Psalms
Psalms 51
For the end. A psalm by David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Show me mercy, God, according to your great mercy. According to your abundant compassion, wipe away my lawless deed.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness and cleanse me from my sin.
3 I know my lawlessness, and my sin is always before me.
4 I sinned against you alone and did evil before you, so that you may be proved righteous in your words and prevail when you are judged.
5 Look, I was conceived in lawlessness, and my mother conceived me in sins.
6 Look, you loved truth; you revealed to me the hidden and secret things of your wisdom.
7 You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean. You will wash me, and I will become whiter than snow.
8 You will make me hear gladness and joy; humbled bones will rejoice.
9 Turn your face away from my sins and wipe away all my lawlessness.
10 Create a clean heart in me, God, and renew an upright spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your rescue, and establish me with a guiding spirit.
13 I will teach the lawless your ways, and the ungodly will turn to you.
14 Rescue me from bloodguilt, God, the God of my rescue, and my tongue will rejoice in your righteousness.
15 Lord, you will open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
16 If you had wanted sacrifice, I would have given it, but you will not delight in whole burnt offerings.
17 A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not treat a broken and humbled heart as nothing.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure, Lord, and let Jerusalem’s walls be built.
19 Then you will delight in a sacrifice of righteousness, an offering, and whole burnt offerings. Then they will offer calves upon your altar.