Psalm 51

New International Version

Psalm 51^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^(A)

¹Have mercy^(B) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;^(C)
according to your great compassion^(D)
    blot out^(E) my transgressions.^(F)
²Wash away^(G) all my iniquity
    and cleanse^(H) me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.^(I)
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned^(J)
    and done what is evil in your sight;^(K)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.^(L)
⁵Surely I was sinful^(M) at birth,^(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom^(O) in that secret place.^(P)

⁷Cleanse^(Q) me with hyssop,^(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^(S)
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;^(T)
    let the bones^(U) you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins^(V)
    and blot out^(W) all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart,^(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.^(Y)
¹¹Do not cast me^(Z) from your presence^(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit^(AB) from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation^(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,^(AD) to sustain me.^(AE)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^(AF)
    so that sinners^(AG) will turn back to you.^(AH)
¹⁴Deliver me^(AI) from the guilt of bloodshed,^(AJ) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,^(AK)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.^(AL)
¹⁵Open my lips, Lord,^(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice,^(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷My sacrifice,^(AO) O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion,^(AQ)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^(AR)
¹⁹Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,^(AS)
    in burnt offerings^(AT) offered whole;
    then bulls^(AU) will be offered on your altar.

Footnotes

Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are

Deuteronomy 6:10-25

New International Version

¹⁰When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,^(A) ¹¹houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,^(B) and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,^(C) ¹²be careful that you do not forget^(D) the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹³Fear the Lord^(E) your God, serve him only^(F) and take your oaths^(G) in his name.^(H) ¹⁴Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵for the Lord your God^(I), who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶Do not put the Lord your God to the test^(J) as you did at Massah. ¹⁷Be sure to keep^(K) the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.^(L) ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight,^(M) so that it may go well^(N) with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, ¹⁹thrusting out all your enemies^(O) before you, as the Lord said.

²⁰In the future, when your son asks you,^(P) “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” ²¹tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.^(Q) ²²Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. ²³But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God,^(R) so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.^(S) ²⁵And if we are careful to obey all this law^(T) before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.^(U)”

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Romans 12:17-21

New International Version

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil.^(A) Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.^(B) ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.^(C) ¹⁹Do not take revenge,^(D) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[a]^(E) says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[b]^(F)

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Footnotes

Romans 12:19 Deut. 32:35
Romans 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22

Romans 13:8-10

New International Version

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.^(A) ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^[a]^(B) and whatever other command there may be, are summed up^(C) in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b]^(D) ¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.^(E)