Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when (A)Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 (B)Have mercy on me,[a] O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your (C)abundant mercy
    (D)blot out my transgressions.
(E)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and (F)cleanse me from my sin!

(G)For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
(H)Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil (I)in your sight,
(J)so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, (K)I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in (L)the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me (M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    (N)wash me, and I shall be (O)whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    (P)let the bones (Q)that you have broken rejoice.
(R)Hide your face from my sins,
    and (S)blot out all my iniquities.
10 (T)Create in me a (U)clean heart, O God,
    and (V)renew a right[b] spirit within me.
11 (W)Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not (X)your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will (Y)return to you.
14 Deliver me from (Z)bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O (AA)God of my salvation,
    and (AB)my tongue will sing aloud of your (AC)righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 (AD)For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are (AE)a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 (AF)Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    (AG)build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in (AH)right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and (AI)whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

To the choirmaster. A Maskil[c] of David, when (AJ)Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
    The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
Your (AK)tongue plots destruction,
    like (AL)a sharp razor, you (AM)worker of deceit.
You love evil more than good,
    and (AN)lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all words that devour,
    O deceitful tongue.

But God will break you down forever;
    he will snatch and (AO)tear you from your tent;
    he will uproot you from (AP)the land of the living. Selah
The righteous shall (AQ)see and fear,
    and shall (AR)laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make
    God his refuge,
but (AS)trusted in the abundance of his riches
    and sought refuge in his own destruction!”[d]

But I am like (AT)a green olive tree
    in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
    forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
    because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, (AU)for it is good,
    in the presence of the (AV)godly.

There Is None Who Does Good

To the choirmaster: according to (AW)Mahalath. A Maskil[e] of David.

53 (AX)The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
    there is none who does good.

God looks down from heaven
    on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[f]
    who seek after God.

They have all fallen away;
    together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
    not even one.

Have those who work evil no knowledge,
    who eat up my people as they eat bread,
    and do not call upon God?

There they are, in great terror,
    (AY)where there is no terror!
For God (AZ)scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with (BA)stringed instruments. A Maskil[g] of David, (BB)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

54 O God, save me by your (BC)name,
    and vindicate me by your might.
O God, (BD)hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

(BE)For (BF)strangers[h] have risen against me;
    ruthless men (BG)seek my life;
    they do not set God before themselves. Selah

Behold, (BH)God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will return the evil to my enemies;
    in your (BI)faithfulness (BJ)put an end to them.

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, (BK)for it is good.
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has (BL)looked in triumph on my enemies.

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

To the choirmaster: with (BM)stringed instruments. A Maskil[i] of David.

55 (BN)Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless (BO)in my complaint and I (BP)moan,
because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they (BQ)drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

My heart is in anguish within me;
    (BR)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and (BS)horror (BT)overwhelms me.
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
(BU)yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter
    from (BV)the raging wind and tempest.”

Destroy, O Lord, (BW)divide their tongues;
    for I see (BX)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and (BY)iniquity and trouble are within it;
11     ruin is in its midst;
(BZ)oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who (CA)deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
13 (CB)But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in (CC)the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol (CD)alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

16 But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
17 (CE)Evening and (CF)morning and at (CG)noon
    I (CH)utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for (CI)many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is (CJ)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not (CK)change
    and do not fear God.

20 My companion[j] (CL)stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
21 His (CM)speech was (CN)smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were (CO)drawn swords.

22 (CP)Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
(CQ)he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, (CR)will cast them down
    into (CS)the pit of destruction;
men of (CT)blood and treachery
    shall not (CU)live out half their days.
But I will (CV)trust in you.

In God I Trust

To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A (CW)Miktam[k] of David, when the (CX)Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 (CY)Be gracious to me, O God, for man (CZ)tramples on me;
    all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
    I (DA)put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; (DB)I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;[l]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They (DC)stir up strife, they (DD)lurk;
    they (DE)watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
For their crime will they escape?
    (DF)In wrath (DG)cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings;[m]
    (DH)put my tears in your bottle.
    (DI)Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back
    (DJ)in the day when I call.
    This I know, that[n] (DK)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; (DL)I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

12 I must perform my (DM)vows to you, O God;
    I will (DN)render thank offerings to you.
13 (DO)For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
(DP)that I may walk before God
    (DQ)in the light of life.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 51:1 Or Be gracious to me
  2. Psalm 51:10 Or steadfast
  3. Psalm 52:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  4. Psalm 52:7 Or in his work of destruction
  5. Psalm 53:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
  6. Psalm 53:2 Or who act wisely
  7. Psalm 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  8. Psalm 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)
  9. Psalm 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  10. Psalm 55:20 Hebrew He
  11. Psalm 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  12. Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
  13. Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
  14. Psalm 56:9 Or because

Prophecy and Tongues

14 (A)Pursue love, and (B)earnestly desire the (C)spiritual gifts, especially that you may (D)prophesy. For (E)one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but (F)even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

Now, brothers,[a] if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some (G)revelation or knowledge or prophecy or (H)teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And (I)if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be (J)speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be (K)a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; (L)I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will (M)sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider[b] say (N)“Amen” to (O)your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, (P)do not be children in your thinking. (Q)Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be (R)mature. 21 (S)In the Law it is written, (T)“By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign[c] not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, (U)will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 (V)the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, (W)falling on his face, he will worship God and (X)declare that God is really among you.

Orderly Worship

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has (Y)a hymn, (Z)a lesson, (AA)a revelation, (AB)a tongue, or (AC)an interpretation. (AD)Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in (AE)a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others (AF)weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, (AG)let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of (AH)confusion but of peace.

As in (AI)all the churches of the saints, 34 (AJ)the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but (AK)should be in submission, as (AL)the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 (AM)If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, (AN)earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 (AO)But all things should be done decently and (AP)in order.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 14:6 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 20, 26, 39
  2. 1 Corinthians 14:16 Or of him that is without gifts
  3. 1 Corinthians 14:22 Greek lacks a sign

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