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The Folly of the Godless and Salvation for Israel

For the music director, according to Mahalath.

A maskil of David.[a]

53 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt and they have done abominable iniquity.
There is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
to see whether there is one who has insight,
one who seeks God.
All of them[b] have turned back.
They are altogether corrupt.
There is none who does good;
there is not even one.
Do not evildoers know,
they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
They do not call on God.
There they are very fearful[c]
where no fear had been,
because God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.
Oh, that from Zion[d] would come salvation for Israel!
When God returns the fortunes[e] of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 53:3 Literally “The whole of it,” i.e. all of humankind
  3. Psalm 53:5 Literally “they feared a fear”
  4. Psalm 53:6 Literally “Who will give that from Zion”
  5. Psalm 53:6 Or “captivity”

For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Mahalath.” A contemplation by David.

53 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity.
    There is no one who does good.
God looks down from heaven on the children of men,
    to see if there are any who understood,
    who seek after God.
Every one of them has gone back.
    They have become filthy together.
    There is no one who does good, no, not one.
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
    who eat up my people as they eat bread,
    and don’t call on God?
There they were in great fear, where no fear was,
    for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
You have put them to shame,
    because God has rejected them.
Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God brings back his people from captivity,
    then Jacob shall rejoice,
    and Israel shall be glad.