Psalm 51

Psalm 51

Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon

To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

¹Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy,

blot out my transgressions.^*

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin.^*

³For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.^*

⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your sentence

and blameless when you pass judgment.^*

⁵Indeed, I was born guilty,

a sinner when my mother conceived me.^*

⁶You desire truth in the inward being;^y

therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.^*

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.^*

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.^*

⁹Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.^*

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right^z spirit within me.^*

¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy spirit from me.^*

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and sustain in me a willing^a spirit.^*

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.^*

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,

O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.^*

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.^*

¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice;

if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.^*

¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God^b is a broken spirit;

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

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;^*

¹⁹then you will delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.^*