Psalm 48

New International Version

Psalm 48^[a]

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹Great is the Lord,^(A) and most worthy of praise,^(B)
in the city of our God,^(C) his holy mountain.^(D)

²Beautiful^(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)
³God is in her citadels;^(I)
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.^(J)

⁴When the kings joined forces,
    when they advanced together,^(K)
⁵they saw her and were astounded;
    they fled in terror.^(L)
⁶Trembling seized^(M) them there,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(N)
⁷You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish^(O)
    shattered by an east wind.^(P)

⁸As 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)

⁹Within your temple, O God,
    we meditate^(R) on your unfailing love.^(S)
¹⁰Like your name,^(T) O God,
    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;^(U)
    your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹Mount Zion rejoices,
    the villages of Judah are glad
    because of your judgments.^(V)

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

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

Footnotes

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

Numbers 24:1-14

New International Version

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,^(A) he did not resort to divination^(B) as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.^(C) ²When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him^(D) ³and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,^(E)
⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,^(F)
    who sees a vision from the Almighty,^[a]^(G)
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

⁵“How beautiful are your tents,^(H) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!

⁶“Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,^(I)
like aloes^(J) planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.^(K)
⁷Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;^(L)
their kingdom will be exalted.^(M)

⁸“God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;^(N)
    with their arrows they pierce them.^(O)
⁹Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness^(P)—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed^(Q)
and those who curse you be cursed!”^(R)

¹⁰Then Balak’s anger burned^(S) against Balaam. He struck his hands together^(T) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,^(U) but you have blessed them^(V) these three times.^(W) ¹¹Now leave at once and go home!^(X) I said I would reward you handsomely,^(Y) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

¹²Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,^(Z) ¹³‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord^(AA)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?^(AB) ¹⁴Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”^(AC)

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Footnotes

Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16

Luke 1:26-38

New International Version

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel^(A) to Nazareth,^(B) a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,^(C) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,^(D) Mary; you have found favor with God.^(E) ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.^(F) ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.^(G) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,^(H) ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom^(I) will never end.”^(J)

³⁴“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,^(K) and the power of the Most High^(L) will overshadow you. So the holy one^(M) to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God.^(N) ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child^(O) in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷For no word from God will ever fail.”^(P)