1 ARST O God, act mercifully toward me because you love me faithfully; because you are very merciful, forget the ways that I disobeyed you! BSB BSB: For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2 ARST Make me acceptable to you again, even though I did wrong things; forgive the guilt of my sin and accept me. BSB BSB: Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 ARST I say that because I know the ways that I have disobeyed you; I cannot forget them. BSB BSB: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 ARST You, you only, are the one I have really sinned against, and you have seen the evil things that I have done. When you say that I am guilty, you are right, and when you judge me, you justly say that I deserve to be punished. BSB BSB: 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.
6 ARST What you desire is that in my inner being I desire what is true in order that you can teach me how to act wisely. BSB BSB: Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 ARST Forgive the guilt of my sins, and after that happens, I will be completely acceptable to you; if you forgive me, then I will be absolutely right with you. BSB BSB: Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 ARST Allow me to rejoice again; you have made me immeasurably sad, but now let me rejoice again. BSB BSB: Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 ARST Do not continue to remember the sins that I have committed; forget the evil things that I have done. BSB BSB: Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
10 ARST O God, make me want to do the things that you approve of. Make me want to do only what is right. BSB BSB: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 ARST Do not reject me as one of your people, and do not make your holy Spirit leave me. BSB BSB: Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 ARST Make me happy again by rescuing me from my guilt, and always help me by making me sincerely want to obey you. BSB BSB: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 ARST If you do that, I will teach other sinners what you want them to do; they will repent and obey you. BSB BSB: Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14 ARST O God, you are the one who saves me; forgive me for being guilty of causing someone who was not my enemy to die. When you do that, I will sing joyfully about your being very good and righteous. BSB BSB: Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 ARST O Yahweh, help me to speak in order that I may praise you. BSB BSB: O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 ARST When people only bring sacrifices to you, that does not please you. If that were enough to please you, I would do the same. But you are not pleased with burnt offerings alone. BSB BSB: For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 ARST The sacrifice that you really want is for people to be truly humble and sorry for having sinned. O God, you will not refuse that kind of sacrifice. BSB BSB: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18 ARST O God, be good to the people who live in Jerusalem; make them able to rebuild the city walls. BSB BSB: In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 ARST When that happens, they will bring you the proper sacrifices: normal animal sacrifices and sacrifices to be completely burned. They will burn young bulls on your altar, and you will be pleased. BSB BSB: Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.