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)

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

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.(I)
Against 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)
Surely I was sinful(M) at birth,(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom(O) in that secret place.(P)

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

10 Create in me a pure heart,(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.

51 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

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

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

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

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

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20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord(A) and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean(B) birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings(C) on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma(D) and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground(E) because of humans, even though[a] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.(F) And never again will I destroy(G) all living creatures,(H) as I have done.

22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,(I)
cold and heat,
summer and winter,(J)
day and night
will never cease.”(K)

God’s Covenant With Noah

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.(L) The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.(M) Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.(N) Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.(O)

“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.(P) And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.(Q) I will demand an accounting from every animal.(R) And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.(S)

“Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;(T)
for in the image of God(U)
    has God made mankind.

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”(V)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 8:21 Or humans, for

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

11 “I am(A) the good shepherd.(B) The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.(C) 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.(D) Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd;(E) I know my sheep(F) and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father(G)—and I lay down my life for the sheep.(H) 16 I have other sheep(I) that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock(J) and one shepherd.(K) 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life(L)—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.(M) I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”(N)

19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.(O) 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed(P) and raving mad.(Q) Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.(R) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(S)

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11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

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