Psalm 50 in Old Church Slavonic with accents. Explanations of church and home prayers

KATHISMA 7

Glory:

HOW PSALM 51 WAS WRITTEN AND WHAT IT MEANS

Psalm 50 is a very famous prayer of repentance. It was compiled by the prophet David, the creator of the psalms, after the prophet Nathan came to him and convicted him of a terrible sin - that because of his attraction to a woman he sent a man to certain death.

The events that preceded the writing of this psalm are described in the 2nd book of Kings (chapters 11 and 12).
One day David saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba and desired her as his wife. But at that time she was married to a man named Uriah, he was in the army of David that was fighting at that time. In the upcoming battle with the Ammonites, by order of David, Uriah was placed in the most dangerous place, where he was killed. Only David and the military commander to whom he gave such an order knew about this.
After the death of Uriah, David married Bathsheba; this marriage did not seem strange to anyone; soon the king himself forgot about his sin.
A year later, their son was born, and then the prophet Nathan appeared to David from God and in a conversation told a parable:
In one city there lived a rich man who had large flocks and a poor man who had only one sheep, which he loved and even fed from his own hands. One day a guest came to the rich man and he decided to treat him, but he did not want to stab his sheep and forcibly took the sheep from the poor man and treated his guest. After this story, Nathan asked:

“What judgment will you pronounce, O king, on this cruel rich man?”

In response, David said that of course death, and the poor man should be rewarded.

After these words, the prophet Nathan said that David pronounced this judgment for himself and conveyed to him what the Lord God said:

I made you king over Israel, delivered you from the hands of Saul, and gave his whole house and all his kingdom into your power. And if there was anything else you lacked, I would have given you everything according to your desire. What did you do? Despite all these good deeds of Mine, you despised the word of God, trampled His Law and committed the greatest crime: you killed Uriah the Hittite in order to take possession of his wife. Here is your punishment for this: your son by Bathsheba will die

The prophet's reproof awakened David from his sin; he realized his wrongdoing and desperately repented of it. We now know this repentance and prayer from God for mercy as the penitential psalm, which all Christians still pray daily.

EXPLANATION AND BRIEF INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 50

Ps.50:3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Your mercies, blot out my iniquity
David, after being exposed by Nathan, realized with horror his sin and he begins his first words of repentance with a plea for mercy. From the Lord, David received the gift of prophecy and many other mercies; he, as a righteous man and the chosen one of God, is all the more aware of his guilt before God.

Ps.50:4-5 Above all, wash me from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin: for I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me.

completely wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me
Most importantly it means here: “many times, many times.” Omyy means: “wash away, wash away.”
David asks God to wash away from him the dirt that has blackened his soul. The sinner already knows from Nathan that the Lord had mercy and forgiven him, but this is not enough for him - he begs the All-Merciful God to wash away all the filth from himself. And not just once, but especially (many times) he would have washed him from iniquity and thus completely cleansed him from the sin of adultery and murder.
Therefore, I pray to You, Almighty God, to wash me with Your grace: instead of water You have all-purifying grace, instead of blood from the sacrifice of offerings with which we cleanse our houses, You have the all-cleansing blood of Your Son, in whom I wait, in whom I believe, whose blood will wash away the sins of the whole world, You also have the Holy Spirit, the all-purifying One, You Yourself, in Your omnipotence, can cleanse me from my sin, therefore with bitter tears I pray to You: have mercy on me!
Because I know my crimes, and my sin never ceases ( I'll take it out) before me: that is why, O God, I pray to You.
I always remember my sin, I see my lawless act with Bathsheba, in front of my gases all the time it is as if unfortunate Urius is standing, pierced by an arrow, I see how he cries out for revenge on me.

Ps.50:6 You alone have I sinned and done evil before You: so that You may be justified in Your words and overcome, so that You may never judge.

I have sinned against You, the One, and done evil before You, so that you may be justified in Your words and win if they enter into court with You.
In his confession, David admits that he understands against whom he committed this sin, saying: It was against You alone, Lord, that I sinned and committed this evil against You.
Every sinner, when he takes away from someone, for example, property, his honor, work or health, sins not only against this neighbor, but also against God and against himself. With these deeds he defiles his soul and body with envy, anger, fornication, malice and other vices.
So David, having sinned against the Lord, sinned against Uriah, his wife and against himself, desecrating his soul.
There was no human judgment over David, who was a king; no one on earth could demand justification from him, no one except the Judge alone. Therefore David says:
I sinned before You alone, and before Your eyes I did a great evil, which no one in the world except You can correct; but You are righteous in Your word (you are justified in all Your words) and pure in Your judgment. You have already pronounced judgment on me through Nathan the prophet. I deserve this punishment and I deserve even more punishment, so I see justice, truth in your words.
You win, you will never judge, i.e. when You pronounce Your judgment on me.

