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Psalm 51-53
New International Version
Psalm 51-53
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)
1 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)
2 Wash away(G) all my iniquity
and cleanse(H) me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.(I)
4 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)
5 Surely I was sinful(M) at birth,(N)
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom(O) in that secret place.(P)
7 Cleanse(Q) me with hyssop,(R) and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.(S)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;(T)
let the bones(U) you have crushed rejoice.
9 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)
11 Do not cast me(Z) from your presence(AA)
or take your Holy Spirit(AB) from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation(AC)
and grant me a willing spirit,(AD) to sustain me.(AE)
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,(AF)
so that sinners(AG) will turn back to you.(AH)
14 Deliver 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)
15 Open my lips, Lord,(AM)
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice,(AN) or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice,(AO) O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart(AP)
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,(AQ)
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.(AR)
19 Then 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.
Psalm 52[c]
For the director of music. A maskil[d] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(AV) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast(AW) all day long,(AX)
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,(AY)
your tongue plots destruction;(AZ)
it is like a sharpened razor.(BA)
3 You love evil(BB) rather than good,
falsehood(BC) rather than speaking the truth.[e]
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!(BD)
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck(BE) you from your tent;
he will uproot(BF) you from the land of the living.(BG)
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh(BH) at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold(BI)
but trusted in his great wealth(BJ)
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree(BK)
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust(BL) in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you(BM)
in the presence of your faithful people.(BN)
And I will hope in your name,(BO)
for your name is good.(BP)
Psalm 53[f](BQ)
For the director of music. According to mahalath.[g] A maskil[h] of David.
1 The fool(BR) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”(BS)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven(BT)
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(BU)
any who seek God.(BV)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.(BW)
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.(BX)
God scattered the bones(BY) of those who attacked you;(BZ)
you put them to shame,(CA) for God despised them.(CB)
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Footnotes
- Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
- Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are
- Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
- Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.
- Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
- Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
- Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 51-53
King James Version
Psalm 51-53
King James Version
51 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 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.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 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.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
53 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
New International Version (NIV) 
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