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Psalm 51

Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon

To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy,
    blot out my transgressions.(A)
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin.(B)

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.(C)
Against you, you alone, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.(D)
Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.(E)

You desire truth in the inward being;[a]
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.(F)
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.(G)
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.(H)
Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.(I)

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right[b] spirit within me.(J)
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.(K)
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing[c] spirit.(L)

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.(M)
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.(N)

15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.(O)
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.(P)
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God[d] is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. 51.6 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 51.10 Or steadfast
  3. 51.12 Or generous
  4. 51.17 Or My sacrifice, O God,

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.(A) 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival,(B) 53 but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”[a](C) 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then[b] they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”(D) 60 And Jesus[c] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 And Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes

  1. 9.54 Other ancient authorities add as Elijah did
  2. 9.56 Other ancient authorities read rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what spirit you are of, for the Son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of humans but to save them.” Then
  3. 9.60 Gk he