Ps.50:7-8 Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, Thou hast loved the truth, Thou hast revealed to me Thy unknown and secret wisdom.

For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. For behold, You have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom.
Confessing, David continues that he was conceived in his mother’s womb with iniquities, he was born in sin, i.e. from the very beginning of his life he was a sinner.
He says: You are just and Your judgment is just, because You love the truth, but I have been a sinner since birth. I beg you for mercy and do not justify myself before you, but you yourself revealed to me the secret of original sin, destined for redemption by the blood of the Only Begotten Son of God. Why did you reveal it to me? Because You loved the truth, the unknown (not known to anyone) and You showed me the secret wisdom of Yours.
In his last words, David says that, as a prophet, the eternal Divine secrets, hidden for ordinary people, were revealed to him (Rom. 14:24; Eph. 3:9).

Ps.50:9-10 Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing; humble bones will rejoice.

You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will become whiter than snow; You will let me hear joy and gladness, and my weakened bones will rejoice.
Hyssop is a spicy fragrant plant that grows in the mountains and on old walls. It served as a symbol of cleansing; because of its cleansing properties, it was used for sprinkling the blood of the Passover lamb (Ex. 12:22), for cleansing lepers (Lev. 14: 4, 6, 52), in the preparation of water of cleansing, specially sanctified, and for sprinkling with this water (Num. 19:6, 9, 18).
In the Old Testament rite of purification, the priest used the sprinkling of hyssop to cleanse someone who was considered unclean. In addition to this ritual, David also speaks about washing: wash me; and I will be whiter than snow, i.e. Wash me so that I am cleaner, whiter than snow.
After his prayers, David would like to know that he is truly forgiven, that his sin is cleansed and his conscience would be calm: I know, as the prophet David says, that You, my God, can cleanse and wash away my sin, but how will I know about this? I can only know this when my soul feels inexplicable joy. Let me hear and feel this joy: give joy and joy to my hearing, i.e. rejoice and rejoice me with the news that You have cleansed my sin, and then even my very bones, now depressed (humble) by sin, will rejoice: the humble bones will rejoice.

Ps.50:11 Turn away Your face from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities.

Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities
The sins of David’s vice are disgusting to God and therefore he begs the Lord not to look at them: turn Your face away from my sins, so that You never see them, and cleanse all my iniquities, blot them out from Your eternal memory as if they had never existed at all. it was so that neither I nor anyone else could remember them.

Ps.50:12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew the Right Spirit within me.
As long as the heart is blackened by sins, life will be difficult, and all efforts to correct it will be in vain, only minor changes are possible. Without God's help it is impossible to heal a sick soul and glue a heart broken by sins to pristine purity.
And therefore, David prays not for renewal of the heart, but for the granting of purity of heart and the revival in his soul (in the womb) of the spirit of righteousness that he had before - he prays that the Lord will make a complete and complete correction of the abilities of his soul damaged by sin, mind, will and heart.

Ps.50:13-14 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit.

Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Sovereign Spirit.
David's predecessor on the throne, King Saul, was rejected by God and deprived of His support. And David understands that by his act he himself is worthy of the same sad fate, his sin can also entail this rejection, so the prophet begs: Lord my God! Do not reject me, do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me, as you took It from others who angered You with their iniquities. Do not reject me and do not take away the Holy Spirit, without which man is dead.
The Lord, through the Holy Spirit, always helped David in all his affairs, without this help David is nothing and he clearly knows this.
If You, Lord, return to me this Spirit, which left me from the moment of my iniquity, then at the same time you will return to me the joy of my salvation, I ask - confirm this Spirit in me, so that, as before, it would guide me, my heart , by will and word, would reign in my soul.
The most important reward now for David is continued communication with the Holy Spirit.

Ps.50:15 I will teach the wicked your way, and the wicked will turn to you.

I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You
With his sin, David set a bad example for his subjects; he understood that everyone already knew about this offense and only by his example of a righteous life could he change their sinful way of thinking about themselves.
He, as it were, takes sinners on bail before God and asks them to have mercy not only on himself, but also on them for their sinful thoughts. After all, they were tempted by the example of David, and he himself asks for mercy on them and undertakes to help return sinners to the path of righteousness:
I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked (sinners) will turn to You. Those. when You, after cleansing me from sin, give me again the opportunity to live on the righteous path, then I myself will teach all sinners like me and show the righteous path. And then these wicked ones will follow my example and also turn to You with repentance.

