1A David psalm, after he was confronted by Nathan about the affair with Bathsheba. Generous 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!