Psalm 50
A Plea for Cleansing
The psalmist cries out for divine mercy and the washing away of his sins.
God, be gracious to me and have mercy on me. In your boundless grace, protect me, a sinner. In your abundant goodness, please wipe away all my wickedness. Hear my lament, I pray, and deliver me from wickedness and the fall into sin. Wash me even more thoroughly in this valley, O Lord, and look upon your poor servant.1
Confession of Sin
The psalmist acknowledges his inherent sinfulness and the wisdom God has revealed to his heart.
I acknowledge and confess my wickedness, and my sins are always before me. I have sinned at all times, O Lord, against you alone, and done evil before your pure eyes, so that you may be shown true in all your words and prevail, as no one else can, when every mouth passes judgment. For I was conceived in wickedness, alas; my mother, who bore me, was also burdened with sin. For look, you have loved truth, and where I was blind, you have shown me all your hidden ways. You have imprinted your wisdom on my heart. Even though it was hidden, I have understood it; all my longing is set on it.
Renewal and Restoration
A prayer for spiritual renewal, the restoration of joy, and the promise to teach others of God's ways.
O Lord, sprinkle me here with good hyssop; that will make me sound and bring me to purity.✦ With it you will also wash me, and I will become whiter than any snow. By your grace, my ears will hear joy, gladness, and peace, and my bones, shattered and broken, will join in the rejoicing.✦✦ Turn your precious face away from my sins, and wipe away, erase, all my evil ways. Create a pure heart within me, and renew an upright spirit in my nature and desires. In my sorrow, do not cast me away from your presence, nor let bitter suffering deprive me of your Spirit. Give me the great joy of your glorious salvation. And let your noble Spirit remain here to uphold and comfort me. Then I will teach your ways to the wicked, so that through this they may turn to you as they should; and those who lie smothered in sin, you will heal.2
The Sacrifice of a Contrite Heart
The psalmist offers a broken spirit as the true sacrifice, concluding with a prayer for the prosperity of Zion.
My God, deliver me from the guilt of blood, and my tongue will joyfully proclaim your justice. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will always be filled with your praise. If you had wanted a sacrifice to make amends, I would gladly have given it to you, but a burnt offering won't delight you. The sacrifice God desires is a spirit burdened with sorrow. Lord, you won't turn away a heart weighed down with grief. In your goodness, do good to Zion, so that Jerusalem's walls may soon be rebuilt without fear. Then you will accept sacrifices offered in righteousness, and nothing else; at your command, young bulls will be offered according to your pleasure.3
Read the original Latin
GOd mijns ghenadich zijt Wilt mijnder toch ontfermen Naer v ghenade wijt My sondaer wilt beschermen Doer uwer goetheyden groot ghetal Wilt doch wt wisschen mijn boosheyt al Ic bid aenhoort mijn karmen Mi vander boosheyt en sondigen val. Noch meer wilt wasschen in desen dal O Heer siet op v armen.
Want ick beken, bely, Mijn boosheyt, en mijn sonden Si staen altoos teghens my En heb tot allen stonden Ghesondicht o Heer voer v alleen Ende quaet ghedaen voer v ooghen reen Op dat ghi wort gheuonden Warachtich in uwen woerden ghemeen So dat ghi verwint, end anders gheen Het oerdeel alder monden.
Want in boosheyden, och Ben ick al hier ontfanghen Mijn moeder die mi soch Was met sonden oock behanghen Want siet, die waerheyt hebt ghi bemint En hebt mi ghewesen daer ick was blint Alle v verborghen ganghen. V wijsheyt hebt ghi mi int herte gheprint Al was si verborgen, ick hebse versint Nae haer staet mijn verlanghen.
O Heer met ysoep goet Sult ghi my hier besprenghen Dat sal my maken vroet En reynicheyt toe brenghen. Dat sult ghi mi oock wasschen mee En ick sal worden wit bouen alle snee Mijn ghehoor sal doer v verhenghen Crighen vruechde, blischap, ende vree Ende mijn ghebeenten ghebroken ontwee Sullen met vruechde vermenghen.
U aensicht precioes Wilt van mijn sonden keeren En al mijn weghen boos Wt wisschen, aboleren Schept doch in mi een herte puer Eenen rechten gheest in mijn natuer Vernyeut in mijn begheeren En worpt mi doch niet in mijn ghetruer Van v aensicht: noch doer liden suer En laet mi uwen gheest ontberen.
Gheeft mi die blischap groot Vwer salicheyt ghepresen. Ende uwen gheest mingioot Hier principael sal wesen Die my beuesticht, en gheeft confoort En ick sal dan v weghen leeren voort Den boosen, die mids desen Hen sullen tot v so dat behoort Bekeeren, en die liggen in sonden versmoort Die sult ghi dan ghenesen.
Uan die bloetghierich zijn Mijn God wilt mi bevriden En mijn tong met bliden schijn Sal dijn gherechte beliden O Heere mijn lippen wilt open doen End v lof sal wesen alle mijn sermoen In minen mont tot allen tiden Want hadt ghi ghewilt tot een versoen Een offer, ick hadt v ghegheuen koen Maer then sal v niet verbliden.
This God een offerhant Een gheest vol droefheyts plaghen. Een herte vol drucx gheplant, Sult ghi Heer niet van v iaghen. In uwen goeden wille doet Syon wel So datmen die mueren van Ierusalem snel Mach bouwen sonder versaghen Dan sult ghi ontfanghen, en niemant el Gherechticheyts offer: doer v beuel Calueren naer dijn behaghen.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.50.9;Ps.52.7 — I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats from your folds. Ps.52.7 — Even God will tear you down forever; He will seize you and drag you from your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.
- ↩Ps.50.9;Ps.52.7 — I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats from your folds. Ps.52.7 — Even God will tear you down forever; He will seize you and drag you from your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.
- ↩Ps.50.10;Ps.52.8 — For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. Ps.52.8 — But the righteous will see and fear, and they will laugh at him.
Notes
- 1 ↩Rendered as “your poor servant”; the historical Dutch expression is literally “your poor one” and refers to the speaker.
- 2 ↩The wording is textually difficult, but the intended sense appears to be the psalm's petition for a noble or willing spirit to sustain the speaker.
- 3 ↩Literally “and no one/nothing else”; retained as an exclusive qualification of the righteous sacrifices.
Souterliedekens (Psalm Songs) companion
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