Psalm 51A David psalm, after he was confronted by Nathan about the affair with Bathsheba. 1Generous in love--God, give grace! Huge in mercy--wipe out my bad record.
2Scrub away my guilt,
soak out my sins in your laundry.
3I know how bad I've been;
my sins are staring me down. 4You're the One I've violated, and you've seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
5I've been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
6What you're after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. 7Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,
scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
8Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
set these once-broken bones to dancing.
9Don't look too close for blemishes,
give me a clean bill of health.
10God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
11Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
12Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
13Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
so the lost can find their way home.
14Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
and I'll sing anthems to your life--giving ways.
15Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I'll let loose with your praise. 16Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
17I learned God--worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don't for a moment escape God's notice. 18Make Zion the place you delight in,
repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls.
19Then you'll get real worship from us,
acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
they can heave onto your altar!
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