Ps.50:16-17 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation: my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, You will open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
And again David remembers his sin, and again prays for forgiveness of the sin of the innocently shed blood of Uriah. Anyone who knows about this can point David to this blood; he definitely needs to free himself from the heavy burden:
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, i.e. God, my Savior, wash away this crime (bloodshed) from me, and then: my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness, i.e. my tongue will express the joy of Your justification of me in this grave crime.
After all, without God’s justification, David will not be able to praise the Lord: praise from the lips of a sinner is an insult to God, and therefore I do not dare to exalt You until you free my tongue by freeing me from blood (sin). Then open my lips, and my lips will joyfully proclaim Your praise.

Ps.50:18-19 For even if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them; burnt offerings do not please you. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a contrite and humble heart God will not despise.

For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God will not despise a contrite and humble heart
In the Old Testament Church, sacrifices of “clean” animals were accepted - bulls, cows, sheep, etc. The animal was brought to the altar of the temple, and the priests, with the help of the Levites, slaughtered the animal and shed the blood near the altar and on the floor in front of the sanctuary. Then the victim was burned in the fire. If the sacrifice was a cleansing one, the carcass was burned completely, this was called a burnt offering. And if some parts were burned, for example the heart or liver, then this was called a thanksgiving sacrifice, and some parts of the animal were given to the priest.
This is what David says: If You, Lord, were pleased and needed sacrifices (as if You would have desired sacrifices), I would have brought them to You (I would have given them), but You do not want them (You do not favor burnt offerings). After all, we are talking about sacrifices in the form of animals.
But in fact, God, first of all, needs heartfelt repentance and humility: a sacrifice (pleasing) to God is a broken spirit, i.e. spiritual contrition about the sins committed, because God does not reject only a humble and sincerely contrite person about his sins: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart.
The Prophet David says that only material sacrifices, without the human soul of the one who makes them, are not needed by God. Nothing has changed today, even the largest and most expensive candle, lit without true love and faith, will not bring any benefit.

Ps.50:20-21 Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then you will be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, the wave offering and the burnt offering: then they will lay the bullock on Your altar.

Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be erected; then You will graciously accept the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and burnt offerings, then they will lay bulls on Your altar.
Please mean: “be kind, do good”; favor means the same thing as mercy. Next, David prays for the holy Mount Zion and for holy Jerusalem. He, as a prophet, knows that someday near this mountain the greatest sacrifice will be made, the Son of God will suffer for our sins, and Jerusalem itself will become the main city from which faith will begin to spread, where the Church will be born.
Blagovolishi - “you will show favor, show attention, or accept with pleasure”; the sacrifice of righteousness means the same as the sacrifice of justification (sacrifice for sin); the offering and the burnt offering are different types of sacrifices (more details in v. 18). The altar in the Old Testament Church was the name given to the altar on which sacrifices were made to God.
When You have blessed Mount Zion with Your mercy, please Zion with Your favor, and when You have provided protection to Jerusalem, then You will be pleased (please the sacrifice of righteousness) sacrifices and burnt offerings offered in the temple; then they will bring not small animals of little value to the altar dedicated to You, but large bulls and bulls (then the bulls will be placed on Your altar), and all these sacrifices, as educational ones, will be pleasing to You for the sake of that great sacrifice for which the Lamb of God, Your Only Begotten Son, will give Himself here, in Jerusalem, for the sins of all of people.

The Church recommends this great prayer of repentance, the strongest of all the psalms, for daily reading. Using King David as an example, as someone who sinned and later repented of his sin, this psalm shows what love for God and for righteousness should be. Even after committing a grave sin, one must not despair; the most important thing in this case is repentance.

Having committed a grave sin and being punished by God for it, David deeply humbled himself and through this humility returned the love of God to himself. The fallen but risen David became more dear to God, became even more attached to Him with faith and love, having learned from experience that without the protection and protection of God, even the greatest righteous man can fall deeply. We are sinful people, and every great sin we have committed leads us rather to despair than to repentance. He who rarely sins deeply and quickly repents, and a person mired in sins, over time, as his sins increase, becomes more insensitive, unrepentant, and desperate. We see the first in the face of David. As soon as the prophet convicted him of a crime, David immediately surrendered to the deepest, bitter, extreme repentance. We see the second in general in public. How many people sin, how many they commit the most terrible crimes, but they try to hide their vices in their souls, they are not ashamed of their ugliness, they do not consider it necessary to repent, to repent sincerely and sincerely. We seriously offend God and grieve Him, but we consider words alone, a temporary visit to church, a cold and insensitive confession of sins sufficient for repentance. But for others, this type of repentance does not exist. Even death itself does not frighten us, it will not force us to bring true repentance - the kind of repentance that David brought.
Let us use the example of David, the image of his repentance, so that we too may receive forgiveness for our sins, so that our souls may be white as snow, so that we too may receive the Kingdom of Heaven with all the saints.

Psalm 50 is a psalm of repentance. In this article you will find the full text of the psalm and its detailed interpretation. Psalm 50 is related to Old Testament history and was composed by King David. Wanting to take possession of Versheba, the wife of the pious Uriah the Hittite, David committed a terrible sin - murder and begged for mercy.

Psalm 50. Text

Have mercy on me. God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, blot out my iniquities. Wash me often from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I am aware of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me. You, You alone, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your judgment. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin. Behold, You have loved the truth in your heart and have shown me (Your) wisdom within me. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, and the bones will rejoice. Broken by you. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Sovereign Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed. O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise: for You do not desire sacrifice, I would give it; You do not favor burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God. Bless Zion, O Lord, according to Your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem: then the sacrifices of righteousness, the heave-hoist and the burnt offering will be acceptable to You; Then they will place bullocks on Your altar.

Generosity is rich mercies. More than that. Most especially - especially. Az – I. Yako - because. I always take it out. Never - when. Behold - here. Hyssop is an herb used by Jews to sprinkle themselves with sacrificial blood. Dasi - give it. Create it - do it. Right - righteous, sinless. The womb is the belly, the inside of a person. Reward - give. Oral – mouth, tongue. Ubo - truly. A burnt offering is a Jewish sacrifice in which the entire animal was burned on the altar without any remains. Please - give bliss, make happy. Zion is a mountain in Judea, in the city of Jerusalem. Altar is an altar.

Psalm 50. Questions and answers:

Who composed this psalm and when?

This psalm (psalm-song) was composed by the prophet King David when he repented of the great sin that he killed the pious husband Uriah the Hittite and took possession of his wife Bathsheba.

Why is this psalm called repentant?

Because he expresses deep contrition for the sin committed and a fervent prayer for mercy; That is why this psalm is often read in church during services, and we, who are guilty of certain sins, should recite it as often as possible.

What do we ask of God in the first words of the psalm: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity?

We ask God to forgive our sins in His special mercy. Man is weak, imperfect and far from holiness. There are no sinless people. The Lord does not grant us salvation because of our perfection and righteousness. God saves us out of His mercy and love. We are only required to believe in His great mercy and relate our actions to His Commandments. We must be worthy of the Lord's mercy.

What do the words mean: for I know my iniquity, and bear away my sin before me?

These words mean that we are attentive to ourselves, we know our sins that bother our conscience.

What do the words mean: that you may be justified in all Your words and be victorious, and never judge You?

They mean that we sin so much before God that He will always be just, no matter how severe His judgment on us.

What do the words mean: behold, in iniquity the seven were conceived, and in sins did my mother give birth to me?

With them we want to beg God for the forgiveness of sins, presenting to Him our natural tendency to sin.

What do the words mean: You have revealed Your unknown and secret wisdom to me?

These words mean that God revealed to man what he alone would never have known without God: he taught man true faith and showed the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.

What do the words mean: sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean, wash me, and I will be whiter than snow?

They express our request that the Lord send His grace to us and cleanse us from our sins. The psalm is often read in places of detention. But it is created not only for legal violations. Psalm 50 was also written for those who have committed a crime before the Lord.

What do the words mean: humble bones will rejoice?

They mean that the sin David committed crushed not only his soul, but also his body and bones. Sin troubles and crushes every person. Upon forgiveness of sin, his conscience is calmed; which is why both the body and bones seem to rejoice and are restored.

What do we ask with the words: renew the right spirit in my womb?

We ask the Lord to give us the right, straight path in life or to dispose us to a pious life.

What do we ask with the words: cast me not away from Thy presence?

We ask that God does not remove us from Himself, that He does not deprive us of His care for us. God never gives up on us, but we must think about being worthy of closeness to Him.

What do we ask with the words: Strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit?

With these words we ask that the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, confirm us in goodness. We are called to holiness, but since the holiness of the Lord is inaccessible to us, we must strive for the holiness of repentance. By cleansing, the Lord saves us from sin and eternal torment.

What do the words mean: I will teach the wicked in Your way, and the wicked will turn to You?

So, following the example of the prophet David, in gratitude for the forgiveness of sins, we promise to instill in the wicked the will of God, so that they too turn to God.

What do we ask with the words: deliver me from bloodshed?

These words point to the blood of the husband killed by David, whose wife he took possession of; they express our request that God would deliver us from murderous sins.

What do the words express: my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness?

They express our promise to testify, or glorify the mercy of God.

What do the words mean: You do not favor burnt offerings?

These words mean that God is not so much pleased with the sacrifices burned on the altars (Heb. 10:4-6), as he is pleased with the sacrifice of the heart: a broken spirit, i.e. He is pleased when a person laments his sins.

What do the words express: bless Zion, O Lord, with Thy favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built?

They express David's prayer for God's mercy towards Jerusalem.

What do the words indicate: favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering?

Point out the various sacrifices that the Jews offered to God in the Old Testament.

They usually sacrificed a lamb (lamb), a calf, a bull, a goat, etc. When a Jew brought an animal to the altar, he placed his hands on its head. This meant that the sin was transferred from his head to the head of the animal; and since it was determined by God for sin, the animal was slaughtered and killed. Thus, an innocent animal died for a guilty person. This meant that once the Son of God, as the Lamb of God, would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and die for people, being Himself sinless. The animal was burned on the altar either completely (completely), or only some parts of it, for example, liver, fat (a thanksgiving sacrifice, a sacrifice to ask for some kind of mercy from God, a sacrifice by promise, by zeal). Jews also brought bloodless sacrifices to God, for example, flour, oil, incense, and wine. It is these different sacrifices that the words indicate: favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering.

What do the words indicate: they will lay calves on Your altar?

These words also indicate sacrifice to God.

Psalm 50 is read when a person’s soul is tormented by unrepentant sins. We bring repentance to God so that He will grant us salvation by His mercy. The Orthodox Church allows the reading of the psalm in Russian, but it is preferable to read it in Church Slavonic, since it is the language of worship.

Read about the 50th Psalm on Pravmir:

Films about Psalm 51:

Listen or read online the text of the prayer Psalm 50 in Russian with accents. Find out why Psalm 50 is read, as well as its interpretation with a modern translation. When is Psalm 50 read 40 times? Read more about everything in this article!

Text of the prayer Psalm 50 in Russian: modern translation

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, blot out my iniquities.
Wash me from my iniquity many times, and cleanse me from my sin,
for I acknowledge my iniquities, and my sin is always before me.
You, You alone, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your judgment.
Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin.
Behold, You have loved the truth in your heart and have shown me [Your] wisdom within me.
Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness, and the bones broken by You will rejoice.
Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit.
I will teach the wicked Your ways, and the wicked will turn to You.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness.
God! Open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise:
for You do not desire sacrifice, I would give it; You do not favor burnt offerings.
A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God.
Bless, [Lord,] Zion according to Your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem:
then the sacrifices of righteousness, the wave offerings, and the burnt offerings will be acceptable to You; Then they will place bullocks on Your altar.

Text of the prayer Psalm 50 with accents

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity.
Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me.
I have sinned against You alone, and I have done evil before You, so that You may be justified in Your words and overcome, never judge You.
Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and in sins my mother gave birth to me.
Behold, you loved the truth; you showed me your unknown and secret wisdom.
Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Give joy and gladness to my hearing; humble bones will rejoice.
Turn away Your face from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities.
Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.
Do not turn me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit.
I will teach the wicked your way, and wickedness will turn to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness.
Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
As if you had wanted sacrifices, you would have given burnt offerings without being pleased.
The sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise.
Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built.
Then you will be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, the wave offering, and the burnt offering: then they will lay the bullock on Your altar.

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Perhaps most often Christians encounter the 50th psalm of repentance. Without confessing your sins and sincere repentance, it is impossible to be saved. This text is given great importance. Like David who sinned, we all need cleansing so that Grace does not leave us. We learn how to do this from the prophet, who fell into grave sin.

The story of the fall of King David

While walking, David saw a woman named Bathsheba, whom he desired. It should be noted that in those days it was allowed to maintain a harem, and the king already had quite a lot of wives. The beauty's husband was at war and was an obstacle to what the Anointed One had planned. He summoned Uriah (her husband) to the palace, and handed a letter to one of his military commanders with instructions: to send the submitter of the paper to the most dangerous area, where he would most likely be killed.

And so it happened. Uriah soon died, and his wife became free. David married her. A child was born. No one knew about the ins and outs of the act. The king himself did not see anything reprehensible in his affairs. He did not break any laws, he complied with all the requirements of piety. A year has passed. The prophet Nathan came to him to reveal a lie. The denunciation began with an allegory.

