Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 50
A psalm by Asaph.
1 Yahweh, the only true El, has spoken.
He has summoned the earth
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
2 Elohim shines from Zion,
the perfection of beauty.
3 Our Elohim will come and will not remain silent.
A devouring fire is in front of him
and a raging storm around him.
4 He summons heaven and earth to judge his people:
5 “Gather around me, my godly people
who have made a pledge to me through sacrifices.”
6 The heavens announce his righteousness
because Elohim is the Shophet. Selah
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak.
Listen, Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am Elohim, your Elohim!
8 I am not criticizing you for your sacrifices or burnt offerings,
which are always in front of me.
22 Consider this, you people who forget Eloah.
Otherwise, I will tear you to pieces,
and there will be no one left to rescue you.
23 Whoever offers thanks as a sacrifice honors me.
I will let everyone who continues in my way
see the salvation that comes from Elohim.”
The Lord Accuses Israel of Sin
2 Listen, heaven, and pay attention, earth!
Yahweh has spoken,
“I raised my children and helped them grow,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 Oxen know their owners,
and donkeys know where their masters feed them.
But Israel doesn’t know its owner.
My people don’t understand who feeds them.
4 “How horrible it will be for a nation that sins.
Its people are loaded down with guilt.
They are descendants of evildoers
and destructive children.
They have abandoned Yahweh.
They have despised Qedosh Yisrael.
They have turned their backs on him.
5 “Why do you still want to be beaten?
Why do you continue to rebel?
Your whole head is infected.
Your whole heart is failing.
6 From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head
there is no healthy spot left on your body—
only bruises, sores, and fresh wounds.
They haven’t been cleansed, bandaged,
or soothed with oil.
7 “Your country is devastated.
Your cities are burned down.
Your fields are destroyed right before your eyes by foreigners.
Your fields are devastated and taken over by foreigners.
8 My people Zion are left like a hut in a vineyard,
like a shack in a cucumber field,
like a city under attack.”
9 If Yahweh Tsebaoth hadn’t left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jerusalem’s Future
21 How the faithful town has become a prostitute!
She was full of justice,
and righteousness lived in her.
But now murderers live there!
22 Your silver is not pure.
Your wine is watered down.
23 Your rulers are rebels, friends with thieves.
They all love bribes and run after gifts.
They never defend orphans.
They don’t notice the widows’ pleas.
True Riches
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be!
24 “No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.