Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when vNathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
according to your steadfast love;
according to your xabundant mercy
yblot out my transgressions.
2 zWash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and acleanse me from my sin!
3 bFor I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 cAgainst you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil din your sight,
eso that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, fI was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in gthe inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me hwith hyssop, and I shall be clean;
zwash me, and I shall be iwhiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
jlet the bones kthat you have broken rejoice.
9 lHide your face from my sins,
and yblot out all my iniquities.
10 mCreate in me a nclean heart, O God,
and orenew a right2 spirit within me.
11 pCast me not away from your presence,
and take not qyour Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will rreturn to you.
14 Deliver me from sbloodguiltiness, O God,
O tGod of my salvation,
and umy tongue will sing aloud of your vrighteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 wFor you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are xa broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
The Day of the Lord
sound an alarm on kmy holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for lthe day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 ma day of darkness and gloom,
ma day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
na great and powerful people;
otheir like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 pFire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like qthe garden of Eden before them,
but rbehind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
4 sTheir appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
5 tAs with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of ua flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
nlike a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
vall faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
weach marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 xThey leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
ythey climb up into the houses,
10 aThe earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
bThe sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 cThe Lord utters his voice
before dhis army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
ehe who executes his word is powerful.
fFor the day of the Lord is ggreat and very awesome;
hwho can endure it?
Return to the Lord
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
i“return to me with all your heart,
jwith fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and krend your hearts and not lyour garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
mfor he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
nand he relents over disaster.
14 oWho knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and pleave a blessing behind him,
qa grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 rBlow the trumpet in Zion;
sconsecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
tConsecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
ugather the children,
even nursing infants.
vLet the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 wBetween the xvestibule and the yaltar
zlet the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.1
aWhy should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Giving to the Needy
1 “Beware of rpracticing your righteousness before other people in order sto be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 t“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may ube praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have vreceived their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. wAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The Lord’s Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love xto stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. yTruly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, zgo into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. aAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Fasting
16 “And twhen you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. uTruly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, vanoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. wAnd your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 x“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where ymoth and rust1 destroy and where thieves zbreak in and steal, 20 xbut lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
20 Therefore, owe are ambassadors for Christ, pGod making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 qFor our sake he made him to be sin rwho knew no sin, so that in him we might become sthe righteousness of God.
1 tWorking together with him, then, uwe appeal to you vnot to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
w“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, xnow is the yfavorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We zput no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but aas servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: bby great endurance, cin afflictions, dhardships, calamities, 5 ebeatings, imprisonments, friots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 gby purity, hknowledge, patience, kindness, ithe Holy Spirit, jgenuine love; 7 by ktruthful speech, and lthe power of God; with mthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, nthrough slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and oyet well known; pas dying, and behold, we live; qas punished, and yet not killed; 10 ras sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; sas poor, yet making many rich; tas having nothing, uyet possessing everything.
