Psalms 50
1 A psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
God, the all-powerful one, speaks; he summons all people, from the east to the west.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone.
His glory shines from Zion [Hill in Jerusalem], an extremely beautiful city.
3 Our God comes and does not stay silent; a fire devours before him, and it is very stormy around 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 calls to the heavens above and to the earth so that he may judge his people:
He comes to judge his people. He shouts to the [angels in] heaven and to [the people on] the earth.
5 “Gather my faithful ones together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
He says, “Summon those who faithfully [worship] me, those who made an agreement with me by offering sacrifices to me.”
6 The heavens will declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Selah)
The [angels in] heaven declare, “God is righteous, and he is the supreme judge.”
7 “Hear, my people, and I will speak; 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; your burnt offerings are always before me.
I am not rebuking you for making sacrifices to me, for the offerings that you completely burn [on the altar].
9 I will take no bull out of your house, or male goats out of your folds.
But I do not really need [you to sacrifice] the bulls from your barns and the goats from your pens,
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
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 birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
I [own and] know all the birds and all [the creatures] that move around in the fields.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine, and everything in it.
[So], if I were hungry, I would not tell you [to bring me some food], because everything in the world belongs to me!
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls or 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 thanksgiving, 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 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will glorify 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 wicked God says, “What have you to do with declaring my statutes, that you have taken my covenant in 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 since you hate instruction and throw my words away?
because you have refused to allow me to discipline you, and you have rejected what I told you to do.
18 When you see a thief, you agree with him; you participate with those who commit adultery.
Every time that you see a thief, you become his friend, and you spend [much] time with those who commit adultery.
19 You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue expresses deceit.
You are [always] talking [MTY] about doing wicked things, and you are [always] to deceive people.
20 You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
You are always accusing members of your own family [of doing wrong], and slandering them.
21 You have done these things, but I have kept silent, so you thought that I was someone just like yourself. But I will reprove you and bring up, right before your eyes, all the things you have done.
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 Give this careful consideration, you who forget God, otherwise I will tear you to pieces, and there will be no one to come to help 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 one who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving praises me, and to anyone who plans his path in the right way I will show God's salvation.”
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.”
