Beginning
A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.
For the choir 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, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of (B)Your compassion (C)blot out my transgressions.
2 (D)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And (E)cleanse me from my sin.
3 For [b]I (F)know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 (G)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is (H)evil in Your sight,
So that (I)You [c]are justified [d]when You speak
And [e]blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was (J)brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire (K)truth in the [f]innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will (L)make me know wisdom.
7 [g]Purify me (M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[h]Wash me, and I shall be (N)whiter than snow.
8 [i]Make me to hear (O)joy and gladness,
Let the (P)bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 (Q)Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 (R)Create [j]in me a (S)clean heart, O God,
And renew [k]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 transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will [l]be (Z)converted to You.
14 Deliver me from (AA)bloodguiltiness, O God, (AB)the God of my salvation;
Then my (AC)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, [m](AD)open my lips,
That my mouth may (AE)declare Your praise.
16 For You (AF)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a (AG)broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18 (AH)By Your favor do good to Zion;
[n](AI)Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in [o](AJ)righteous sacrifices,
In (AK)burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then [p]young bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
For the choir director. A [q]Maskil of David, [r]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, O mighty man?
The (AM)lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises (AN)destruction,
Like a (AO)sharp razor, (AP)O worker of deceit.
3 You (AQ)love evil more than good,
(AR)Falsehood more than speaking what is right. [s]Selah.
4 You love all words that devour,
O (AS)deceitful tongue.
5 [t]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 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 [u]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 lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
9 I will (BC)give You thanks 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.
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director; according to [v]Mahalath. A [w]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 men
To see if there is (BG)anyone who [x]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 wickedness (BJ)no knowledge,
Who eat up My people as though they ate bread
And have not called upon God?
5 There they were in great [y]fear (BK)where no [z]fear had been;
For God (BL)scattered the bones of [aa]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 [ab]would come out of Zion!
When God [ac]restores His captive people,
[ad]Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [ae]Maskil of David, [af]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
54 Save me, O God, by (BP)Your name,
And [ag]vindicate me by (BQ)Your power.
2 (BR)Hear my prayer, O God;
(BS)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (BT)risen against me
And (BU)violent men have (BV)sought my [ah]life;
They have (BW)not set God before them. [ai]Selah.
4 Behold, (BX)God is my helper;
The Lord is [aj]the (BY)sustainer of my soul.
5 [ak]He will (BZ)recompense the evil to [al]my foes;
[am](CA)Destroy them (CB)in Your [an]faithfulness.
6 [ao](CC)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will give (CD)thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For [ap]He has (CE)delivered me from all [aq]trouble,
And my eye has (CF)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [ar]Maskil of David.
55 (CG)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (CH)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (CI)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (CJ)complaint and [as](CK)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (CL)pressure of the wicked;
For they (CM)bring down [at]trouble upon me
And in anger they (CN)bear 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 [au](CR)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [av](CS)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (CT)lodge in the wilderness. [aw]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (CU)stormy wind and tempest.”
9 [ax]Confuse, O 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 iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (CX)Destruction is in her midst;
(CY)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [ay]streets.
12 For it is (CZ)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear 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 [az]my equal,
My (DB)companion and my [ba](DC)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [bb]fellowship together
(DD)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [bc]death come (DE)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (DF)go down alive to [bd]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 murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (DK)redeem my soul in peace [be]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (DL)many who strive with me.
19 God will (DM)hear and [bf]answer them—
Even the one (DN)who [bg]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there [bh]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 [bi](DQ)violated his covenant.
21 His [bj]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 [bk]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
(DV)He will never allow the righteous to [bl](DW)be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the [bm](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.
Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.
For the choir director; according to [bn]Jonath elem rehokim. A [bo]Mikhtam of David, [bp]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [bq](EB)trampled upon me;
[br]Fighting all day long he (EC)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [bs](ED)trampled upon me all day long,
For [bt]they are many who (EE)fight proudly against me.
3 [bu]When I am (EF)afraid,
[bv]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 [bw]man do to me?
5 All day long they [bx](EJ)distort my words;
All their [by](EK)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [bz](EL)attack, they lurk,
They (EM)watch my [ca]steps,
As they have (EN)waited to take my [cb]life.
7 Because of wickedness, [cc](EO)cast them forth,
In anger (EP)put down the peoples, O God!
8 You (EQ)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (ER)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (ES)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (ET)turn back (EU)in the day when I call;
This I know, [cd]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 [ce]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (EW)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have (EX)delivered my soul from death,
[cf]Indeed (EY)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (EZ)walk before God
In the (FA)light of the [cg]living.
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the choir director; set to [ch]Al-tashheth. A [ci]Mikhtam of David, [cj]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, O 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 reproaches him who [ck](FG)tramples upon me. [cl]Selah.
God will send forth His (FH)lovingkindness and His [cm]truth.
4 My soul is among (FI)lions;
I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,
Even the sons of men, whose (FJ)teeth are spears and arrows
And their (FK)tongue a sharp sword.
5 (FL)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have [cn]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, O 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 give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [co]nations.
10 For Your (FV)lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your [cp]truth to the clouds.
11 (FW)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.