Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd,(A) I lack nothing.(B)
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,(C)
    he refreshes my soul.(D)
He guides me(E) along the right paths(F)
    for his name’s sake.(G)
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a](H)
I will fear no evil,(I)
    for you are with me;(J)
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table(K) before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;(L)
    my cup(M) overflows.
Surely your goodness and love(N) will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 23:4 Or the valley of the shadow of death

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day(A)
    to the weapons(B) in the Palace of the Forest.(C)
You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through(D) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.(E)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses(F) to strengthen the wall.(G)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(H)
    for the water of the Old Pool,(I)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard(J) for the One who planned(K) it long ago.

12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(L)
to weep(M) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(N) and put on sackcloth.(O)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(P)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(Q)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(R)

14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(S) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(T) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

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You adulterous(A) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(B) means enmity against God?(C) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(D) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(E) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[c](F)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(G) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(H) Wash your hands,(I) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(J) you double-minded.(K) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(L) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
  3. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34

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