Parable of Nathan

In one city there lived a rich man and a poor man. The latter had all his property - one sheep, which he loved immensely: he fed, looked after, cherished. The rich man had huge herds of different animals. When it was necessary to prepare a treat, he took the sheep from the poor man, but did not touch his own. And Nathan asks: King, what do you think he deserves?

The indignant David said: Death, and the unfortunate one must compensate the loss 70 times. Then Nathan said directly: King, the word you spoke concerns you. For this rich man is you yourself. And he pronounced the death sentence on himself.

The Lord's Declaration of David

Since the prophet came and personally conveyed the words of God, it testifies that the gift that the King had was damaged. God does not speak to him directly as before. The connection has been partially lost, so the psalm contains requests to renew the right Spirit. Sin deprives a person of Grace, he remains defenseless against evil. Here is the Lord's determination:

• I gave you everything: wealth, kingdom, power.
• If there was not enough, all you had to do was ask, and you would get everything.
• You have broken the Law.
• He despised the word of God.
• For this, your son and Bathsheba will die.

To atone for lawlessness, you will have to endure “punishment” for purification, to suffer illness, sorrow or death. Christ brought us saving repentance. That is why, whenever something goes wrong, you must, first of all, confess, sincerely, as David repented of his atrocities.

Nathan announced another definition about the king: Having killed Uriah with the sword..., now weapons and war will not leave the house of the king of Israel. The fear of such a prospect even more compels us to completely cleanse ourselves from lawlessness, so that the consequences of the fall do not affect the state of the state, relatives and the personality of God’s anointed.

Psalm 50 – David's repentance

According to Arsenius of Cappadocia 50, the song is raised when epidemics occur due to our sins, people or animals die. Since we sin constantly, the psalm reads:

• every day is a house Rule;
• included in the canon of the Mother of God;
• c Follow to Holy Communion;
• as part of Small Compline;
• Midnight Office, and the Third Hour.

Advice: Sometimes, to see your own fall, you need an outside perspective. As Nathan did, he first told a parable. Trying to know yourself, try to discover the extent of guilt, based not on internal motives, but dispassionately consider actions, as if through the eyes of an outsider.

Brief interpretation of Psalm 50

From David we learn repentance. He reveals step by step the process of soul cleansing. It is important to understand what is needed for this:

• To discover a sin that no one (even the king) knew about except the Lord, who sees all our secret deeds.
• Understand that you do not cleanse yourself, but ask the One who will wash you and sprinkle you with hyssop (an infusion of herbs that gets rid of leprosy). This is a symbol of the future Sacrament of Baptism. It did not exist in David's time.
• Forgiveness does not come from our mind, but by the grace of the Lover of Humanity. We are called to righteousness. By violating the Law given by God, we lose Grace and connection with Him. His Love heals the wound that is inflicted on your soul.

David asks for Great mercy, since he cannot completely blot out his sins: His wife and child constantly remind him of the murder. It’s not easy to wash off blood, so we read: Get rid of blood. Conscience dictates that the Lord is right in judging him. He prays for the return of former purity and the gift of prophecy (Grace) to be renewed. Wash your heart many times so that not a trace of the Fall remains.

Psalm 50 – unclear passages

There are a lot of interpretations of the psalms. Anyone who wants to learn this work from David’s prayer can find materials on the Internet. For beginners, let's explain the more obscure parts:

• By saying that his mother gave birth to him in sin, this means the original damage that is transmitted to all people. We inherit passion (sinfulness) from Adam and Eve.
• You do not favor burnt offerings: There were two types of sacrifices offered in Israel. For sin, the animal was burned completely, thanksgiving - partially. About the whole thing being burned, it is said that the Lord does not want to see it, and this cannot atone for human sins.
• Last verse: God accepts another sacrifice, not animals, but the truth - repentance and contrition for sin. Then it is completely burned. Put on altar Taurus - “Slaughter” passions, sins, like sacrificial animals. This is the image of repentance God accepts. To some extent, this is a prophecy about the future form of human correction through the Sacrament of Confession.

Conclusion: Anyone who reads the psalter will find the answer to any movement of the soul.

• In sorrow there is consolation.
• In joy he will bring grateful praise to the Lord.
• Will find a way out of a difficult situation.
• He will overcome disorder in life, defeat despondency and the meaninglessness of life.
• Will gain strength for repentance and fight against the spirits of evil.
• A person is not afraid of witchcraft, damage or the evil eye if there are songs of psalms.

