Psalms 51

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

Psalm 51 presents a speaker addressing God, acknowledging personal transgressions, iniquity, and sin committed against God. The speaker asks God for mercy, compassion, cleansing from sin, and purification with hyssop. Requests are made for the creation of a clean heart, the renewal of a right spirit, and the restoration of the joy of salvation while avoiding banishment from God's presence. The speaker states that God does not delight in standard sacrifices or burnt offerings, but rather accepts a broken spirit and a contrite heart. The psalm concludes with a petition for God to cause Zion to prosper, build up the walls of Jerusalem, and receive righteous sacrifices and burnt offerings upon the altar.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. ²Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 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. ⁵Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. ⁶Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. ⁷Purify me 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. ⁹Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. ¹³Then I 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. 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. ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. ¹⁸In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; 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.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.