Psalms 51

Psalm 51

Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon

¹Have mercy on me, O God,[#Ps 4.1; 106.45; Acts 3.19]

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy,

blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,[#Heb 9.14; 1 Jn 1.7]

and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,[#Isa 59.12]

and my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned[#Gen 20.6; Rom 3.4]

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,[#Job 14.4; Ps 58.3]

a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶You desire truth in the inward being;[#Ps 15.2; Prov 2.6; #51.6 Meaning of Heb uncertain]

therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;[#Lev 14.4; Isa 1.18]

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;[#Ps 35.10]

let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins,[#Jer 16.17]

and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,[#Ps 78.37; Acts 15.9]

and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence,[#2 Kings 13.23; Eph 4.30]

and do not take your holy spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,[#Ps 13.5; 2 Cor 3.17]

and sustain in me a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,[#Ps 22.27; Acts 9.21, 22]

and sinners will return to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,[#2 Sam 12.9; Ps 25.5; 35.28]

O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,[#Ps 9.14]

and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice;[#1 Sam 15.22; Ps 40.6]

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

¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;[#Ps 34.18; #51.17 Or My sacrifice, O God,]

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

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;[#Ps 102.16; Isa 51.3]

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;

¹⁹then you will delight in right sacrifices,[#Ps 4.5; 66.13, 15]

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.