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(A special psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “Mahalath.”[a])

No One Can Ignore God

(A) Only a fool would say,
    “There is no God!”
People like that are worthless!
They are heartless and cruel
    and never do right.

From heaven God
    looks down to see
if anyone is wise enough
    to search for him.
But all of them
are crooked and corrupt.
    Not one of them does right.

Won't you lawbreakers learn?
    You refuse to pray,
and you gobble up
    the people of God.
But you will be terrified
    worse than ever before.
God will scatter the bones
    of his enemies,
and you will be ashamed
    when God rejects you.

I long for someone from Zion
    to come and save Israel!
Our God, when you bless
    your people again,
Jacob's family will be glad,
    and Israel will celebrate.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53 Mahalath: Or “For flutes,” one possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

53 (53:1) Au chef des chantres. Sur la flûte. Cantique de David. (53:2) L'insensé dit en son coeur: Il n'y a point de Dieu! Ils se sont corrompus, ils ont commis des iniquités abominables; Il n'en est aucun qui fasse le bien.

(53:3) Dieu, du haut des cieux, regarde les fils de l'homme, Pour voir s'il y a quelqu'un qui soit intelligent, Qui cherche Dieu.

(53:4) Tous sont égarés, tous sont pervertis; Il n'en est aucun qui fasse le bien, Pas même un seul.

(53:5) Ceux qui commettent l'iniquité ont-ils perdu le sens? Ils dévorent mon peuple, ils le prennent pour nourriture; Ils n'invoquent point Dieu.

(53:6) Alors ils trembleront d'épouvante, Sans qu'il y ait sujet d'épouvante; Dieu dispersera les os de ceux qui campent contre toi; Tu les confondras, car Dieu les a rejetés.

(53:7) Oh! qui fera partir de Sion la délivrance d'Israël? Quand Dieu ramènera les captifs de son peuple, Jacob sera dans l'allégresse, Israël se réjouira.

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.

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who (D)seek God.
Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

Have the workers of iniquity (E)no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon God?
(F)There they are 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 despised them.

(G)Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back [b]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 53:1 Heb. Maschil
  2. Psalm 53:6 Or His captive people