Even without understanding the many meanings of the verses, a person is invisibly transformed. Demons tremble from this book. Having learned from Psalm 50 to correctly repent, we will attract Grace: the protection and shield of the Lord.

There lived one man in the world who loved God and His words more than anything in the world and more than his own life. Honey is not as sweet to a gourmet, nor are handfuls of shining stones as desirable to a lover of jewelry as prayers were sweet and desirable to this man. While praying, he sang, because he loved God, and lovers tend to sing. Often he wanted the whole world to sing with him, and then this man called the whole universe to prayer. “Pray with me mountains and hills,” the man exclaimed, “pray birds, animals, sunlight and raindrops, thunderclaps and twinkling stars!” “Let every breath praise the Lord!”

At this time, the heart of the praying man was warm. Just as unclean flies do not fly close to a cauldron standing on a fire, so far from the heart of a praying person was every unclean and nasty thought. But sometimes even the most ardent man of prayer stops praying. The one about whom our story is about stopped praying and became careless one day. His name was David. He was a king who carried prophetic fire in his chest.

This fire does not always burn with the same intensity. One evening, when the prophetic spirit did not stir the king’s heart, and prayer did not warm him from the inside, David “walked on the roof of the king’s house and saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful” (2 Kings 11:2).

People say that a man loves with his eyes, and a woman with her ears. There is a lot of truth in these words. The serpent seduced our foremother in paradise with flattering whispers, and toppled King David from the height of holiness through an eye. David brought the woman into his chambers, slept with her, and she became pregnant. And since the woman was not free, and she had a husband, David ordered that this husband be taken to the most dangerous place of the fighting then going on, so that they would kill him there for sure. Thus the king deepened his fall and slavery, adding the chain of murder to the chain of fornication.

The Jews did not have the word “conscience.” There was conscience, but there was no word. It was replaced by the expression “fear of God” and “memory of God.” If this memory went away, the person became unscrupulous. Nothing inside whispered to him about the moral law and responsibility. Nothing reminded me that God was here and He saw everything. For a fallen conscience, an awakening voice from outside became necessary. Such a voice came to the king from the lips of the prophet Nathan. The prophet did not directly denounce the king, but described to him a situation in which a heartless rich man, the owner of many sheep, orders to take the only sheep from a poor man in order to prepare a treat for a guest. This verbal picture was so disgusting that the king became angry and said: “The man who did this deserves death” (2 Kings 12:5).

Oh, woe! Woe to us humans, because even the best of us notice the small details of other people's sins and remain blind to our own atrocities. People strain out mosquitoes and swallow camels, according to the word of Jesus Christ.

When the king's anger was poured out in words of threat, Nathan said, “You are that man.” And the prophet made many more threats, which over time were fulfilled exactly. And David said: “I have sinned before the Lord.”

And although Nathan consoled the king with words of forgiveness, David’s heart, wounded by sins, began to tear up like an eye clogged with dust. A repentant psalm poured out from David’s soul, a psalm that has been read for many centuries by everyone whose conscience is not clear.

The Messiah at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew is called “Son of David, Son of Abraham.” Abraham lived before David, but in this genealogy David is placed first. This is because it is repentant people, crying over sins, like David, who come into the wonderful world of faith. Repentance is the main condition for reconciliation with God. Everything else will come later and be added. Let's go, let's follow the sinner prophet, so that in the short words and letters of his lament we find ourselves, our soul and our hope!

If an earthly court were to judge the king, it would judge him for his sin against Uriah and his wife. He killed the first and dishonored the second. An earthly court would require an apology to the widow and financial compensation. Instead, David feels guilty before the One God. The king forgot him and therefore sinned. “I have sinned against You, You alone, and have done evil in Your sight,” says the king. We also sin for no other reason than because we forget about God. We do not fulfill the commandment given to Abraham, short in words and heavy in labor: “Walk before Me and be blameless.” No matter who a person offends, no matter what he does, he is always guilty - except for people and more than before people - before God, who weighed our breath.

David tries to justify himself by saying that he was born in sin and conceived in iniquity. From Adam the infection of sin flows in our veins. This infection multiplies over time, there is no strength to stop it, and “who will be born clean from an unclean? Not one” (Job 14:4). But the heart of the prophet quickly stops the flow of self-justifying thoughts. There is no need to justify yourself. “Do not let my heart turn aside to evil words to excuse sinful deeds” (Ps. 140: 4).

“Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean...”

"Hurt Your face from my sins..."

“Create in me a clean heart, O God...”

“Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation...”

