Psalms 50
1 A Psalm of Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord has spoken, and he has called the earth, from the rising of the sun even to its setting,
God, the all-powerful one, speaks; he summons all people, from the east to the west.
2 from Zion, the brilliance of his beauty.
His glory shines from Zion [Hill in Jerusalem], an extremely beautiful city.
3 God will arrive manifestly. Our God also will not keep silence. A fire will flare up in his sight, and a mighty tempest will surround him.
Our God comes to us, and he is not silent. A great fire is in front of him, and a storm is around him.
4 He will call to heaven from above, and to the earth, to discern his people.
He comes to judge his people. He shouts to the [angels in] heaven and to [the people on] the earth.
5 Gather his holy ones to him, you who order his covenant above sacrifices.
He says, “Summon those who faithfully [worship] me, those who made an agreement with me by offering sacrifices to me.”
6 And the heavens will announce his justice. For God is the judge.
The [angels in] heaven declare, “God is righteous, and he is the supreme judge.”
7 Listen, my people, and I will speak. Listen, Israel, and I will testify for you. I am God, your God.
God says, “My people, listen! You Israeli people, listen, as I, your God, say what you have done that is wrong.
8 I will not reprove you for your sacrifices. Moreover, your holocausts are ever in my sight.
I am not rebuking you for making sacrifices to me, for the offerings that you completely burn [on the altar].
9 I will not accept calves from your house, nor he-goats from your flocks.
But I do not really need [you to sacrifice] the bulls from your barns and the goats from your pens,
10 For all the wild beasts of the forest are mine: the cattle on the hills and the oxen.
because all the animals in the forest belong to me, [and all] the cattle on 1,000 hills also belong to me.
11 I know all the flying things of the air, and the beauty of the field is with me.
I [own and] know all the birds and all [the creatures] that move around in the fields.
12 If I should be hungry, I would not tell you: for the whole world is mine, and all its plentitude.
[So], if I were hungry, I would not tell you [to bring me some food], because everything in the world belongs to me!
13 Shall I gnaw on the flesh of bulls? Or would I drink the blood of goats?
I do not eat the flesh of the bulls [that you sacrifice], and I do not drink the blood of the goats [that you offer to me].
14 Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High.
The sacrifice [that I really want is that] you thank me and do all that you have promised to do.
15 And call upon me in the day of tribulation. I will rescue you, and you will honor me.
And pray to me when you have troubles. [If you do that], I will rescue you, and [then] you will praise me.
16 But to the sinner, God has said: Why do you discourse on my justices, and take up my covenant through your mouth?
But I say this to the wicked people: (Why do you/It does not benefit you at all to) [RHQ] recite my commandments or talk about the agreement that I made with you,
17 Truly, you have hated discipline, and you have cast my sermons behind you.
because you have refused to allow me to discipline you, and you have rejected what I told you to do.
18 If you saw a thief, you ran with him, and you have placed your portion with adulterers.
Every time that you see a thief, you become his friend, and you spend [much] time with those who commit adultery.
19 Your mouth has abounded with malice, and your tongue has concocted deceits.
You are [always] talking [MTY] about doing wicked things, and you are [always] to deceive people.
20 Sitting, you spoke against your brother, and you set up a scandal against your mother’s son.
You are always accusing members of your own family [of doing wrong], and slandering them.
21 These things you have done, and I was silent. You thought, unjustly, that I ought to be like you. But I will reprove you, and I will set myself against your face.
You did [all] those things, and I did not say anything to you, [so] you thought that I was [a sinner] just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you, right in front of you.
22 Understand these things, you who forget God; lest at any time, he might quickly take you away, and there would be no one to rescue you.
So, all you who have ignored me, pay attention to this, because if you do not, I will tear you to pieces, and there will be no one to rescue you.
23 The sacrifice of praise will honor me. And in that place is the journey by which I will reveal to him the salvation of God.
The sacrifice that [truly] honors me is to thank me [for what I have done]; and I will save those who always do the things that I want them to.”
