Psalm 51–53

A Prayer for Forgiveness

For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to David after David’s sin with Bathsheba.

51God, be merciful to me

because you are loving.

Because you are always ready to be merciful,

wipe out all my wrongs.

²Wash away all my guilt

and make me clean again.

³I know about my wrongs,

and I can’t forget my sin.

⁴You are the only one I have sinned against;

I have done what you say is wrong.

You are right when you speak

and fair when you judge.

⁵I was brought into this world in sin.

In sin my mother gave birth to me.

⁶You want me to be completely truthful,

so teach me wisdom.

⁷Take away my sin, and I will be clean.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness;

let the bones you crushed be happy again.

⁹Turn your face from my sins

and wipe out all my guilt.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, God,

and make my spirit right again.

¹¹Do not send me away from you

or take your Holy Spirit away from me.

¹²Give me back the joy of your salvation.

Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong,

and sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴God, save me from the guilt of murder,

God of my salvation,

and I will sing about your goodness.

¹⁵Lord, let me speak

so I may praise you.

¹⁶You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them.

You don’t want burnt offerings.

¹⁷The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit.

God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.

¹⁸Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem.

Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings,

and bulls will be offered on your altar.

God Will Punish the Proud

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David is in Ahimelech’s house.”

52Mighty warrior, why do you brag about the evil you do?

God’s love will continue forever.

²You think up evil plans.

Your tongue is like a sharp razor,

making up lies.

³You love wrong more than right

and lies more than truth.

Selah

⁴You love words that bite

and tongues that lie.

⁵But God will ruin you forever.

He will grab you and throw you out of your tent;

he will tear you away from the land of the living.

Selah

⁶Those who do right will see this and fear God.

They will laugh at you and say,

⁷“Look what happened to the man

who did not depend on God

but depended on his money.

He grew strong by his evil plans.”

⁸But I am like an olive tree

growing in God’s Temple.

I trust God’s love

forever and ever.

⁹God, I will thank you forever for what you have done.

With those who worship you, I will trust you because you are good.

The Unbelieving Fool

For the director of music. By mahalath. A maskil of David.

53Fools say to themselves,

“There is no God.”

Fools are evil and do terrible things;

none of them does anything good.

²God looked down from heaven on all people

to see if anyone was wise,

if anyone was looking to God for help.

³But all have turned away.

Together, everyone has become evil;

none of them does anything good.

Not a single person.

⁴Don’t the wicked understand?

They destroy my people as if they were eating bread.

They do not ask God for help.

⁵The wicked are filled with terror

where there had been nothing to fear.

God will scatter the bones of your enemies.

You will defeat them,

because God has rejected them.

⁶I pray that victory will come to Israel from Mount Zion!

May God bring them back.

Then the people of Jacob will rejoice,

and the people of Israel will be glad.