Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(A)

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 The (B)fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 14:1 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
[a]God is in none of his (A)thoughts.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 10:4 Or All his thoughts are, “There is no God”

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
    in all his thoughts there is no room for God.(A)

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Folly of the Godless, and the Restoration of Israel(A)

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A [a]Contemplation of David.

53 The (B)fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
(C)There is none who does good.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53:1 Heb. Maschil

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.

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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

10 As it is written:

(A)“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”

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10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 3:12 Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccles. 7:20

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but (A)became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 (B)Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the (C)incorruptible (D)God into an image made like [a]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 (E)Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, (F)to dishonor their bodies (G)among themselves, 25 who exchanged (H)the truth of God (I)for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to (J)vile passions. For even their [b]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the [c]men, leaving the natural use of the [d]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things (K)which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, [e]sexual immorality, wickedness, [f]covetousness, [g]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [h]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [i]unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, (L)knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things (M)are deserving of death, not only do the same but also (N)approve of those who practice them.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 1:23 perishable
  2. Romans 1:26 Lit. females
  3. Romans 1:27 Lit. males
  4. Romans 1:27 Lit. female
  5. Romans 1:29 NU omits sexual immorality
  6. Romans 1:29 greed
  7. Romans 1:29 malice
  8. Romans 1:31 without understanding
  9. Romans 1:31 NU omits unforgiving

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.(A) 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools(B) 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images(C) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over(D) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.(E) 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,(F) and worshiped and served created things(G) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.(H) Amen.(I)

26 Because of this, God gave them over(J) to shameful lusts.(K) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.(L) 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.(M)

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over(N) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,(O) 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;(P) 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love,(Q) no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,(R) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve(S) of those who practice them.

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By Grace Through Faith

And (A)you He made alive, (B)who were dead in trespasses and sins, (C)in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to (D)the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in (E)the sons of disobedience, (F)among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in (G)the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and (H)were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:2 Gr. aion, aeon

Made Alive in Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,(A) in which you used to live(B) when you followed the ways of this world(C) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,(D) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.(E) All of us also lived among them at one time,(F) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a](G) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

Then [a]the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every (A)intent[b] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil [c]continually.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 6:5 So with MT, Tg.; Vg. God; LXX Lord God
  2. Genesis 6:5 thought
  3. Genesis 6:5 all the day

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,(A) and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.(B)

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34 (A)Brood[a] of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? (B)For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:34 Offspring

34 You brood of vipers,(A) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks(B) what the heart is full of.

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(A)A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.

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Senseless people(A) do not know,
    fools do not understand,

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20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night (A)your soul will be required of you; (B)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

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20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!(A) This very night your life will be demanded from you.(B) Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’(C)

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(A)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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The fear of the Lord(A) is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools[a] despise wisdom(B) and instruction.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient.

11 The earth also was corrupt (A)before God, and the earth was (B)filled with violence. 12 So God (C)looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for (D)all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

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11 Now the earth was corrupt(A) in God’s sight and was full of violence.(B) 12 God saw how corrupt(C) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.(D)

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19 (A)For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

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19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.(A)

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