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Psalm 51

1  Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; ♦︎
   according to the abundance of your compassion
      blot out my offences.
2  Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness ♦︎
   and cleanse me from my sin.
3  For I acknowledge my faults ♦︎
   and my sin is ever before me.
4  Against you only have I sinned ♦︎
   and done what is evil in your sight,
5  So that you are justified in your sentence ♦︎
   and righteous in your judgement.
6  I have been wicked even from my birth, ♦︎
   a sinner when my mother conceived me.
7  Behold, you desire truth deep within me ♦︎
   and shall make me understand wisdom
      in the depths of my heart.
8  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; ♦︎
   wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
9  Make me hear of joy and gladness, ♦︎
   that the bones you have broken may rejoice.
10  Turn your face from my sins ♦︎
   and blot out all my misdeeds.
11  Make me a clean heart, O God, ♦︎
   and renew a right spirit within me.
12  Cast me not away from your presence ♦︎
   and take not your holy spirit from me.
13  Give me again the joy of your salvation ♦︎
   and sustain me with your gracious spirit;
14  Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked ♦︎
   and sinners shall return to you.
15  Deliver me from my guilt, O God,
      the God of my salvation, ♦︎
   and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness.
16  O Lord, open my lips ♦︎
   and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17  For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it; ♦︎
   you take no delight in burnt offerings.
18  The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; ♦︎
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
19  O be favourable and gracious to Zion; ♦︎
   build up the walls of Jerusalem.
20  Then you will accept sacrifices offered in righteousness,
      the burnt offerings and oblations; ♦︎
   then shall they offer up bulls on your altar.

Caution against Disobedience

10 When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, ¹¹houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, ¹²take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹³The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. ¹⁴Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, ¹⁵because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth.

16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. ¹⁷You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, ¹⁹thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

20 When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ ²¹then you shall say to your children, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²²The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. ²³He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. ²⁵If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.’

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;^* for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ ²⁰No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Love for One Another

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.