Psalm 51

English Standard Version

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.
²^(E)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and ^(F)cleanse me from my sin!

³^(G)For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴^(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.
⁵Behold, ^(K)I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶Behold, you delight in truth in ^(L)the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷Purge me ^(M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    ^(N)wash me, and I shall be ^(O)whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    ^(P)let the bones ^(Q)that you have broken rejoice.
⁹^(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.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will ^(Y)return to you.
¹⁴Deliver me from ^(Z)bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O ^(AA)God of my salvation,
    and ^(AB)my tongue will sing aloud of your ^(AC)righteousness.
¹⁵O 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.
¹⁷The 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;
¹⁹then will you delight in ^(AH)right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and ^(AI)whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Footnotes

Psalm 51:1 Or Be gracious to me
Psalm 51:10 Or steadfast

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

English Standard Version

Circumcise Your Heart

¹²“And now, Israel, ^(A)what does the Lord your God require of you, but ^(B)to fear the Lord your God, ^(C)to walk in all his ways, ^(D)to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³and ^(E)to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today ^(F)for your good? ¹⁴Behold, ^(G)to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, ^(H)the earth with all that is in it. ¹⁵Yet ^(I)the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. ¹⁶Circumcise therefore ^(J)the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer ^(K)stubborn. ¹⁷For the Lord your God is ^(L)God of gods and ^(M)Lord of lords, ^(N)the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is ^(O)not partial and takes no bribe. ¹⁸^(P)He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. ¹⁹^(Q)Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. ²⁰^(R)You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and ^(S)hold fast to him, and ^(T)by his name you shall swear. ²¹^(U)He is your praise. He is your God, ^(V)who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. ²²Your fathers went down to Egypt ^(W)seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you ^(X)as numerous as the stars of heaven.

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Hebrews 4:11-16

English Standard Version

¹¹Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so ^(A)that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. ¹²For ^(B)the word of God is living and ^(C)active, ^(D)sharper than any ^(E)two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and ^(F)discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And ^(G)no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are ^(H)naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

¹⁴Since then we have ^(I)a great high priest ^(J)who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, ^(K)let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest ^(L)who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been ^(M)tempted as we are, ^(N)yet without sin. ¹⁶^(O)Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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John 3:22-36

English Standard Version

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²²After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ^(A)was baptizing. ²³John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized ²⁴(for ^(B)John had not yet been put in prison).

²⁵Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over ^(C)purification. ²⁶And they came to John and said to him, ^(D)“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, ^(E)to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and ^(F)all are going to him.” ²⁷John answered, ^(G)“A person cannot receive even one thing ^(H)unless it is given him ^(I)from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^(J)‘I am not the Christ, but ^(K)I have been sent before him.’ ²⁹^(L)The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. ^(M)The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, ^(N)rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. ³⁰^(O)He must increase, but I must decrease.”^[a]

³¹^(P)He who comes from above ^(Q)is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ^(R)speaks in an earthly way. ^(S)He who comes from heaven ^(T)is above all. ³²^(U)He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ^(V)yet no one receives his testimony. ³³Whoever receives his testimony ^(W)sets his seal to this, ^(X)that God is true. ³⁴For he whom ^(Y)God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ^(Z)without measure. ³⁵^(AA)The Father loves the Son and ^(AB)has given all things into his hand. ³⁶^(AC)Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ^(AD)whoever does not obey the Son shall not ^(AE)see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.