Psalm 50–52

Psalm 50

¹Unto the end, a psalm of David, ²When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had sinned with Bethsabee.

³Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

⁴Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

⁵For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.

⁶To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words, and mayst overcome when thou art judged.

⁷For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.

⁸For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.

⁹Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

¹⁰To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

¹¹Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹²Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

¹³Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

¹⁴Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

¹⁵I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.

¹⁶Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

¹⁷O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

¹⁸For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

¹⁹A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

²⁰Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.

²¹Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.

Psalm 51

¹Unto the end, understanding for David, ²When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul: David went to the house of Achimelech.

³Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?

⁴All the day long thy tongue hath devised injustice: as a sharp razor, thou hast wrought deceit.

⁵Thou hast loved malice more than goodness: and iniquity rather than to speak righteousness.

⁶Thou hast loved all the words of ruin, O deceitful tongue.

⁷Therefore will God destroy thee for ever: he will pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy dwelling place: and thy root out of the land of the living.

⁸The just shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say:

⁹Behold the man that made not God his helper: But trusted in the abundance of his riches: and prevailed in his vanity.

¹⁰But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.

¹¹I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name, for it is good in the sight of thy saints.

Psalm 52

¹Unto the end, for Maeleth, understandings to David.

The fool said in his heart: There is no God.

²They are corrupted, and become abominable in iniquities: there is none that doth good.

³God looked down from heaven on the children of men: to see if there were any that did understand, or did seek God.

⁴All have gone aside, they are become unprofitable together, there is none that doth good, no not one.

⁵Shall not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they eat bread?

⁶They have not called upon God: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear. For God hath scattered the bones of them that please men: they have been confounded, because God hath despised them.

⁷Who will give out of Sion the salvation of Israel? when God shall bring back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.