Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,(A)
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.(B)
From Zion,(C) perfect in beauty,(D)
    God shines forth.(E)
Our God comes(F)
    and will not be silent;(G)
a fire devours(H) before him,(I)
    and around him a tempest(J) rages.
He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth,(K) that he may judge his people:(L)
“Gather to me this consecrated people,(M)
    who made a covenant(N) with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim(O) his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.[a][b](P)

“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify(Q) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.(R)
I bring no charges(S) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,(T) which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull(U) from your stall
    or of goats(V) from your pens,(W)
10 for every animal of the forest(X) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.(Y)
11 I know every bird(Z) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields(AA) are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world(AB) is mine, and all that is in it.(AC)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings(AD) to God,
    fulfill your vows(AE) to the Most High,(AF)
15 and call(AG) on me in the day of trouble;(AH)
    I will deliver(AI) you, and you will honor(AJ) me.”

16 But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant(AK) on your lips?(AL)
17 You hate(AM) my instruction
    and cast my words behind(AN) you.
18 When you see a thief, you join(AO) with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.(AP)
19 You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.(AQ)
20 You sit and testify against your brother(AR)
    and slander your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things and I kept silent,(AS)
    you thought I was exactly[c] like you.
But I now arraign(AT) you
    and set my accusations(AU) before you.

22 “Consider this, you who forget God,(AV)
    or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:(AW)
23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless[d] I will show my salvation.(AX)

Psalm 51[e]

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

Have mercy(AZ) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;(BA)
according to your great compassion(BB)
    blot out(BC) my transgressions.(BD)
Wash away(BE) all my iniquity
    and cleanse(BF) me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.(BG)
Against you, you only, have I sinned(BH)
    and done what is evil in your sight;(BI)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.(BJ)
Surely I was sinful(BK) at birth,(BL)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom(BM) in that secret place.(BN)

Cleanse(BO) me with hyssop,(BP) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(BQ)
Let me hear joy and gladness;(BR)
    let the bones(BS) you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins(BT)
    and blot out(BU) all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,(BV) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.(BW)
11 Do not cast me(BX) from your presence(BY)
    or take your Holy Spirit(BZ) from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation(CA)
    and grant me a willing spirit,(CB) to sustain me.(CC)

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,(CD)
    so that sinners(CE) will turn back to you.(CF)
14 Deliver me(CG) from the guilt of bloodshed,(CH) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,(CI)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.(CJ)
15 Open my lips, Lord,(CK)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice,(CL) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice,(CM) O God, is[f] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart(CN)
    you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,(CO)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.(CP)
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,(CQ)
    in burnt offerings(CR) offered whole;
    then bulls(CS) will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52[g]

For the director of music. A maskil[h] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(CT) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
    Why do you boast(CU) all day long,(CV)
    you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit,(CW)
    your tongue plots destruction;(CX)
    it is like a sharpened razor.(CY)
You love evil(CZ) rather than good,
    falsehood(DA) rather than speaking the truth.[i]
You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!(DB)

Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck(DC) you from your tent;
    he will uproot(DD) you from the land of the living.(DE)
The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh(DF) at you, saying,
“Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold(DG)
but trusted in his great wealth(DH)
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

But I am like an olive tree(DI)
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(DJ) in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you(DK)
    in the presence of your faithful people.(DL)
And I will hope in your name,(DM)
    for your name is good.(DN)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
  2. Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  3. Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
  4. Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.
  5. Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
  6. Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are
  7. Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
  8. Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  9. Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.

50 The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?

17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee.

18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.

20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.

21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

51 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.