Psalm 53

Denunciation of Godlessness

To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

Psalm 14

Denunciation of Godlessness

To the leader. Of David.

¹⁰ as it is written:

¹⁹ Now we know that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.^{(D) 20} For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.^(E)

Righteousness through Faith

²¹ But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets,^{(F) 22} the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ^[a] for all who believe.^[b] For there is no distinction,^{(G) 23} since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;^{(H) 24} they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,^{(I) 25} whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement^[c] by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;^{(J) 26} it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus.^[d]

²⁷ Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith.^{(K) 28} For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.^{(L) 29} Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Yes, of gentiles also, ³⁰ since God is one, and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.^{(M) 31} Do we then overthrow the law through this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

²⁴ there were also illicit priests in the land. They committed all the abominations of the nations that the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel.^(A)

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind and to do things that should not be done.^(A)

³¹ You must not do the same for the Lord your God, because every abhorrent thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.^(A)

²⁴ “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for by all these practices the nations I am casting out before you have defiled themselves.^{(A) 25} Thus the land became defiled, and I punished it for its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.^{(B) 26} But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and commit none of these abominations, either the native-born or the alien who resides among you ²⁷ (for the inhabitants of the land, who were before you, committed all of these abominations, and the land became defiled); ²⁸ otherwise the land will vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. ²⁹ For whoever commits any of these abominations shall be cut off from their people. ³⁰ So keep my charge not to commit any of these abominations that were done before you and not to defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.”^(C)

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.^{(A) 13} And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.^(B)