Psalm 50-51

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 50

God as Judge

A psalm of Asaph.^(A)

¹Yahweh, the God of gods^[a] speaks;
He summons the earth from east to west.^[b]^(B)
²From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God appears in radiance.^[c]^(C)
³Our God is coming; He will not be silent!
Devouring fire precedes Him,
and a storm rages around Him.^(D)
⁴On high, He summons heaven and earth
in order to judge His people.^(E)
⁵“Gather My faithful ones to Me,
those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”^(F)
⁶The heavens proclaim His righteousness,^(G)
for God is the Judge.^(H)Selah

⁷“Listen, My people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.^(I)
⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or for your burnt offerings,
which are continually before Me.^(J)
⁹I will not accept a bull from your household
or male goats from your pens,^(K)
¹⁰for every animal of the forest is Mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹I know every bird of the mountains,^[d]
and the creatures of the field are Mine.^(L)
¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and everything in it is Mine.^(M)
¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?^(N)
¹⁴Sacrifice a thank offering to God,^(O)
and pay your vows to the Most High.^(P)
¹⁵Call on Me in a day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.”^(Q)

¹⁶But God says to the wicked:
“What right do you have to recite My statutes
and to take My covenant on your lips?^(R)
¹⁷You hate instruction
and turn your back on My words.^[e]^(S)
¹⁸When you see a thief,
you make friends with him,
and you associate with adulterers.^(T)
¹⁹You unleash your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue for deceit.^(U)
²⁰You sit, maligning your brother,
slandering your mother’s son.^(V)
²¹You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was just like you.^(W)
But I will rebuke you
and lay out the case before you.^[f]^(X)

²²“Understand this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart,
and there will be no one to rescue you.^(Y)
²³Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
and whoever orders his conduct,
I will show him the salvation of God.”^(Z)

Psalm 51

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.^(AA)

¹Be gracious to me, God,
according to Your faithful love;
according to Your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.^(AB)
²Wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.^(AC)
³For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.^(AD)
⁴Against You—You alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in Your sight.^(AE)
So You are right when You pass sentence;
You are blameless when You judge.^(AF)
⁵Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.^(AG)

⁶Surely You desire integrity in the inner self,
and You teach me wisdom deep within.^(AH)
⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^(AI)
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones You have crushed rejoice.^(AJ)
⁹Turn Your face away^[g] from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.^(AK)

¹⁰God, create a clean heart for me
and renew a steadfast^[h] spirit within me.^(AL)
¹¹Do not banish me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.^(AM)
¹²Restore the joy of Your salvation to me,
and give me a willing spirit.^[i]^(AN)
¹³Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways,
and sinners will return to You.^(AO)

¹⁴Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God,^(AP)
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.^(AQ)
¹⁵Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.^(AR)
¹⁶You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.^(AS)
¹⁷The sacrifice pleasing to God is^[j] a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.^(AT)

¹⁸In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;
build^[k] the walls of Jerusalem.^(AU)
¹⁹Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on Your altar.^(AV)