O God, the God That Saveth Me

O God, the God that saveth me,
Remove my guilty stains,
And I will sing Thy righteousness
In grateful, joyous praise.

O Lord, now open Thou my lips,
Long closed by sin and shame;
My mouth shall show before the world
The glory of Thy Name.

No sacrifice dost Thou desire,
Else would I give it Thee;
Nor with appointed offerings
Wilt Thou delighted be.

A broken spirit is to God
A pleasing sacrifice;
A broken and a contrite heart
Thou, Lord, will not despise.

Do good to Zion in Thy grace,
Her ruined walls restore;
Then sacrifice of righteousness
Shall please Thee as of yore.

Thy people then, with willing hands
And hearts that Thou hast blest,
Shall bring in thankful sacrifice
Their choicest gifts and best.

Author: Unknown

This is a metrical rendering of Psalm 51 (the Miserere). The specific wording and meter appear in older Psalters and hymnals (e.g., The Psalter, 1912 or similar 19th/early-20th-century collections) but no individual author is credited; it is treated as an anonymous versification of Scripture. Not to be confused with the well-known 'O God of our salvation' or other Psalm 51 hymns by named authors such as Watts or Cowper.