Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam;
et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea,
et a peccato meo munda me.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco,
et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
For I know my iniquity,
and my sin is always before me.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci;
ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
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.
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum,
et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
For behold I was conceived in iniquities;
and in sins did my mother conceive me.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti;
incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.
For behold thou hast loved truth:
the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor;
lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed:
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam,
et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness:
and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis,
et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Turn away thy face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus,
et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
Create a clean heart in me, O God:
and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Ne projicias me a facie tua,
et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Cast me not away from thy face;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui,
et spiritu principali confirma me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,
and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas,
et impii ad te convertentur.
I will teach the unjust thy ways:
and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae,
et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation:
and my tongue shall extol thy justice.
Domine, labia mea aperies,
et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
O Lord, thou wilt open my lips:
and my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique;
holocaustis non delectaberis.
For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it:
with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus;
cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit:
a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion,
ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.
Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion;
that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes et holocausta;
tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.
Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings:
then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SourcePsalm 50 (51), the psalm of David's repentance · “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy”: the great penitential psalm of Lent