Psalm 51-55

New International Version

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.^(I)
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned^(J)
    and done what is evil in your sight;^(K)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.^(L)
5 Surely I was sinful^(M) at birth,^(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom^(O) in that secret place.^(P)

⁷ Cleanse^(Q) me with hyssop,^(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^(S)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;^(T)
    let the bones^(U) you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins^(V)
    and blot out^(W) all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart,^(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.^(Y)
11 Do not cast me^(Z) from your presence^(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit^(AB) from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation^(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,^(AD) to sustain me.^(AE)

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^(AF)
    so that sinners^(AG) will turn back to you.^(AH)
14 Deliver me^(AI) from the guilt of bloodshed,^(AJ) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,^(AK)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.^(AL)
15 Open my lips, Lord,^(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice,^(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice,^(AO) O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,^(AQ)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^(AR)
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,^(AS)
    in burnt offerings^(AT) offered whole;
    then bulls^(AU) will be offered on your altar.

⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
    He will snatch you up and pluck^(BE) you from your tent;
    he will uproot^(BF) you from the land of the living.^(BG)
6 The righteous will see and fear;
    they will laugh^(BH) at you, saying,
⁷ “Here now is the man
    who did not make God his stronghold^(BI)
but trusted in his great wealth^(BJ)
    and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸ But I am like an olive tree^(BK)
    flourishing in the house of God;
I trust^(BL) in God’s unfailing love
    for ever and ever.
⁹ For what you have done I will always praise you^(BM)
    in the presence of your faithful people.^(BN)
And I will hope in your name,^(BO)
    for your name is good.^(BP)

² God looks down from heaven^(BT)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,^(BU)
    any who seek God.^(BV)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.^(BW)

⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    where there was nothing to dread.^(BX)
God scattered the bones^(BY) of those who attacked you;^(BZ)
    you put them to shame,^(CA) for God despised them.^(CB)

⁶ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;^(CH)
    ruthless people^(CI) are trying to kill me^(CJ)—
    people without regard for God.^[k](CK)

⁴ Surely God is my help;^(CL)
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.^(CM)

⁵ Let evil recoil^(CN) on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness^(CO) destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering^(CP) to you;
    I will praise^(CQ) your name, Lord, for it is good.^(CR)
7 You have delivered me^(CS) from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.^(CT)

⁴ My heart is in anguish^(DA) within me;
    the terrors^(DB) of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling^(DC) have beset me;
    horror^(DD) has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;^[n](DE)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(DF)
    far from the tempest and storm.^(DG)”

⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(DH)
    for I see violence and strife^(DI) in the city.^(DJ)
10 Day and night they prowl^(DK) about on its walls;
    malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces^(DL) are at work in the city;
    threats and lies^(DM) never leave its streets.

¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,^(DN)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(DO)
    at the house of God,^(DP)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(DQ)
    let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(DR)
    for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening,^(DS) morning^(DT) and noon^(DU)
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
    from the battle waged against me,
    even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,^(DV)
    who does not change—
he will hear^(DW) them and humble them,
    because they have no fear of God.^(DX)

²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;^(DY)
    he violates his covenant.^(DZ)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,^(EA)
    yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(EB)
    yet they are drawn swords.^(EC)

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;^(ED)
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.^(EE)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit^(EF) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(EG)
    will not live out half their days.^(EH)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(EI)