Psalm 51a

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.c

1 Have mercyd on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;e

according to your great compassionf

blot outg my transgressions.h

2 Wash awayi all my iniquity

and cleansej me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.k

4 Against you, you only, have I sinnedl

and done what is evil in your sight;m

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.n

5 Surely I was sinfulo at birth,p

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdomq in that secret place.r

7 Cleanses me with hyssop,t and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.u

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;v

let the bonesw you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sinsx

and blot outy all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart,z O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.a

11 Do not cast meb from your presencec

or take your Holy Spiritd from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvatione

and grant me a willing spirit,f to sustain me.g

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,h

so that sinnersi will turn back to you.j

14 Deliver mek from the guilt of bloodshed,l O God,

you who are God my Savior,m

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.n

15 Open my lips, Lord,o

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice,p or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice,q O God, isb a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heartr

you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,s

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.t

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,u

in burnt offeringsv offered whole;

then bullsw will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52a

For the director of music. A maskilb of David. When Doeg the Edomitex had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?

Why do you boasty all day long,z

you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

2 You who practice deceit,a

your tongue plots destruction;b

it is like a sharpened razor.c

3 You love evild rather than good,

falsehoode rather than speaking the truth.c

4 You love every harmful word,

you deceitful tongue!f

5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:

He will snatch you up and pluckg you from your tent;

he will uprooth you from the land of the living.i

6 The righteous will see and fear;

they will laughj at you, saying,

7 “Here now is the man

who did not make God his strongholdk

but trusted in his great wealthl

and grew strong by destroying others!”

8 But I am like an olive treem

flourishing in the house of God;

I trustn in God’s unfailing love

for ever and ever.

9 For what you have done I will always praise youo

in the presence of your faithful people.p

And I will hope in your name,q

for your name is good.r

Psalm 53a

53:1–6pp—Ps 14:1–7

For the director of music. According to mahalath.b A maskilc of David.

1 The fools says in his heart,

“There is no God.”t

They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;

there is no one who does good.

2 God looks down from heavenu

on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand,v

any who seek God.w

3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.x

4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;

they never call on God.

5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,

where there was nothing to dread.y

God scattered the bonesz of those who attacked you;a

you put them to shame,b for God despised them.c

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

When God restores his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!