Psalm 51

PSALM 51

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

¹Have mercy on me, O God,

according to thy steadfast love;

according to thy 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 thee, thee only, have I sinned,

and done that which is evil in thy sight,

so that thou art justified in thy sentence

and blameless in thy judgment.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being;

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.

⁸Fill me with joy and gladness;

let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.

⁹Hide thy face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence,

and take not thy holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors thy ways,

and sinners will return to thee.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,

thou God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.

¹⁵O Lord, open thou my lips,

and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

¹⁶For thou hast no delight in sacrifice;

were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.

¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

¹⁹then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on thy altar.