Psalm 51-57
New American Standard Bible
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the music director. A Psalm of David, when [a]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 (A)Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
According to the greatness of (B)Your compassion, (C)wipe out my wrongdoings.
2 (D)Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And (E)cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I (F)know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
4 (G)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is (H)evil in Your sight,
So that (I)You [b]are justified [c]when You speak
And [d]blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was (J)brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire (K)truth in the [e]innermost being,
And in secret You will (L)make wisdom known to me.
7 [f]Purify me (M)with hyssop, and I will be clean;
[g]Cleanse me, and I will be (N)whiter than snow.
8 [h]Let me hear (O)joy and gladness,
Let the (P)bones You have broken rejoice.
9 (Q)Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.
10 (R)Create [i]in me a (S)clean heart, God,
And renew a (T)steadfast spirit within me.
11 (U)Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your (V)Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the (W)joy of Your salvation,
And sustain me with a (X)willing spirit.
13 Then I will (Y)teach wrongdoers Your ways,
And sinners will [j]be (Z)converted to You.
14 Save me from (AA)the guilt of bloodshed, God, (AB)the God of my salvation;
Then my (AC)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, [k](AD)open my lips,
So that my mouth may (AE)declare Your praise.
16 For You (AF)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a (AG)broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.
18 (AH)By Your favor do good to Zion;
[l](AI)Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [m](AJ)righteous sacrifices,
In (AK)burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [n]bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
For the music director. A [o]Maskil of David, [p]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you (AL)boast in evil, you mighty man?
The (AM)faithfulness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises (AN)destruction,
Like a (AO)sharp razor, (AP)you worker of deceit.
3 You (AQ)love evil more than good,
(AR)Lies more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
You (AS)deceitful tongue.
5 [q]But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and (AT)tear you away from your tent,
And (AU)uproot you from the (AV)land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will (AW)see and fear,
And they will (AX)laugh at him, saying,
7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But (AY)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And (AZ)was strong in [r]his evil desire.”
8 But as for me, I am like a (BA)green olive tree in the house of God;
I (BB)trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever.
9 I will (BC)praise You forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, (BD)for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.
Foolishness and Wickedness of People.
For the music director; according to [s]Mahalath. A [t]Maskil of David.
53 (BE)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
(BF)There is no one who does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there is (BG)anyone who [u]understands,
Who (BH)seeks after God.
3 (BI)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Have the workers of injustice (BJ)no knowledge,
Who eat up My people like they ate bread,
And have not called upon God?
5 They were in great [v]fear there, (BK)where no [w]fear had been;
For God (BL)scattered the bones of [x]him who encamped against you;
You (BM)put them to shame, because (BN)God had rejected them.
6 Oh, that (BO)the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
For the music director; on stringed instruments. A [y]Maskil of David, [z]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is David not keeping himself hidden among us?”
54 Save me, God, by (BP)Your name,
And [aa]vindicate me by (BQ)Your power.
2 (BR)Hear my prayer, God;
(BS)Listen to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (BT)risen against me
And (BU)violent men have (BV)sought my [ab]life;
They have (BW)not set God before them. Selah
4 Behold, (BX)God is my helper;
The Lord is [ac]the (BY)sustainer of my soul.
5 [ad]He will (BZ)pay back the evil to my enemies;
[ae](CA)Destroy them (CB)in Your [af]faithfulness.
6 [ag](CC)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will (CD)praise Your name, Lord, for it is good.
7 For [ah]He has (CE)saved me from all [ai]trouble,
And my eye has (CF)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the music director; on stringed instruments. A [aj]Maskil of David.
55 (CG)Listen to my prayer, God;
And (CH)do not hide Yourself from my pleading.
2 Give Your (CI)attention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (CJ)complaint and [ak](CK)severely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (CL)pressure of the wicked;
For they (CM)bring down [al]trouble upon me
And in anger they (CN)hold a grudge against me.
4 My (CO)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (CP)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (CQ)trembling come upon me,
And [am](CR)horror has [an]overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [ao](CS)be at rest.
7 Behold, I would flee far away,
I would (CT)spend my nights in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the (CU)stormy wind and heavy gale.”
9 Confuse them, Lord, (CV)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (CW)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.
11 (CX)Destruction is in her midst;
(CY)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [ap]streets.
12 For it is (CZ)not an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (DA)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [aq]my equal,
My (DB)companion and my (DC)confidant;
14 We who had sweet [ar]fellowship together,
(DD)Walked in the house of God among the commotion.
15 May [as]death come (DE)deceitfully upon them;
May they (DF)go down alive to [at]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall (DG)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 (DH)Evening and (DI)morning and at (DJ)noon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (DK)redeem my soul in peace [au]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (DL)many who are aggressive toward me.
