Psalms 26

A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption

A Psalm of David.¹Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. ²Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. ³For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. ⁴I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. ⁵I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked. ⁶I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O Lord, ⁷That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works. ⁸Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells. ⁹Do not gather my soul with sinners, Nor my life with bloodthirsty men, ¹⁰In whose hands is a sinister scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes. ¹¹But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me. ¹²My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.