UST by section PSA 51:1

⌂ ← PSA 51:1–51:19 → ║ ©

The Book of Psalms 51

A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time when the prophet Nathan rebuked David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

51 O God, act mercifully toward me

because you love me faithfully;

because you are very merciful,

forget the ways that I disobeyed you!

2 Make me acceptable to you again, even though I did wrong things;

forgive the guilt of my sin and accept me.

3 I say that because I know the ways that I have disobeyed you;

I cannot forget them.

4 You, you only, are the one I have really sinned against,

and you have seen the evil things that I have done.

When you say that I am guilty, you are right,

and when you judge me, you justly say that I deserve to be punished.

5 I have been a sinner since the day that I was born;

truly, I have been like that since my mother conceived me.

6 What you desire is that in my inner being I desire what is true

in order that you can teach me how to act wisely.

7 Forgive the guilt of my sins, and after that happens, I will be completely acceptable to you;

if you forgive me, then I will be absolutely right with you.

8 Allow me to rejoice again;

you have made me immeasurably sad,

but now let me rejoice again.

9 Do not continue to remember the sins that I have committed;

forget the evil things that I have done.

10 O God, make me want to do the things that you approve of.

Make me want to do only what is right.

11 Do not reject me as one of your people,

and do not make your holy Spirit leave me.

12 Make me happy again by rescuing me from my guilt,

and always help me by making me sincerely want to obey you.

13 If you do that, I will teach other sinners what you want them to do;

they will repent and obey you.

14 O God, you are the one who saves me;

forgive me for being guilty of causing someone who was not my enemy to die.

When you do that, I will sing joyfully about your being very good and righteous.

15 O Yahweh, help me to speak

in order that I may praise you.

16 When people only bring sacrifices to you, that does not please you.

If that were enough to please you, I would do the same.

But you are not pleased with burnt offerings alone.

17 The sacrifice that you really want is for people to be truly humble and sorry for having sinned.

O God, you will not refuse that kind of sacrifice.

18 O God, be good to the people who live in Jerusalem;

make them able to rebuild the city walls.

19 When that happens, they will bring you the proper sacrifices:

normal animal sacrifices and sacrifices to be completely burned.

They will burn young bulls on your altar,

and you will be pleased.