We know all this too well. All this can become criminally habitual for us, such that neither tears nor sighs will be born to the soul, although familiar words are read often.

Let us at least notice the contrast that should accompany repentance. “The joy of salvation” is asked by the one who felt the “sadness and bitterness of destruction.” The Holy Spirit is asked not to be taken away by those who have felt a great loss - the loss of grace. The bones were crushed, the lips were sticky and parched, the heart was blackened and polluted. Only because the prophet vividly experiences and feels this, he asks: “don’t take it away,” “return,” “heal,” “cleanse.”

What are you saying, David?! Do you, the adulterer and the orderer of murder, convert the wicked? Is there anyone else more wicked than you? Whom do you call wicked and lawless, having yourself violated the main commandments?!

“Don’t judge me,” says David. - Calm down. I would not have dared to say this if the Holy Spirit had not moved my lips. I said something that I would never have dared to do myself, without grace facilitating my repentance.”

Here it is, the law! If a person sins, let him repent and not despair. And if he repents, he can lead others to repentance! A repentant sinner is the best preacher. He is the best because he is not proud and does not humiliate the wicked person within his soul. The best because he knows the soul of a sinner and knows the hellish languor within it. Here the Old Testament story reaches the heights of the coming Gospel. Because it was the renounced but repentant Peter who was given the keys of heaven. Because the former persecutor – Paul – repented and worked harder than anyone else in preaching the Gospel of Christ.

If you see a sinner, refrain from judging him until the time comes. If he is converted, he will lead many more souls to Christ than the imaginary righteous, who are prone to arrogance and arrogance, will bring.

And in another striking way the story of David anticipates the New Testament. In the Law there are sin offerings, trespass offerings, and many other sacrifices. But the king does not want to justify himself with them. He would have brought hundreds of sheep and oxen. The best incense would burn. I would command the most skilled Levites to blow the best trumpets. Instead, David seeks justification in contrition before God, in humility before Him: “You do not desire sacrifice... A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God.”

The first stone Temple has not yet been built, and already the word is being heard that a person is justified not by sacrifice, but by humility. Is Solomon's future work really useless? No, it's not useless. The temple is needed, and it will be built. But the sacrifices of the Temple are educational sacrifices. They are only shadows and images. They point to Christ, but the one who believes in Christ is not the one who is zealous for sacrifice, but the one who carries within himself a humble thought and recognizes himself as a sinner in need of pardon.

This psalm is extremely important. His poems entered the holy of holies of the liturgy - the Eucharistic canon. This psalm is read in home prayers, in the rite of Matins, in the rite of the third hour, in the rite of confession, in requiem services and in all kinds of prayer songs. Especially during Lent, the words spoken on behalf of those praying are often heard in church: “Like David, I cry to You: have mercy on me, O God, in Your great mercy!” But the main thing is that with this psalm of repentance, all those who have sinned and are sickened by what they have done, console their souls and strengthen their weakened and despondent spirit; everyone whose heart is tormented by secret illnesses.

By his repentance, David leads us to faith in the One who is prophetically called the Son of David - to the Lord Christ. This saving faith is not alive and active in those who do not repent, who do not listen to what the Lord who began his sermon called us to: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin; for I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. You alone have sinned and done evil before You; for if you are justified in Your words, and become victorious, you will never judge You. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, you have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. My hearing brings joy and joy; The humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not turn me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Lord’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked in Your way, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; My tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had desired sacrifices, you would have given them: you do not favor burnt offerings. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God will not despise a broken and humble heart. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.

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Psalm 50

Psalm 50 on Wikisource

1 To the director of the choir. Psalm of David, 2 When the prophet Nathan came to him, after David had gone in to Bathsheba.

3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my iniquities. 4 Wash me often from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, 5 for I acknowledge my iniquities, and my sin is always before me. 6 You, You alone, have I sinned and done evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your judgment. 7 Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother bore me in sin. 8 Behold, You have loved the truth in your heart, and You have shown me wisdom within me. 9 Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 10 Let me hear joy and gladness, and the bones broken by You will rejoice. 11 Turn away Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 13 Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. 14 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit. 15 I will teach the wicked your ways, and the wicked will turn to you. 16 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness. 17 Lord! Open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise: 18 For You do not desire sacrifice, I would give it; You do not favor burnt offerings. 19 The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a contrite and humble heart, O God. 20 Bless Zion according to Your good pleasure; Build up the walls of Jerusalem: 21 Then the sacrifices of righteousness, the heave offering and the burnt offering, will be acceptable to You; Then they will place bullocks on Your altar.