Psalms 51

¹ To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

⁴ Against 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.

⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

⁶ Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸ Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.

⁹ Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.

¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.

¹⁵ O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

¹⁶ For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.

¹⁷ The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

¹⁹ then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.