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For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David.

53 Foolish people say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”
They do all kinds of horrible and evil things.
    No one does anything good.

God looks down from heaven
    on all people.
He wants to see if there are any who understand.
    He wants to see if there are any who trust in God.
All of them have turned away.
    They have all become evil.
No one does anything good,
    no one at all.

Don’t these people who do evil know anything?
    They eat up my people as if they were eating bread.
    They never call out to God for help.
Just look at them! They are filled with terror
    even when there is nothing to be afraid of!
People of Israel, God scattered the bones of those who attacked you.
    You put them to shame, because God hated them.

How I pray that the God who saves Israel will come out of Zion!
    God will bless his people with great success again.
    Then let the people of Jacob be filled with joy! Let Israel be glad!

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.

God looks down from heaven(D)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(E)
    any who seek God.(F)
Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.(G)

Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    where there was nothing to dread.(H)
God scattered the bones(I) of those who attacked you;(J)
    you put them to shame,(K) for God despised them.(L)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

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

53 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.

Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.

There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.