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Psalm 14

The Fool
(Psalm 53)

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For the choir director. By David.

A Description of the Fool

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt. They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on all the children of Adam
    to see if there is anyone who understands, anyone who seeks God.
Every one of them has turned away.
Altogether they have become rotten.
There is no one who does good.
There is not even one.

The Final Fate of the Fool

Don’t any of these evildoers understand,
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread?
They do not call on the Lord.
There they are! They are terrified
    because God is present in the circle of the righteous.
You try to put the plans of the poor to shame,
but the Lord is their refuge.

Closing Prayer

Who will provide salvation for Israel from Zion?[a]
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14:7 Or Oh that salvation for Israel would come from Zion!

Psalm 14(A)

For the director of music. Of David.

The fool[a] says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”(B)
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven(C)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(D)
    any who seek God.(E)
All have turned away,(F) all have become corrupt;(G)
    there is no one who does good,(H)
    not even one.(I)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?(J)

They devour my people(K) as though eating bread;
    they never call on the Lord.(L)
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.(M)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!(N)
    When the Lord restores(O) his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.