Psalm 50–52

God Wants True Worship

A psalm of Asaph.

50The God of gods, the Lord, speaks.

He calls the earth from the rising to the setting sun.

²God shines from Jerusalem,

whose beauty is perfect.

³Our God comes, and he will not be silent.

A fire burns in front of him,

and a powerful storm surrounds him.

⁴He calls to the sky above and to the earth

that he might judge his people.

⁵He says, “Gather around, you who worship me,

who have made an agreement with me, using a sacrifice.”

⁶God is the judge,

and even the skies say he is right.

Selah

⁷God says, “My people, listen to me;

Israel, I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

⁸I do not scold you for your sacrifices.

You always bring me your burnt offerings.

⁹But I do not need bulls from your stalls

or goats from your pens,

¹⁰because every animal of the forest is already mine.

The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.

¹¹I know every bird on the mountains,

and every living thing in the fields is mine.

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

because the earth and everything in it are mine.

¹³I don’t eat the meat of bulls

or drink the blood of goats.

¹⁴Give an offering to show thanks to God.

Give God Most High what you have promised.

¹⁵Call to me in times of trouble.

I will save you, and you will honor me.”

¹⁶But God says to the wicked,

“Why do you talk about my laws?

Why do you mention my agreement?

¹⁷You hate my teachings

and turn your back on what I say.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you join him.

You take part in adultery.

¹⁹You don’t stop your mouth from speaking evil,

and your tongue makes up lies.

²⁰You speak against your brother

and lie about your mother’s son.

²¹I have kept quiet while you did these things,

so you thought I was just like you.

But I will scold you

and accuse you to your face.

²²“Think about this, you who forget God.

Otherwise, I will tear you apart,

and no one will save you.

²³Those people honor me

who bring me offerings to show thanks.

And I, God, will save those who do that.”

A Prayer for Forgiveness

For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to David after David’s sin with Bathsheba.

51God, be merciful to me

because you are loving.

Because you are always ready to be merciful,

wipe out all my wrongs.

²Wash away all my guilt

and make me clean again.

³I know about my wrongs,

and I can’t forget my sin.

⁴You are the only one I have sinned against;

I have done what you say is wrong.

You are right when you speak

and fair when you judge.

⁵I was brought into this world in sin.

In sin my mother gave birth to me.

⁶You want me to be completely truthful,

so teach me wisdom.

⁷Take away my sin, and I will be clean.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness;

let the bones you crushed be happy again.

⁹Turn your face from my sins

and wipe out all my guilt.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, God,

and make my spirit right again.

¹¹Do not send me away from you

or take your Holy Spirit away from me.

¹²Give me back the joy of your salvation.

Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong,

and sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴God, save me from the guilt of murder,

God of my salvation,

and I will sing about your goodness.

¹⁵Lord, let me speak

so I may praise you.

¹⁶You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them.

You don’t want burnt offerings.

¹⁷The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit.

God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.

¹⁸Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem.

Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings,

and bulls will be offered on your altar.

God Will Punish the Proud

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David is in Ahimelech’s house.”

52Mighty warrior, why do you brag about the evil you do?

God’s love will continue forever.

²You think up evil plans.

Your tongue is like a sharp razor,

making up lies.

³You love wrong more than right

and lies more than truth.

Selah

⁴You love words that bite

and tongues that lie.

⁵But God will ruin you forever.

He will grab you and throw you out of your tent;

he will tear you away from the land of the living.

Selah

⁶Those who do right will see this and fear God.

They will laugh at you and say,

⁷“Look what happened to the man

who did not depend on God

but depended on his money.

He grew strong by his evil plans.”

⁸But I am like an olive tree

growing in God’s Temple.

I trust God’s love

forever and ever.

⁹God, I will thank you forever for what you have done.

With those who worship you, I will trust you because you are good.