Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,

and he has spoken;

he has summoned all humanity

from where the sun rises to where it sets.

²From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God shines in glorious radiance.

³Our God approaches,

and he is not silent.

Fire devours everything in his way,

and a great storm rages around him.

⁴He calls on the heavens above and earth below

to witness the judgment of his people.

⁵“Bring my faithful people to me—

those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”

⁶Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,

for God himself will be the judge. Interlude

⁷“O my people, listen as I speak.

Here are my charges against you, O Israel:

I am God, your God!

⁸I have no complaint about your sacrifices

or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.

⁹But I do not need the bulls from your barns

or the goats from your pens.

¹⁰For all the animals of the forest are mine,

and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know every bird on the mountains,

and all the animals of the field are mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for all the world is mine and everything in it.

¹³Do I eat the meat of bulls?

Do I drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,

and keep the vows you made to the Most High.

¹⁵Then call on me when you are in trouble,

and I will rescue you,

and you will give me glory.”

¹⁶But God says to the wicked:

“Why bother reciting my decrees

and pretending to obey my covenant?

¹⁷For you refuse my discipline

and treat my words like trash.

¹⁸When you see thieves, you approve of them,

and you spend your time with adulterers.

¹⁹Your mouth is filled with wickedness,

and your tongue is full of lies.

²⁰You sit around and slander your brother—

your own mother’s son.

²¹While you did all this, I remained silent,

and you thought I didn’t care.

But now I will rebuke you,

listing all my charges against you.

²²Repent, all of you who forget me,

or I will tear you apart,

and no one will help you.

²³But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.

If you keep to my path,

I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”