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Psalm 14

For the worship leader. A song of David.

This is a wisdom psalm that grieves over the pervasiveness of sin and its sad effects. It is repeated with minor changes in Psalm 53. Paul refers to this Davidic psalm to explain how all of humanity is tainted by sin (Romans 3:1–12).

A wicked and foolish man truly believes there is no God.
    They are vile, their sinfulness nauseating to their Creator;
    their actions are soiled and repulsive; every deed is depraved;
    not one of them does good.

The Eternal leans over from heaven to survey the sons of Adam.
    No one is missed, and no one can hide.
    He searches to see who understands true wisdom,
    who desires to know the True God.

They all turn their backs, walking their own roads;
    they are rancid, leaving a trail of rotten footsteps behind them;
    not one of them does good,
    not even one.

Do the wicked have no clue about what really matters?
    They devour my brothers and sisters the way a man eats his dinner.
    They ignore the Eternal and don’t call on Him, rejecting His reality and truth.

They shall secretly tremble behind closed doors, hearts beating hard within their chests,
    knowing that God always avenges the upright.
You laugh at the counsel of the poor, the needy, the troubled who put their trust in God.
    You try to take away their only hope,
    but the Eternal is a strong shelter in the heaviest storm.
May a new day, a day of deliverance come for Israel, starting with Zion.
    When the Eternal breaks the chains of His oppressed people,
    the family of Jacob will rejoice, and Israel will be delighted.

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.