Psalm 51 - Easy To Read Version

¹ God, be merciful to me,\par because of your great loving kindness,\par because of your great mercy,\par erase all my sins.\par

² God, scrub away my guilt.\par Wash away my sins,\par Make me clean again!\par

³ I know I sinned.\par I always see those sins.\par

⁴ I did the things you say are wrong.\par God, you are the One I sinned against.\par I confess these things so people will know\par I am wrong, and you are right.\par Your decisions are fair.\par

⁵ I was born in sin,\par and in sin my mother conceived me.\par

⁶ God, you want me to be truly loyal,\par so put true wisdom deep inside of me.\par

⁷ Use the hyssop plant and do the ceremony\par to make me pure.\par Wash me until I am whiter than snow!\par

⁸ Make me happy!\par Tell me how to be happy again.\par Let the bones you crushed be happy again!\par

⁹ Don’t look at my sins!\par Erase them all!\par

¹⁰ God, create a pure heart in me!\par Make my spirit strong again!\par

¹¹ Don’t push me away!\par And don’t take your Holy Spirit\par away from me!\par

¹² Your help made me so happy!\par Give me that joy again.\par Make my spirit strong\par and ready to obey you.\par

¹³ I will teach sinners\par how you want them to live,\par and they will come back to you.\par

¹⁴ God, spare me from the death penalty. {\cf2\super [304]} \par My God, you are the One who Saves me!\par Let me sing about the good things\par that you do for me!\par

¹⁵ My Master, I will open my mouth\par and sing your praises!\par

¹⁶ You don’t really want sacrifices. {\cf2\super [305]} \par So why should I give sacrifices\par that you don’t even want!\par

¹⁷ The sacrifice that God wants\par is an humble spirit. {\cf2\super [306]} \par God, you will not turn away a person\par who comes with an humble, submissive heart. {\cf2\super [307]} \par

¹⁸ God, please be good to Zion. {\cf2\super [308]} \par Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.\par

¹⁹ Then you can enjoy the good sacrifices {\cf2\super [309]} \par and whole burnt offerings.\par And people will again offer bulls\par on your altar.\par