< Psalms 50 >
1 A Melody of Asaph. El, Elohim, Yahweh, hath spoken, and culled the earth, From the rising of the sun, unto the going in thereof:
A Psalm for Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down [thereof].
2 Out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God, hath shone forth.
Out of Sion [comes] the excellence of his beauty.
3 Let our God come, and let him not keep silence! A fire—before him, shall devour, And, around him, hath it become exceeding tempestuous:
God, our God, shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall be kindled before him, and round about him there shall be a very great tempest.
4 He calleth, Unto the heavens above, And unto the earth, That he may judge his people.
He shall summon the heaven above, and the earth, that he may judge his people.
5 Gather yourselves unto me—ye my men of lovingkindness, Who have solemnised my covenant over sacrifice.
Assemble you his saints to him, those that have engaged in a covenant with him upon sacrifices.
6 Now have the heavens declared his righteousness, Because, God, is, about to judge. (Selah)
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge. (Pause)
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will adjure thee, God, thine own God, I am: —
Hear, my people, and I will speak to you, O Israel: and I will testify to you: I am God, your God.
8 Not, for thy sacrifices, will I reprove thee, Nor for thine ascending-offerings, before me continually:
I will not reprove you on account of your sacrifices; for your whole burnt offerings are before me continually.
9 I will not take out of thy house—a bullock, Nor out of thy folds—he-goats;
I will take no bullocks out of your house, nor he-goats out of your flocks.
10 For, mine, is every wild-beast of the forest, The cattle on the mountains, in their thousands;
For all the wild beasts of the thicket are mine, the cattle on the mountains, and oxen.
11 I know every bird of the mountains, And, the moving things of the plain, are with me:
I know all the birds of the sky; and the beauty of the field is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, For, mine, is the world, and the fulness thereof.
If I should be hungry, I will not tell you: for the world is mine, and the fullness of it.
13 Will I eat the flesh of mighty oxen? Or, the blood of he-goats, will I drink?
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice to God a thankoffering, And pay to the Most High thy vows;
Offer to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon me, then, in the day of distress, I will deliver thee, that thou mayest glorify me.
And call upon me in the day of affliction; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. (Pause)
16 But, to the lawless one, God saith, What hast, thou, to do, to recount my statutes? Or that thou hast taken up my covenant upon thy mouth?
But to the sinner God has said, Why do you declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in your mouth?
17 Seeing that, thou, hast hated correction, And hast cast my words behind thee;
Whereas you have hated instruction, and have cast my words behind [you].
18 If thou sawest a thief, then didst thou run with him, —And, with adulterers, hath been thy chosen life;
If you saw a thief, you ran along with him, and have cast in your lot with adulterers.
19 Thy mouth, hast thou thrust into wickedness, And, thy tongue, kept weaving deceit;
Your mouth has multiplied wickedness, and your tongue has framed deceit.
20 Thou wouldst sit down—Against thine own brother, wouldst thou speak, Against thine own mother’s son, wouldst thou expose a fault: —
You did sit and speak against your brother, and did scandalize your mother's son.
21 These things, hast thou done, and I have kept silence, Thou thoughtest that I should really be like thyself, I will convict thee, yea I will set [thine offences] in order before thine eyes.
These things you did, and I kept silence: you thought wickedly that I should be like you, [but] I will reprove you, and set [your offenses] before you.
22 Understand this, I pray you, ye forgetters of GOD, Lest I tear in pieces, and there be none to deliver: —
Now consider these things, you that forget God, lest he rend [you], and there is no deliverer.
23 He that sacrificeth a thankoffering, will glorify me, —And will prepare a way by which I may show him the salvation of God.
The sacrifice of praise will glorify me: and that is the way wherein I will show to him the salvation of God.