Psalm 50–52

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.”

Psalm 51

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹Have mercy on me, O God,

because of your unfailing love.

Because of your great compassion,

blot out the stain of my sins.

²Wash me clean from my guilt.

Purify me from my sin.

³For I recognize my rebellion;

it haunts me day and night.

⁴Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

You will be proved right in what you say,

and your judgment against me is just.

⁵For I was born a sinner—

yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

⁶But you desire honesty from the womb,

teaching me wisdom even there.

⁷Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Oh, give me back my joy again;

you have broken me—

now let me rejoice.

⁹Don’t keep looking at my sins.

Remove the stain of my guilt.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Renew a loyal spirit within me.

¹¹Do not banish me from your presence,

and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you.

¹³Then I will teach your ways to rebels,

and they will return to you.

¹⁴Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;

then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

¹⁵Unseal my lips, O Lord,

that my mouth may praise you.

¹⁶You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.

You do not want a burnt offering.

¹⁷The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

¹⁸Look with favor on Zion and help her;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—

with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.

Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

Psalm 52

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Doeg the Edomite said to Saul, “David has gone to see Ahimelech.”

¹Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?

Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?

²All day long you plot destruction.

Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;

you’re an expert at telling lies.

³You love evil more than good

and lies more than truth.

Interlude

⁴You love to destroy others with your words,

you liar!

⁵But God will strike you down once and for all.

He will pull you from your home

and uproot you from the land of the living.

Interlude

⁶The righteous will see it and be amazed.

They will laugh and say,

⁷“Look what happens to mighty warriors

who do not trust in God.

They trust their wealth instead

and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.”

⁸But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.

I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

⁹I will praise you forever, O God,

for what you have done.

I will trust in your good name

in the presence of your faithful people.