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Psalm 32
New King James Version
Psalm 32
New King James Version
The Joy of Forgiveness
A Psalm of David. A [a]Contemplation.
32 Blessed is he whose (A)transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord (B)does not [b]impute iniquity,
And (C)in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your (D)hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
(E)I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 (F)For this cause everyone who is godly shall (G)pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 (H)You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with (I)songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the (J)horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
10 (K)Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But (L)he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 (M)Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Footnotes
- Psalm 32:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 32:2 charge his account with
Psalm 32
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 32
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
Of David. A Maskil.
1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!(A)
2 How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity(B)
and in whose spirit is no deceit!(C)
3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.(D)
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;(E)
my strength was drained[a]
as in the summer’s heat.(F)Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you(G)
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.(H)Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.[b](I)
When great floodwaters come,
they will not reach him.(J)
7 You are my hiding place;(K)
you protect me from trouble.(L)
You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.Selah
8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go;(M)
with my eye on you, I will give counsel.(N)
9 Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle
or else it will not come near you.(O)
Psalm 32
New International Version
Psalm 32
New International Version
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.[a]
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.(A)
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them(B)
and in whose spirit is no deceit.(C)
3 When I kept silent,(D)
my bones wasted away(E)
through my groaning(F) all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy(G) on me;
my strength was sapped(H)
as in the heat of summer.[b]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.(I)
I said, “I will confess(J)
my transgressions(K) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.(L)
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;(M)
surely the rising(N) of the mighty waters(O)
will not reach them.(P)
7 You are my hiding place;(Q)
you will protect me from trouble(R)
and surround me with songs of deliverance.(S)
8 I will instruct(T) you and teach you(U) in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on(V) you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle(W)
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,(X)
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts(Y) in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord(Z) and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Footnotes
- Psalm 32:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 32:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.
Psalm 32
The Voice
Psalm 32
The Voice
Psalm 32
A contemplative song[a] of David.
The psalms celebrate God’s forgiveness that comes through confession and repentance. Some interpreters link this psalm to David’s sin with Bathsheba after Nathan had exposed his transgression, but the king certainly had other failings. Even if we do not associate this psalm with any personal transgression by David, it serves well as a model confession for those who are painfully aware of their sin.
1 How happy is the one whose wrongs are forgiven,
whose sin is hidden from sight.
2 How happy is the person whose sin the Eternal will not take into account.[b]
How happy are those who no longer lie, to themselves or others.
3 When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable,
moaning and complaining all day long
so that even my bones felt brittle.
4 Day and night, Your hand kept pressing on me.
My strength dried up like water in the summer heat;
You wore me down.
[pause][c]
5 When I finally saw my own lies,
I owned up to my sins before You,
and I did not try to hide my evil deeds from You.
I said to myself, “I’ll admit all my sins to the Eternal,”
and You lifted and carried away the guilt of my sin.
[pause]
6 So let all who are devoted to You
speak honestly to You now, while You are still listening.
For then when the floods come, surely the rushing water
will not even reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You will keep me out of trouble
and envelop me with songs that remind me I am free.
[pause]
8 I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there;
I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you.
9 But don’t be stubborn and stupid like horses and mules
who, if not reined by leather and metal,
will run wild, ignoring their masters.
10 Tormented and empty are wicked and destructive people,
but the one who trusts in the Eternal is wrapped tightly in His gracious love.
11 Express your joy; be happy in Him, you who are good and true.
Go ahead, shout and rejoice aloud, you whose hearts are honest and straightforward.
Footnotes
- 32:title Hebrew, maskil
- 32:1–2 Romans 4:7–8
- 32:4 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.