Psalm 49-50

New International Version

Psalm 49^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹Hear^(A) this, all you peoples;^(B)
    listen, all who live in this world,^(C)
²both low and high,^(D)
    rich and poor alike:
³My mouth will speak words of wisdom;^(E)
    the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.^(F)
⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb;^(G)
    with the harp^(H) I will expound my riddle:^(I)

⁵Why should I fear^(J) when evil days come,
    when wicked deceivers surround me—
⁶those who trust in their wealth^(K)
    and boast^(L) of their great riches?^(M)
⁷No one can redeem the life of another
    or give to God a ransom for them—
⁸the ransom^(N) for a life is costly,
    no payment is ever enough—^(O)
⁹so that they should live on^(P) forever
    and not see decay.^(Q)
¹⁰For all can see that the wise die,^(R)
    that the foolish and the senseless^(S) also perish,
    leaving their wealth^(T) to others.^(U)
¹¹Their tombs^(V) will remain their houses^[b] forever,
    their dwellings for endless generations,^(W)
    though they had^[c] named^(X) lands after themselves.

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure;^(Y)
they are like the beasts that perish.^(Z)

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,^(AA)
    and of their followers, who approve their sayings.^[d]
¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined^(AB) to die;^(AC)
    death will be their shepherd
    (but the upright will prevail^(AD) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
    far from their princely mansions.
¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;^(AE)
    he will surely take me to himself.^(AF)
¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
    when the splendor of their houses increases;
¹⁷for they will take nothing^(AG) with them when they die,
    their splendor will not descend with them.^(AH)
¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed—^(AI)
    and people praise you when you prosper—
¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them,^(AJ)
    who will never again see the light^(AK) of life.

²⁰People who have wealth but lack understanding^(AL)
are like the beasts that perish.^(AM)

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord,^(AN)
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.^(AO)
²From Zion,^(AP) perfect in beauty,^(AQ)
    God shines forth.^(AR)
³Our God comes^(AS)
    and will not be silent;^(AT)
a fire devours^(AU) before him,^(AV)
    and around him a tempest^(AW) rages.
⁴He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth,^(AX) that he may judge his people:^(AY)
⁵“Gather to me this consecrated people,^(AZ)
    who made a covenant^(BA) with me by sacrifice.”
⁶And the heavens proclaim^(BB) his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.^[e]^[f]^(BC)

⁷“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify^(BD) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.^(BE)
⁸I bring no charges^(BF) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,^(BG) which are ever before me.
⁹I have no need of a bull^(BH) from your stall
    or of goats^(BI) from your pens,^(BJ)
¹⁰for every animal of the forest^(BK) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.^(BL)
¹¹I know every bird^(BM) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields^(BN) are mine.
¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world^(BO) is mine, and all that is in it.^(BP)
¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴“Sacrifice thank offerings^(BQ) to God,
fulfill your vows^(BR) to the Most High,^(BS)
¹⁵and call^(BT) on me in the day of trouble;^(BU)
I will deliver^(BV) you, and you will honor^(BW) me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant^(BX) on your lips?^(BY)
¹⁷You hate^(BZ) my instruction
    and cast my words behind^(CA) you.
¹⁸When you see a thief, you join^(CB) with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.^(CC)
¹⁹You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.^(CD)
²⁰You sit and testify against your brother^(CE)
    and slander your own mother’s son.
²¹When you did these things and I kept silent,^(CF)
    you thought I was exactly^[g] like you.
But I now arraign^(CG) you
    and set my accusations^(CH) before you.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God,^(CI)
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:^(CJ)
²³Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless^[h] I will show my salvation.^(CK)”

Footnotes

Psalm 49:1 In Hebrew texts 49:1-20 is numbered 49:2-21.
Psalm 49:11 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew In their thoughts their houses will remain
Psalm 49:11 Or generations, / for they have
Psalm 49:13 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 15.
Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.

Romans 3

New International Version

God’s Faithfulness

3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? ²Much in every way!^(A) First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.^(B)

³What if some were unfaithful?^(C) Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?^(D) ⁴Not at all! Let God be true,^(E) and every human being a liar.^(F) As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge.”^[a]^(G)

⁵But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly,^(H) what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)^(I) ⁶Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?^(J) ⁷Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory,^(K) why am I still condemned as a sinner?”^(L) ⁸Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”?^(M) Their condemnation is just!

No One Is Righteous

⁹What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage?^(N) Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.^(O) ¹⁰As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹    there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
¹²All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”^[b]^(P)
¹³“Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”^[c]^(Q)
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”^[d]^(R)
¹⁴    “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”^[e]^(S)
¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶    ruin and misery mark their ways,
¹⁷and the way of peace they do not know.”^[f]^(T)
¹⁸    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”^[g]^(U)

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says,^(V) it says to those who are under the law,^(W) so that every mouth may be silenced^(X) and the whole world held accountable to God.^(Y) ²⁰Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law;^(Z) rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.^(AA)

Righteousness Through Faith

²¹But now apart from the law the righteousness of God^(AB) has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.^(AC) ²²This righteousness^(AD) is given through faith^(AE) in^[h] Jesus Christ^(AF) to all who believe.^(AG) There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,^(AH) ²³for all have sinned^(AI) and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified^(AJ) freely by his grace^(AK) through the redemption^(AL) that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,^[i]^(AM) through the shedding of his blood^(AN)—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished^(AO)— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

²⁷Where, then, is boasting?^(AP) It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. ²⁸For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.^(AQ) ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,^(AR) ³⁰since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.^(AS) ³¹Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Footnotes

Romans 3:4 Psalm 51:4
Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20
Romans 3:13 Psalm 5:9
Romans 3:13 Psalm 140:3
Romans 3:14 Psalm 10:7 (see Septuagint)
Romans 3:17 Isaiah 59:7,8
Romans 3:18 Psalm 36:1
Romans 3:22 Or through the faithfulness of
Romans 3:25 The Greek for sacrifice of atonement refers to the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant (see Lev. 16:15,16).