Psalm 51 (Miserere): Have Mercy on Me, O God, Catholic Text

Psalm 51, the Miserere (“Have mercy”), is the Bible’s great prayer of repentance: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.” Tradition holds that King David prayed it after the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin. The Church prays it every Friday at Morning Prayer and on Ash Wednesday, and it has inspired some of the most beautiful music ever written. In the Douay-Rheims it is Psalm 50. Below is the full text, its meaning, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 51 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.
For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.
For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.
O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.
For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.

The story behind the psalm

The psalm’s title connects it with David’s sin with Bathsheba and the death of her husband Uriah, and with the prophet Nathan’s rebuke: “Thou art the man” (2 Kings 12:7, Douay; 2 Samuel 12:7). David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord,” and Nathan answered, “The Lord also hath taken away thy sin.” The Miserere is the prayer of every sinner who returns to God.

What the psalm means

Mercy first: the psalm begins not with our sins but with God’s “great mercy” and “the multitude of thy tender mercies.”
Honest confession: “I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.”
A new creation: “Create a clean heart in me, O God”: only God can make us new.
Joy restored: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”
Mission: forgiven sinners teach others the way back to God.
The sacrifice God wants: “a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

See the Catholic prayer for forgiveness and the Act of Contrition.

How the Church uses the Miserere

Every Friday at Morning Prayer (Lauds), the day of the Lord’s Passion. See Lauds.
On Ash Wednesday, as the responsorial psalm. See Ash Wednesday.
“O Lord, open my lips,” verse 17, opens the Liturgy of the Hours every day.
Among the seven Penitential Psalms (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142 in the Douay numbering), traditionally prayed in Lent.
In music: Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere (about 1638), once sung only in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week.

A prayer with the Miserere

Written for this page:

Have mercy on me, O God, in your great love.
I know my sins; I bring them to you without excuses.
Wash me, create a clean heart in me,
and give me back the joy of your salvation.
I offer you my contrite heart; you will not despise it. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

What does Miserere mean?

“Have mercy,” the first word of the psalm in Latin: Miserere mei, Deus.

When do Catholics pray Psalm 51?

Every Friday at Morning Prayer, on Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, and whenever we ask God’s forgiveness, especially before confession.

Why is it Psalm 50 in some Bibles?

Older Catholic Bibles such as the Douay-Rheims follow the Greek and Latin numbering; modern Bibles follow the Hebrew.

More prayers of repentance

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 50 (51); 2 Kings 12:7, 13 (2 Samuel 12:7, 13), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.