Psalm 50–52

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord,^e

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to where it sets.^f

²From Zion,^g perfect in beauty,^h

God shines forth.ⁱ

³Our God comes^j

and will not be silent;^k

a fire devours^l before him,^m

and around him a tempestⁿ rages.

⁴He summons the heavens above,

and the earth,^o that he may judge his people:^p

⁵“Gather to me this consecrated people,^q

who made a covenant^r with me by sacrifice.”

⁶And the heavens proclaim^s his righteousness,

for he is a God of justice.^abt

⁷“Listen, my people, and I will speak;

I will testify^u against you, Israel:

I am God, your God.^v

⁸I bring no charges^w against you concerning your sacrifices

or concerning your burnt offerings,^x which are ever before me.

⁹I have no need of a bull^y from your stall

or of goats^z from your pens,^a

¹⁰for every animal of the forest^b is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.^c

¹¹I know every bird^d in the mountains,

and the insects in the fields^e are mine.

¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you,

for the world^f is mine, and all that is in it.^g

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴“Sacrifice thank offerings^h to God,

fulfill your vowsⁱ to the Most High,^j

¹⁵and call^k on me in the day of trouble;^l

I will deliver^m you, and you will honorⁿ me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws

or take my covenant^o on your lips?^p

¹⁷You hate^q my instruction

and cast my words behind^r you.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you join^s with him;

you throw in your lot with adulterers.^t

¹⁹You use your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit.^u

²⁰You sit and testify against your brother^v

and slander your own mother’s son.

²¹When you did these things and I kept silent,^w

you thought I was exactly^c like you.

But I now arraign^x you

and set my accusations^y before you.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God,^z

or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:^a

²³Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,

and to the blameless^d I will show my salvation.^b”

Psalm 51^a

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^c

¹Have mercy^d on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;^e

according to your great compassion^f

blot out^g my transgressions.^h

²Wash awayⁱ all my iniquity

and cleanse^j me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.^k

⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned^l

and done what is evil in your sight;^m

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.ⁿ

⁵Surely I was sinful^o at birth,^p

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom^q in that secret place.^r

⁷Cleanse^s me with hyssop,^t and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^u

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;^v

let the bones^w you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins^x

and blot out^y all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart,^z O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.^a

¹¹Do not cast me^b from your presence^c

or take your Holy Spirit^d from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation^e

and grant me a willing spirit,^f to sustain me.^g

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^h

so that sinnersⁱ will turn back to you.^j

¹⁴Deliver me^k from the guilt of bloodshed,^l O God,

you who are God my Savior,^m

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.ⁿ

¹⁵Open my lips, Lord,^o

and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice,^p or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷My sacrifice,^q O God, is^b a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart^r

you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion,^s

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^t

¹⁹Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,^u

in burnt offerings^v offered whole;

then bulls^w will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52^a

For the director of music. A maskil^b of David. When Doeg the Edomite^x had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

¹Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?

Why do you boast^y all day long,^z

you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

²You who practice deceit,^a

your tongue plots destruction;^b

it is like a sharpened razor.^c

³You love evil^d rather than good,

falsehood^e rather than speaking the truth.^c

⁴You love every harmful word,

you deceitful tongue!^f

⁵Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

He will snatch you up and pluck^g you from your tent;

he will uproot^h you from the land of the living.ⁱ

⁶The righteous will see and fear;

they will laugh^j at you, saying,

⁷“Here now is the man

who did not make God his stronghold^k

but trusted in his great wealth^l

and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸But I am like an olive tree^m

flourishing in the house of God;

I trustⁿ in God’s unfailing love

for ever and ever.

⁹For what you have done I will always praise you^o

in the presence of your faithful people.^p

And I will hope in your name,^q

for your name is good.^r