Psalm 51

Modern

Literal

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me,^a O God,

according to Your loving devotion;

according to Your great compassion,

blot out my transgressions.

¹For the one directing. A Psalm of David, in the coming of Nathan the prophet to him after that he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to the abundance of Your compassion, wipe out my transgressions.

²Wash me clean of my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is before me continually.

⁴Against You, You only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in Your sight,

so that You may be proved right when You speak

and blameless when You judge.^a

⁴Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and have done the evil in your eyes, so that You are right when You speak, and You are pure when You judge.

⁵Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;

I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

⁵Behold, in iniquity I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.

⁶Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

⁶Behold, You take delight in truth in the inner parts; in the inmost place You teach me wisdom.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁷Cleanse my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

⁸Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide Your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

⁹May You hide Your face from my sins, and wipe out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

¹⁰Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹Cast me not away from Your presence;

take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹¹Do not cast me away from before Your face, and do not take away from me Your Holy Spirit.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

and sinners will return to You.

¹³I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation; my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare Your praise.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

¹⁶For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁶For You do not take delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; with a burnt offering You are not pleased.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and a contrite heart,

O God, You will not despise.

¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A heart broken and crushed, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁸By Your pleasure, do good to Zion; may You build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

in whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

¹⁹Then You will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt offering and whole sacrifice; then they will offer bulls upon Your altar.