Psalm 50

Good News Translation

³ Our God is coming, but not in silence;
    a raging fire is in front of him,
    a furious storm around him.
⁴ He calls heaven and earth as witnesses
    to see him judge his people.
⁵ He says, “Gather my faithful people to me,
    those who made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”
⁶ The heavens proclaim that God is righteous,
    that he himself is judge.

⁷ “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify against you, Israel.
    I am God, your God.
⁸ I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices
    and the burnt offerings you always bring me.
⁹ And yet I do not need bulls from your farms
    or goats from your flocks;
¹⁰ all the animals in the forest are mine
    and the cattle on thousands of hills.
¹¹ All the wild birds are mine
    and all living things in the fields.

¹² “If I were hungry, I would not ask you for food,
    for the world and everything in it is mine.
¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God,^[b]
    and give the Almighty all that you promised.
¹⁵ Call to me when trouble comes;
    I will save you,
    and you will praise me.”

¹⁶ But God says to the wicked,
    “Why should you recite my commandments?
    Why should you talk about my covenant?
¹⁷ You refuse to let me correct you;
    you reject my commands.
¹⁸ You become the friend of every thief you see,
    and you associate with adulterers.

¹⁹ “You are always ready to speak evil;
    you never hesitate to tell lies.
²⁰ You are ready to accuse your own relatives
    and to find fault with them.
²¹ You have done all this, and I have said nothing,
    so you thought that I am like you.
But now I reprimand you
    and make the matter plain to you.

²² “Listen to this, you that ignore me,
    or I will destroy you,
    and there will be no one to save you.
²³ Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me,
    and I will surely save all who obey me.”