, “maskil.” The exact meaning of “maskil” is not known. It might mean “a poem of meditation,” “a poem of instruction,” or “a skillfully-written poem.”