14 Bilious and bloated, they gas,
    “God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
    fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
    thistles are their cash crop.

God sticks his head out of heaven.
    He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid—
    one man, even, God-expectant,
    just one God-ready woman.

He comes up empty. A string
    of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending
    to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
    follow their fellow.

Don’t they know anything,
    all these predators?
Don’t they know
    they can’t get away with this—
Treating people like a fast-food meal
    over which they’re too busy to pray?

5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
    for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
    with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God
    makes their dreams come true.

Is there anyone around to save Israel?
    Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
    turned-around Israel sings laughter.

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.

El hombre necio y corrupto

14 Al músico principal. Salmo de David.

Dijo el necio en su corazón:
“No hay Dios”.
Se han corrompido;
han hecho cosas abominables. No hay quien haga el bien.
El SEÑOR miró desde los cielos sobre los hijos del hombre
para ver si había algún sensato que buscara a Dios.
Pero todos se habían desviado;
a una se habían corrompido. No había quien hiciera el bien;
no había ni siquiera uno.
¿Acaso todos los que obran iniquidad no saben que comen a mi pueblo como si fuera pan,
y que al SEÑOR no invocan?
Allí temblarán de espanto
porque Dios está con la generación
de los justos.
Del consejo del pobre se han mofado pero el SEÑOR es su refugio.
¡Quién hiciera que de Sion viniese
la salvación de Israel!
Cuando el SEÑOR restaure de la cautividad a su pueblo
se gozará Jacob; se alegrará Israel.