1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against 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.
5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Study Psalm 51
Read the complete chapter before isolating one sentence, and note the reference and edition beside anything you quote. Then take a focused next step: a passage-note method or a memory practice method .
Edition and source notes
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB. Produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee; dedicated to the public domain. Imported from the checksum-pinned eBible.org USFX source. This page shows 19 verses of Psalm 51 in the edition’s own numbering, with punctuation and line breaks as published. Source notes are labelled separately; the publisher’s headings and cross references are not part of the text. BSB edition notes.
Read Psalm 51 in the World English Bible or the King James Version .
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