Psalm 14-16
Evangelical Heritage Version
Psalm 14
The Fool
(Psalm 53)
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For the choir director. By David.
A Description of the Fool
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt. They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all the children of Adam
to see if there is anyone who understands, anyone who seeks God.
3 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
4 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.
5 There they are! They are terrified
because God is present in the circle of the righteous.
6 You try to put the plans of the poor to shame,
but the Lord is their refuge.
Closing Prayer
7 Who will provide salvation for Israel from Zion?[a]
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 15
Who May Dwell in Your Sanctuary?
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A psalm by David.
The Question: Who May Dwell in Your Sanctuary?
1 Lord, who may be a guest in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
The Answer: The One Who Does What Is Righteous
2 One who walks with integrity,
who does what is righteous,
and who speaks the truth in his heart.
3 He has no slander on his tongue.
He does not harm his friend,
and he does not defame his neighbor.
4 He despises everyone whom God rejects,
but he honors those who fear the Lord.
When he promises something,
he does not break his word
even though it costs him a lot.
5 He does not lend his money to get interest,[b]
and he does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things will never be toppled.
Psalm 16
You Will Not Abandon Me to the Grave
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A miktam[c] by David.
You Are My Lord
1 Guard me, O God, for I take refuge in you.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord.
I have no good apart from you.”[d]
3 The holy ones who are in the land are glorious.
All my delight is in them.
4 Those who chase after another god will increase their sorrows.
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.
I will not take up their names on my lips.
You Will Not Abandon Me to the Grave
5 Lord, you are the cup that has been given to me.
You have secured an allotment for me.
6 The property lines chosen for me fall in pleasant places.
Yes, a delightful inheritance is mine.
7 I will bless the Lord, who guides me.
Even at night my heart[e] instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad,
and my whole being[f] rejoices.
Even my flesh will dwell securely
10 because you will not abandon my life to the grave.
You will not let your favored one[g] see decay.
11 You have made known to me the path of life,
fullness of joy in your presence,
pleasures at your right hand forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 14:7 Or Oh that salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
- Psalm 15:5 Or perhaps excessive interest
- Psalm 16:1 The meaning of miktam is uncertain. It may mean a golden psalm or a choice piece or a psalm inscribed on a tablet.
- Psalm 16:2 The Hebrew of verses 2–4 is difficult and may be understood in more than one way.
- Psalm 16:7 Literally kidneys. In Hebrew the word kidneys has some of the same connotations that heart does in English.
- Psalm 16:9 Literally my glory. A few manuscripts read liver, which in Hebrew idiom parallels heart as a center of emotion.
- Psalm 16:10 The Hebrew word hasid refers to a person who receives favor or distributes mercy. Here it refers to Christ, but it is not capitalized because it does not become one of his messianic titles.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.