Psalms

The Unsuspecting Fool

The Unsuspecting Fool

There Is None Who Does Good

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil[a] of David.

53 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
    there is none who does good.

God looks down from heaven
    on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,[b]
    who seek after God.

They have all fallen away;
    together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
    not even one.

Have those who work evil no knowledge,
    who eat up my people as they eat bread,
    and do not call upon God?

There they are, in great terror,
    where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

The Lord Our Shepherd

The Lord Our Shepherd

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely[d] goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell[f] in the house of the Lord
    forever.[g]

A Psalm for the Perplexed

A Psalm for the Perplexed

Psalm 6 is a prayer of David expressing deep distress, seeking God's mercy, healing, and deliverance.

Text of Psalm 6 (ESV):

  1. O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.

  2. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

  3. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?

  4. Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

  5. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

  6. I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.

  7. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

  8. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

  9. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.

  10. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
    Overview and Themes:
    Psalm 6 is classified as a penitential psalm, where David expresses sorrow for sin, physical and emotional distress, and a longing for God's mercy. The psalm moves from personal lament (verses 1–7) to confidence in God's response and justice (verses 8–10). It emphasizes: