Psalm 51–53

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

51To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when ^vNathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

^1wHave mercy on me,¹ O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your ^xabundant mercy

^yblot out my transgressions.

^2zWash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and ^acleanse me from my sin!

^3bFor I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

^4cAgainst you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil ^din your sight,

^eso that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

⁵Behold, ^fI was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶Behold, you delight in truth in ^gthe inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷Purge me ^hwith hyssop, and I shall be clean;

^zwash me, and I shall be ⁱwhiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

^jlet the bones ^kthat you have broken rejoice.

^9lHide your face from my sins,

and ^yblot out all my iniquities.

^10mCreate in me a ⁿclean heart, O God,

and ^orenew a right² spirit within me.

^11pCast me not away from your presence,

and take not ^qyour Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will ^rreturn to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from ^sbloodguiltiness, O God,

O ^tGod of my salvation,

and ^umy tongue will sing aloud of your ^vrighteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

^16wFor you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are ^xa broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

^18yDo good to Zion in your good pleasure;

^zbuild up the walls of Jerusalem;

¹⁹then will you delight in ^aright sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and ^bwhole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

52To the choirmaster. A Maskil¹ of David, when ^cDoeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

¹Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?

The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

²Your ^dtongue plots destruction,

like ^ea sharp razor, you ^fworker of deceit.

³You love evil more than good,

and ^glying more than speaking what is right. Selah

⁴You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

⁵But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and ^htear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from ⁱthe land of the living. Selah

⁶The righteous shall ^jsee and fear,

and shall ^klaugh at him, saying,

⁷“See the man who would not make

God his refuge,

but ^ltrusted in the abundance of his riches

and sought refuge in his own destruction!”²

⁸But I am like ^ma green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

⁹I will thank you forever,

because you have done it.

I will wait for your name, ⁿfor it is good,

in the presence of the ^ogodly.

There Is None Who Does Good

53To the choirmaster: according to ^pMahalath. A Maskil¹ of David.

^1qThe fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

there is none who does good.

²God looks down from heaven

on the children of man

to see if there are any who understand,²

who seek after God.

³They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

⁴Have those who work evil no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon God?

⁵There they are, in great terror,

^rwhere there is no terror!

For God ^sscatters the bones of him who encamps against you;

you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

⁶Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.