Psalm 51–53

Psalm 51

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. ^l

¹Be gracious to me, God,

according to Your faithful love;

according to Your abundant compassion,

blot out my rebellion. ^m

²Wash away my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin. ⁿ

³For I am conscious of my rebellion,

and my sin is always before me. ^o

⁴Against You—You alone—I have sinned

and done this evil in Your sight. ^p

So You are right when You pass sentence;

You are blameless when You judge. ^q

⁵Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;

I was sinful when my mother conceived me. ^r

⁶Surely You desire integrity in the inner self,

and You teach me wisdom deep within. ^s

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ^t

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones You have crushed rejoice. ^u

⁹Turn Your face away ^vfrom my sins

and blot out all my guilt. ^w

¹⁰God, create a clean heart for me

and renew a steadfast ^xspirit within me. ^y

¹¹Do not banish me from Your presence

or take Your Holy Spirit from me. ^z

¹²Restore the joy of Your salvation to me,

and give me a willing spirit. ^ab

¹³Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways,

and sinners will return to You. ^c

¹⁴Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, ^d

the God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. ^e

¹⁵Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare Your praise. ^f

¹⁶You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;

You are not pleased with a burnt offering. ^g

¹⁷The sacrifice pleasing to God is ^ha broken spirit.

God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart. ⁱ

¹⁸In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;

build ^jthe walls of Jerusalem. ^k

¹⁹Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on Your altar. ^l

Psalm 52

God Judges the Proud

For the choir director. A Davidic Maskil. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.” ^m

¹Why brag about evil, you hero! ⁿ

God’s faithful love is constant. ^o

²Like a sharpened razor,

your tongue devises destruction,

working treachery. ^p

³You love evil instead of good,

lying instead of speaking truthfully. ^qSelah

⁴You love any words that destroy,

you treacherous tongue! ^r

⁵This is why God will bring you down forever.

He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;

He will uproot you from the land of the living. ^sSelah

⁶The righteous will look on with awe

and will ridicule him: ^t

⁷“Here is the man

who would not make God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his riches,

taking refuge in his destructive behavior.” ^uv

⁸But I am like a flourishing olive tree

in the house of God; ^w

I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. ^x

⁹I will praise You forever for what You have done.

In the presence of Your faithful people,

I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good. ^y

Psalm 53

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director: on Mahalath. ^zaA Davidic Maskil.

¹The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.”

They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.

There is no one who does good. ^b

²God looks down from heaven on the human race

to see if there is one who is wise,

one who seeks God. ^c

³All have turned away;

all alike have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good,

not even one. ^d

⁴Will evildoers never understand?

They consume My people as they consume bread; ^e

they do not call on God. ^f

⁵Then they will be filled with terror—

terror like no other ^g—

because God will scatter

the bones of those who besiege you. ^h

You will put them to shame,

for God has rejected them. ⁱ

⁶Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of His people, ^j

Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad. ^k