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Psalm 53[a]

A Lament over Widespread Corruption

For the leader; according to Mahalath. A maskil of David.

I

The fool says in his heart,(A)
    “There is no God.”(B)
They act corruptly and practice injustice;
    there is none that does good.
God looks out from the heavens
    upon the children of Adam,(C)
To see if there is a discerning person(D)
    who is seeking God.
All have gone astray;
    each one is altogether perverse.
    There is not one who does what is good, not even one.(E)

II

(F)Do they not know better, those who do evil,
    who feed upon my people as they feed upon bread?(G)
    Have they not called upon God?
They are going to fear his name with great fear,
    though they had not feared it before.
For God will scatter the bones
    of those encamped against you.
They will surely be put to shame,
    for God has rejected them.

III

Who will bring forth from Zion
    the salvation of Israel?
When God reverses the captivity of his people
    Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad.(H)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53 A lament of an individual, duplicated in Ps 14, except that “God” is used for “the Lord,” and Ps 53:6 is different, cf. Ps 14.

Psalm 53[a](A)

For the director of music. According to mahalath.[b] A maskil[c] of David.

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

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

Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    where there was nothing to dread.(H)
God scattered the bones(I) of those who attacked you;(J)
    you put them to shame,(K) for God despised them.(L)

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

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
  2. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  3. Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term