Psalm, 50

A melody of Aʹsaph.

¹ The God of gods, Jehovah,^*1 has spoken; He summons the earth From the rising of the sun until its setting.^*2

² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

³ Our God will come and cannot remain silent. Before him is a consuming fire, And a great storm rages all around him.

⁴ He summons the heavens above and the earth, So as to judge his people:

⁵ “Gather to me my loyal ones, Those making a covenant with me over sacrifice.”

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness, For God himself is Judge. (Selah)

⁷ “Listen, O my people, and I will speak; Israel, I will bear witness against you. I am God, your God.

⁸ I do not reprove you because of your sacrifices, Nor because of your whole burnt offerings that are constantly before me.

⁹ I do not need to take a bull from your house, Nor goats^*1 from your pens.

¹⁰ For every wild animal of the forest is mine, Even the beasts upon a thousand mountains.

¹¹ I know every bird of the mountains; The countless animals of the field are mine.

¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you, For the productive land and everything in it is mine.

¹³ Will I eat the flesh of bulls And drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴ Offer thanksgiving as your sacrifice to God, And pay your vows to the Most High;

¹⁵ Call on me in the time of distress. I will rescue you, and you will glorify me.”

¹⁶ But God will say to the wicked: “What right do you have to relate my regulations Or to speak about my covenant?

¹⁷ For you hate discipline,^*1 And you keep turning your back on my words.^*2

¹⁸ When you see a thief, you approve of him,^*1 And you keep company with adulterers.

¹⁹ You use your mouth to spread what is bad, And deception is attached to your tongue.

²⁰ You sit and speak against your own brother; You reveal the faults of^*1 your own mother’s son.

²¹ When you did these things, I remained silent, So you thought that I would be just like you. But now I will reprove you, And I will state my case against you.

²² Please consider this, you who forget God, So that I may not tear you to pieces with no one to rescue you.

²³ The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me, And as for the one who follows a set course, I will cause him to see salvation by God.”