真正的敬拜

亚萨的诗。

50 从日出之地到日落之处,
大能的上帝耶和华召唤世人。
上帝的光辉从完美的锡安发出。
我们的上帝来临,
并非悄然无声,
祂前面有烈火燃烧,
周围有暴风怒吼。
祂召唤天地,
为要审判祂的子民。
祂说:“把我忠心的子民——那些借着献祭和我立约的人招聚到我这里。”
诸天宣扬上帝的公义,
因为祂是审判官。(细拉)

祂说:“我的子民啊,听我说!
以色列啊,我要指控你!
我是上帝,是你的上帝。
我责怪你,不是因为你的祭物,
也不是因为你经常献给我的燔祭。
我不需要你棚里的公牛和圈里的山羊,
10 因为林中的百兽是我的,
群山上的牲畜是我的。
11 山中的飞鸟和田野的动物都是我的。
12 就是我饿了,也不用告诉你,
因为世界和其中的一切都是我的。
13 难道我吃公牛的肉,
喝山羊的血吗?
14 你要向上帝献上感恩祭,
向至高者恪守诺言,
15 在患难中呼求我,
我必拯救你,你必尊崇我。”

16 但上帝对恶人说:
“你怎能背诵我的律法,
谈论我的约?
17 你憎恶我的管教,
把我的话抛在脑后。
18 你见了盗贼就与他同流合污,
又喜欢与淫乱的人交往。
19 你满口恶言,谎话连篇,
20 肆意毁谤自己的同胞兄弟。
21 我对你的所作所为默然不语,
你就以为我与你是同道。
现在我要责备你,
当面指出你的罪状。
22 忘记上帝的人啊,
你们要省察,
免得我毁灭你们,
那时谁也救不了你们。
23 向我献上感恩就是尊崇我,
我必拯救走正路的人。”

Psalm 50[a]

The Acceptable Sacrifice

A psalm of Asaph.

I

The God of gods, the Lord,
    has spoken and summoned the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.(A)
From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.(B)
Our God comes and will not be silent!
    Devouring fire precedes him,
    it rages strongly around him.(C)
He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth to judge his people:
“Gather my loyal ones to me,
    those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    for God himself is the judge.(D)
Selah

II

“Listen, my people, I will speak;
    Israel, I will testify against you;
    God, your God, am I.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
    your burnt offerings are always before me.
I will not take a bullock from your house,
    or he-goats from your folds.(E)
10 For every animal of the forest is mine,
    beasts by the thousands on my mountains.
11 I know every bird in the heights;
    whatever moves in the wild is mine.
12 Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
    for mine is the world and all that fills it.(F)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of he-goats?
14 Offer praise as your sacrifice to God;(G)
    fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15 Then call on me on the day of distress;(H)
    I will rescue you, and you shall honor me.”

III

16 But to the wicked God says:
    “Why do you recite my commandments
    and profess my covenant with your mouth?
17 You hate discipline;
    you cast my words behind you!
18 If you see a thief, you run with him;
    with adulterers you throw in your lot.
19 You give your mouth free rein for evil;
    you yoke your tongue to deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother,
    slandering your mother’s son.
21 When you do these things should I be silent?
    Do you think that I am like you?
    I accuse you, I lay out the matter before your eyes.

IV

22 “Now understand this, you who forget God,
    lest I start ripping apart and there be no rescuer.
23 Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me;
    I will let him whose way is steadfast
    look upon the salvation of God.”(I)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50 A covenant lawsuit stating that the sacrifice God really wants is the sacrifice of praise accompanied by genuine obedience (cf. Mi 6:1–8). It begins with a theophany and the summoning of the court (Ps 50:1–6). Then in direct address God explains what is required of the faithful (Ps 50:7–15), rebukes the hypocritical worshiper (Ps 50:16–21), and concludes with a threat and a promise (Ps 50:22–23; cf. Is 1:19–20).

God the judge of the righteous and the wicked.

A Psalm of Asaph.

50 The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, 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 forth.
Our God cometh, and doth not keep silence:
A fire devoureth before him,
And it is very tempestuous round about him.
He calleth to the heavens 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 [a]shall declare his righteousness;
For God is judge himself. Selah
Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, and I will testify [b]unto thee:
I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices;
[c]And thy burnt-offerings are 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 [d]upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the mountains;
And the wild beasts of the field are [e]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 the sacrifice of 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,
And that thou hast taken my covenant in thy mouth,
17 Seeing that thou hatest [f]instruction,
And castest my words behind thee?
18 When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with him,
And [g]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 [h]slanderest thine own mother’s son.
21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence;
Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a 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 the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me;
And [i]to him that ordereth his way aright
Will I show the salvation of God.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:6 Or, declare
  2. Psalm 50:7 Or, against
  3. Psalm 50:8 Or, Nor for thy burnt-offerings, which are etc.
  4. Psalm 50:10 Or, upon the mountains where thousands are
  5. Psalm 50:11 Or, in my mind. Hebrew with me.
  6. Psalm 50:17 Or, correction
  7. Psalm 50:18 Hebrew thy portion was with adulterers.
  8. Psalm 50:20 Or, givest a thrust against
  9. Psalm 50:23 Or, prepareth a way that I may show him

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)

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.