(31)

Relief after the confession of sin

Buried sin ruins our conscience. Confession is always a liberation.

¹ Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven,

whose iniquity is wiped away.

² Blessed are those in whom the Lord sees no guilt

and in whose spirit is found no deceit.

³ When I kept my sin secret,

my body wasted away,

I was moaning all day long.

⁴ Your hand day and night lay heavy upon me;

draining my strength, parching my heart

as in the heat of a summer drought.

⁵ Then I made known to you my sin

and uncovered before you my fault,

saying to myself,

“To the Lord I will now confess my wrong.”

And you, you forgave my sin,

you removed my guilt.

⁶ So let the faithful ones pray

to you in time of distress;

the overflowing waters will not reach them.

⁷ You are my refuge;

you protect me from distress

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will teach you,

I will show you the way to follow.

I will watch over you and give you counsel.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule –

senseless and led by bit and bridle.

¹⁰ Many woes befall the wicked,

but the Lord’s mercy enfolds those who trust in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad,

you who are upright;

sing and shout for joy,

you who are clean of heart.