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Psalm 32[a]

Remission of Sin

(A)Of David. A maskil.

I

Blessed is the one whose fault is removed,
    whose sin is forgiven.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
    in whose spirit is no deceit.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 32 An individual thanksgiving and the second of the seven Penitential Psalms (cf. Ps 6). The opening declaration—the forgiven are blessed (Ps 32:1–2)—arises from the psalmist’s own experience. At one time the psalmist was stubborn and closed, a victim of sin’s power (Ps 32:3–4), and then became open to the forgiving God (Ps 32:5–7). Sin here, as often in the Bible, is not only the personal act of rebellion against God but also the consequences of that act—frustration and waning of vitality. Having been rescued, the psalmist can teach others the joys of justice and the folly of sin (Ps 32:8–11).

38 [a]But God being compassionate forgave their sin;
    he did not utterly destroy them.
Time and again he turned back his anger,
    unwilling to unleash all his rage.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 78:38 God is always ready to forgive and begin anew, as in choosing Zion and David (Ps 78:65–72).

18 Come now, let us set things right,[a]
    says the Lord:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
    they may become white as snow;
Though they be red like crimson,
    they may become white as wool.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:18–20 Let us set things right: the Hebrew word refers to the arbitration of legal disputes (Jb 23:7). God offers to settle his case with Israel on the basis of the change of behavior demanded above. For Israel it is a life or death choice; life in conformity with God’s will or death for continued disobedience.