19 God will (DM)hear and humiliate them—
Even the one (DN)who [av]sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah
With whom there [aw]is no change,
And who (DO)do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against (DP)those who were at peace with him;
He has [ax](DQ)violated his covenant.
21 His [ay]speech was (DR)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (DS)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (DT)swords.
22 (DU)Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
(DV)He will never allow the righteous to [az](DW)be shaken.
23 But You, God, will bring them down to the (DX)pit of destruction;
(DY)Men of bloodshed and deceit will (DZ)not live out half their days.
But I will (EA)trust in You.
Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.
For the music director; according to [ba]Jonath elem rehokim. A [bb]Mikhtam of David, [bc]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has [bd](EB)trampled upon me;
[be]Fighting all day long he (EC)oppresses me.
2 My enemies have (ED)trampled upon me all day long,
For [bf]they are many who (EE)fight proudly against me.
3 [bg]When I am (EF)afraid,
[bh]I will (EG)put my trust in You.
4 (EH)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(EI)What can mere [bi]mortals do to me?
5 All day long they (EJ)distort my words;
All their [bj](EK)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [bk](EL)attack, they lurk,
They (EM)watch my [bl]steps,
As they have (EN)waited to take my [bm]life.
7 Because of their wickedness, will there be an (EO)escape for them?
In anger (EP)make the peoples fall down, God!
8 You (EQ)have taken account of my [bn]miseries;
Put my (ER)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (ES)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (ET)turn back (EU)on the day when I call;
This I know, [bo]that (EV)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [bp]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?
12 Your (EW)vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.
13 For You have (EX)saved my soul from death,
[bq]Indeed (EY)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (EZ)walk before God
In the (FA)light of the [br]living.
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the music director; set to [bs]Al-tashheth. A [bt]Mikhtam of David, [bu]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (FB)takes refuge in You;
And in the (FC)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (FD)passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (FE)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (FF)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who [bv](FG)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His [bw](FH)favor and His truth.
4 My soul is among (FI)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose (FJ)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their (FK)tongue is a sharp sword.
5 (FL)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a (FM)net for my steps;
My soul is (FN)bowed down;
They (FO)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (FP)fallen into the midst of it. Selah
7 (FQ)My (FR)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (FS)my glory!
Awake, (FT)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (FU)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [bx]nations.
10 For Your (FV)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your [by]truth to the clouds.
11 (FW)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 51 Title 2 Sam 12:1
- Psalm 51:4 Or may be in the right
- Psalm 51:4 Many mss in Your words
- Psalm 51:4 Lit pure
- Psalm 51:6 Or inward parts
- Psalm 51:7 Or May You purify...that I may be clean
- Psalm 51:7 Or May You cleanse
- Psalm 51:8 Or May You cause
- Psalm 51:10 Lit for
- Psalm 51:13 Or turn back
- Psalm 51:15 Or may You open
- Psalm 51:18 Or May You build
- Psalm 51:19 Or sacrifices of righteousness
- Psalm 51:19 Lit they will offer bulls
- Psalm 52 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 52 Title 1 Sam 22:9
- Psalm 52:5 Or Also
- Psalm 52:7 Or his destruction
- Psalm 53 Title I.e., sickness, a sad tone
- Psalm 53 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 53:2 Or acts wisely
- Psalm 53:5 Or dread
- Psalm 53:5 Or dread
- Psalm 53:5 Or possibly those
- Psalm 54 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 54 Title 1 Sam 23:19; 26:1
- Psalm 54:1 Lit judge
- Psalm 54:3 Or soul
- Psalm 54:4 Lit as those who sustain
- Psalm 54:5 LXX; MT The evil will return
- Psalm 54:5 Or Put to silence
- Psalm 54:5 Or truth
- Psalm 54:6 Or With a voluntary offering
- Psalm 54:7 Or it; i.e., His name
- Psalm 54:7 Or distress
- Psalm 55 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 55:2 Another reading is I must moan
- Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
- Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
- Psalm 55:5 Lit covered
- Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
- Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
- Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
- Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
- Psalm 55:15 Another reading is devastation be upon them
- Psalm 55:15 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
- Psalm 55:19 Or remains from
- Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
- Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
- Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
- Psalm 55:22 Or totter
- Psalm 56 Title Or The silent dove of those who are far off; or The dove of the distant terebinths
- Psalm 56 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 56 Title 1 Sam 21:10, 11
- Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
- Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
- Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
- Psalm 56:3 Lit The day
- Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
- Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
- Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
- Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
- Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
- Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
- Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
- Psalm 56:9 Or because
- Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
- Psalm 56:13 Or Have You not delivered
- Psalm 56:13 Or life
- Psalm 57 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
- Psalm 57 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 57 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
- Psalm 57:3 Or snaps at
- Psalm 57:3 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 57:9 Lit peoples
- Psalm 57:10 Or faithfulness
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