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)

¹Have mercy^(B) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;^(C)
according to your great compassion^(D)
    blot out^(E) my transgressions.^(F)
²Wash away^(G) all my iniquity
    and cleanse^(H) me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.^(I)
⁴Against 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)
⁵Surely I was sinful^(M) at birth,^(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom^(O) in that secret place.^(P)

⁷Cleanse^(Q) me with hyssop,^(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^(S)
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;^(T)
    let the bones^(U) you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins^(V)
    and blot out^(W) all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart,^(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.^(Y)
¹¹Do not cast me^(Z) from your presence^(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit^(AB) from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation^(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,^(AD) to sustain me.^(AE)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^(AF)
    so that sinners^(AG) will turn back to you.^(AH)
¹⁴Deliver 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)
¹⁵Open my lips, Lord,^(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice,^(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷My sacrifice,^(AO) O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion,^(AQ)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^(AR)
¹⁹Then 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.”

¹Why 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?
²You who practice deceit,^(AY)
    your tongue plots destruction;^(AZ)
    it is like a sharpened razor.^(BA)
³You love evil^(BB) rather than good,
    falsehood^(BC) rather than speaking the truth.^[e]
⁴You love every harmful word,
    you deceitful tongue!^(BD)

⁵Surely 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)
⁶The 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!”

⁸But 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.
⁹For 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.

¹The 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.

²God looks down from heaven^(BT)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,^(BU)
    any who seek God.^(BV)
³Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.^(BW)

⁴Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
⁵But 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)

⁶Oh, 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

Acts 20:17-38

New International Version

¹⁷From Miletus,^(A) Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders^(B) of the church. ¹⁸When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,^(C) from the first day I came into the province of Asia.^(D) ¹⁹I served the Lord with great humility and with tears^(E) and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.^(F) ²⁰You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything^(G) that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹I have declared to both Jews^(H) and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance^(I) and have faith in our Lord Jesus.^(J)

²²“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,^(K) not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me^(L) that prison and hardships are facing me.^(M) ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;^(N) my only aim is to finish the race^(O) and complete the task^(P) the Lord Jesus has given me^(Q)—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.^(R)

²⁵“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom^(S) will ever see me again.^(T) ²⁶Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.^(U) ²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.^(V) ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock^(W) of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.^(X) Be shepherds of the church of God,^[a]^(Y) which he bought^(Z) with his own blood.^[b]^(AA) ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves^(AB) will come in among you and will not spare the flock.^(AC) ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples^(AD) after them. ³¹So be on your guard! Remember that for three years^(AE) I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.^(AF)

³²“Now I commit you to God^(AG) and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance^(AH) among all those who are sanctified.^(AI) ³³I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.^(AJ) ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.^(AK) ³⁵In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

³⁶When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.^(AL) ³⁷They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.^(AM) ³⁸What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.^(AN) Then they accompanied him to the ship.^(AO)