| Psalm 51 | |||
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1
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Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; • | ||
| according to the abundance of your compassion | |||
| blot out my offences. | |||
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2
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Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness • | ||
| and cleanse me from my sin. | |||
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3
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For I acknowledge my faults • | ||
| and my sin is ever before me. | |||
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4
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Against you only have I sinned • | ||
| and done what is evil in your sight, | |||
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5
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So that you are justified in your sentence • | ||
| and righteous in your judgement. | |||
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6
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I have been wicked even from my birth, • | ||
| a sinner when my mother conceived me. | |||
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7
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Behold, you desire truth deep within me • | ||
| and shall make me understand wisdom | |||
| in the depths of my heart. | |||
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8
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Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; • | ||
| wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. | |||
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9
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Make me hear of joy and gladness, • | ||
| that the bones you have broken may rejoice. | |||
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10
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Turn your face from my sins • | ||
| and blot out all my misdeeds. | |||
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11
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Make me a clean heart, O God, • | ||
| and renew a right spirit within me. | |||
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12
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Cast me not away from your presence • | ||
| and take not your holy spirit from me. | |||
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13
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Give me again the joy of your salvation • | ||
| and sustain me with your gracious spirit; | |||
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14
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Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked • | ||
| and sinners shall return to you. | |||
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15
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Deliver me from my guilt, O God, | ||
| the God of my salvation, • | |||
| and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness. | |||
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16
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O Lord, open my lips • | ||
| and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. | |||
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17
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For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it; • | ||
| you take no delight in burnt offerings. | |||
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18
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The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; • | ||
| a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. | |||
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19
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O be favourable and gracious to Zion; • | ||
| build up the walls of Jerusalem. | |||
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20
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Then you will accept sacrifices offered in righteousness, | ||
| the burnt offerings and oblations; • | |||
| then shall they offer up bulls on your altar. | |||
| Psalm 52 | |||
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1
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Why do you glory in evil, you tyrant, • | ||
| while the goodness of God endures continually? | |||
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2
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You plot destruction, you deceiver; • | ||
| your tongue is like a sharpened razor. | |||
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3
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You love evil rather than good, • | ||
| falsehood rather than the word of truth. | |||
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4
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You love all words that hurt, • | ||
| O you deceitful tongue. | |||
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5
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Therefore God shall utterly bring you down; • | ||
| he shall take you and pluck you out of your tent | |||
| and root you out of the land of the living. | |||
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6
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The righteous shall see this and tremble; • | ||
| they shall laugh you to scorn, and say: | |||
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7
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'This is the one who did not take God for a refuge, • | ||
| but trusted in great riches and relied upon wickedness.' | |||
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8
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But I am like a spreading olive tree in the house of God; • | ||
| I trust in the goodness of God for ever and ever. | |||
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9
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I will always give thanks to you for what you have done; • | ||
| I will hope in your name, | |||
| for your faithful ones delight in it. | |||
| Psalm 53 | |||
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1
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The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' • | ||
| Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness; | |||
| there is no one that does good. | |||
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2
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God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, • | ||
| to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God. | |||
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3
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They are all gone out of the way; | ||
| all alike have become corrupt; • | |||
| there is no one that does good, no not one. | |||
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4
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Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, • | ||
| who eat up my people as if they ate bread, | |||
| and do not call upon God? | |||
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5
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There shall they be in great fear, | ||
| such fear as never was; • | |||
| for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly. | |||
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6
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They will be put to shame, • | ||
| because God has rejected them. | |||
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7
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O that Israel's salvation would come out of Zion! • | ||
| When God restores the fortunes of his people | |||
| then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad. | |||
| Psalm 54 | |||
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1
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Save me, O God, by your name • | ||
| and vindicate me by your power. | |||
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2
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Hear my prayer, O God; • | ||
| give heed to the words of my mouth. | |||
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3
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For strangers have risen up against me, | ||
| and the ruthless seek after my life; • | |||
| they have not set God before them. | |||
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4
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Behold, God is my helper; • | ||
| it is the Lord who upholds my life. | |||
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5
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May evil rebound on those who lie in wait for me; • | ||
| destroy them in your faithfulness. | |||
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6
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An offering of a free heart will I give you • | ||
| and praise your name, O Lord, for it is gracious. | |||
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7
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For he has delivered me out of all my trouble, • | ||
| and my eye has seen the downfall of my enemies. | |||
| Psalm 55 | |||
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1
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Hear my prayer, O God; • | ||
| hide not yourself from my petition. | |||
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2
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Give heed to me and answer me; • | ||
| I am restless in my complaining. | |||
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3
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I am alarmed at the voice of the enemy • | ||
| and at the clamour of the wicked; | |||
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4
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For they would bring down evil upon me • | ||
| and are set against me in fury. | |||
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5
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My heart is disquieted within me, • | ||
| and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. | |||
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6
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Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, • | ||
| and a horrible dread has overwhelmed me. | |||
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7
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And I said: 'O that I had wings like a dove, • | ||
| for then would I fly away and be at rest. | |||
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8
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'Then would I flee far away • | ||
| and make my lodging in the wilderness. | |||
|
9
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'I would make haste to escape • | ||
| from the stormy wind and tempest.' | |||
|
10
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Confuse their tongues, O Lord, and divide them, • | ||
| for I have seen violence and strife in the city. | |||
|
11
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Day and night they go about on her walls; • | ||
| mischief and trouble are in her midst. | |||
|
12
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Wickedness walks in her streets; • | ||
| oppression and guile never leave her squares. | |||
|
13
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For it was not an open enemy that reviled me, • | ||
| for then I could have borne it; | |||
|
14
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Nor was it my adversary that puffed himself up against me, • | ||
| for then I would have hid myself from him. | |||
|
15
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But it was even you, one like myself, • | ||
| my companion and my own familiar friend. | |||
|
16
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We took sweet counsel together • | ||
| and walked with the multitude in the house of God. | |||
|
17
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Let death come suddenly upon them; | ||
| let them go down alive to the Pit; • | |||
| for wickedness inhabits their dwellings, their very hearts. | |||
|
18
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As for me, I will call upon God • | ||
| and the Lord will deliver me. | |||
|
19
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In the evening and morning and at noonday | ||
| I will pray and make my supplication, • | |||
| and he shall hear my voice. | |||
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20
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He shall redeem my soul in peace | ||
| from the battle waged against me, • | |||
| for many have come upon me. | |||
|
21
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God, who is enthroned of old, | ||
| will hear and bring them down; • | |||
| they will not repent, for they have no fear of God. | |||
|
22
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My companion stretched out his hands against his friend • | ||
| and has broken his covenant; | |||
|
23
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His speech was softer than butter, though war was in his heart; • | ||
| his words were smoother than oil, yet are they naked swords. | |||
|
24
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Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you, • | ||
| and will not let the righteous fall for ever. | |||
|
25
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But those that are bloodthirsty and deceitful, O God, • | ||
| you will bring down to the pit of destruction. | |||
|
26
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They shall not live out half their days, • | ||
| but my trust shall be in you, O Lord. | |||