The Book of Psalms

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- Chapter 14 -

The fool says there is no God

(Psalm 53:1-6; Isaiah 59:1-17; Romans 3:9-20)

Unto the end. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They were corrupted, and they have become abominable in their studies. There is no one who does good; there is not even one.

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any who were considering or seeking God.

They have all gone astray; together they have become useless. There is no one who does good; there is not even one.(a) Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they have been acting deceitfully; the venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Grief and unhappiness are in their ways; and the way of peace, they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Will they never learn: all those who work iniquity, who devour my people like a meal of bread?(b)

They have not called upon the Lord. There, they have trembled in fear, where there was no fear.

For the Lord is with the just generation. You have confounded the counsel of the needy because the Lord is his hope.

Who will grant the salvation of Israel from Zion? When the Lord turns away the captivity of his people, Jacob will exult, and Israel will rejoice.(c)

Footnotes

(a)13:3 This verse in the Vulgate is very long, encompassing 13:3 through 13:6 in this renumbered version of Psalm 13. The Vulgate probably kept verse 13:3 long in order to align with the same Psalm in the Hebrew version, which has a much shorter verse 13:3. I have renumbered this Psalm for the CPDV and for my edit of the Vulgate.(Conte)

(b)13:7 The verb ‘cognoscent’ can refer to knowing or having knowledge; it can also refer to becoming aware of something, or to learning about something.(Conte)

(c)13:10 Literally, the verb ‘averterit’ is translated ‘will have turned away.’ But English tends to use the present tense in a clause such as this one. When translating, tenses do not always remain the same.(Conte)

The fool says there is no God

(Psalm 53:1-6; Isaiah 59:1-17; Romans 3:9-20)

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable deeds. There is no one who does good.

The LORD looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.

They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on the LORD?

There they were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.

You frustrate the plan of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.