Psalm 14 Text
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Psalm 14/Text
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Listen & Read: Psalm 14
Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 14. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional and discourse analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.
Simple Reading (Hebrew) Forthcoming. |
Simple Reading (English) Forthcoming. |
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew) Forthcoming. |
Dramatic Reading (English) Forthcoming. |
Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.
Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Text (CBC) |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד | 1 | For the director. By David. |
אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים | The fool has said to himself, “There is no God.” | |
הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ הִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עֲלִילָ֗ה | They have corrupted (their deeds); they have done abominable deeds; | |
אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃ | there is none who does good. | |
יְֽהוָ֗ה מִשָּׁמַיִם֮ הִשְׁקִ֪יף עַֽל־בְּנֵי־אָ֫דָ֥ם | 2 | YHWH looked down from heaven upon humans |
לִ֭רְאוֹת הֲיֵ֣שׁ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל | in order to see: "Is there is one who acts wisely, | |
דֹּ֝רֵשׁ אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | who seeks after God ?" | |
הַכֹּ֥ל סָר֮ יַחְדָּ֪ו נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ | 3 | All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt; |
אֵ֤ין עֹֽשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב | there is no one who does good; | |
אֵ֝֗ין גַּם־אֶחָֽד׃ | there is not even one. | |
הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ כָּל־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן | 4 | Do they not understand – all those who do evil, |
אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם | who eat my people as they have eaten food, | |
יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃ | who have not called upon YHWH? | |
שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּ֣חֲדוּ פָ֑חַד | 5 | Then they (would) have feared a fear, |
כִּֽי־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים בְּד֣וֹר צַדִּֽיק׃ | because God is with the righteous (group). | |
עֲצַת־עָנִ֥י תָבִ֑ישׁוּ | 6 | You put to shame the insight of the oppressed, |
כִּ֖י יְהוָ֣ה מַחְסֵֽהוּ׃ | because YHWH is his refuge. | |
מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשׁוּעַ֪ת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל | 7 | Oh that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! |
בְּשׁ֣וּב יְ֭הוָה שְׁב֣וּת עַמּ֑וֹ | When YHWH restores the fortune of his people, | |
יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָֽאֵל׃ | let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad! |
Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.
Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Text (CBC) |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ |לְדָ֫וִ֥ד | 1a | For the director. By David. |
אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ| אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים | 1b | The fool has said to himself, “There is no God.” |
הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ | הִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עֲלִילָ֗ה | | 1c | They have corrupted (their deeds); they have done abominable deeds; |
אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃ | 1d | there is none who does good. |
יְֽהוָ֗ה מִשָּׁמַיִם֮ הִשְׁקִ֪יף עַֽל־בְּנֵי־אָ֫דָ֥ם | 2a | YHWH looked down from heaven upon humans |
לִ֭רְאוֹת הֲיֵ֣שׁ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל | 2b | in order to see: "Is there one who acts wisely, |
דֹּ֝רֵשׁ אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 2c | who seeks after God ?" |
הַכֹּ֥ל סָר֮ | יַחְדָּ֪ו נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ | 3a | All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt; |
אֵ֤ין עֹֽשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב | 3b | there is no one who does good; |
אֵ֝֗ין גַּם־אֶחָֽד׃ | 3c | there is not even one. |
הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ כָּל־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן | 4a | Do they not understand – all those who do evil, |
אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם | 4b | who eat my people as they have eaten food, |
יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃ | 4c | who have not called upon YHWH? |
שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּ֣חֲדוּ פָ֑חַד | 5a | Then they (would) have feared a fear, |
כִּֽי־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים בְּד֣וֹר צַדִּֽיק׃ | 5b | Because God is with the righteous (group). |
עֲצַת־עָנִ֥י תָבִ֑ישׁוּ | 6a | You would put to shame the insight of the oppressed, |
כִּ֖י יְהוָ֣ה מַחְסֵֽהוּ׃ | 6b | Because YHWH is his refuge. |
מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשׁוּעַ֪ת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל | 7a | Oh that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! |
בְּשׁ֣וּב יְ֭הוָה שְׁב֣וּת עַמּוֹ | 7b | When YHWH restores the fortune of his people, |
יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב | יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָֽאֵל׃ | 7c | let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad! |
Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.
Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Expanded Paraphrase |
---|---|---|
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ |לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אָ֘מַ֤ר נָבָ֣ל בְּ֭לִבּוֹ| אֵ֣ין אֱלֹהִ֑ים הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ | הִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ עֲלִילָ֗ה | אֵ֣ין עֹֽשֵׂה־טֽוֹב׃ | 1 | For the director. By David. The fool has said to himself, “There is no God who will know, care, or do anything about the bad things I do, so I can act with impunity because no god will hold me accountable.” That is why They , the fools, have corrupted [their deeds] from the good deeds they should do. They , the fools, have done abominable deeds. There is none among the fools who does good. |
יְֽהוָ֗ה מִשָּׁמַיִם֮ הִשְׁקִ֪יף עַֽל־בְּנֵי־אָ֫דָ֥ם לִ֭רְאוֹת הֲיֵ֣שׁ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל דֹּ֝רֵשׁ אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 2 | YHWH looked down from his throne in heaven upon humans (irony alert!) in order to see: "Is there is one who acts wisely, who seeks after God, and has not done abominable deeds?" |
הַכֹּ֥ל סָר֮ | יַחְדָּ֪ו נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ אֵ֤ין עֹֽשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב | 3 | YHWH sees that All humans not just fools have turned away from the good path of seeking after God. All alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good. There is not even one who does good. All humans are like the fool. |
הֲלֹ֥א יָדְעוּ֮ כָּל־פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י אָ֥וֶן אֹכְלֵ֣י עַ֭מִּי אָ֣כְלוּ לֶ֑חֶם יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹ֣א קָרָֽאוּ׃ | 4 | Do they not understand that they are wrong, and they will be held accountable – they, meaning all those who do evil thinking they'll get away with it, who eat my people (i.e. abused them for selfish gain) as they have eaten food casually, with no thought to their evil actions, who have not called upon YHWH? |
שָׁ֤ם ׀ פָּ֣חֲדוּ פָ֑חַד כִּֽי־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים בְּד֣וֹר צַדִּֽיק׃ | 5 | Then (if they did understand how wrong they are) they would have feared a fear, because they would have seen that God is with the righteous group and they would recognise that God will hold them accountable for the wrong they've done . |
עֲצַת־עָנִ֥י תָבִ֑ישׁוּ כִּ֖י יְהוָ֣ה מַחְסֵֽהוּ׃ | 6 | Yet, the wicked do not know. Instead, You (wicked) would put to shame the insight of the oppressed which is that YHWH will ultimately care for them, because YHWH is his king and refuge and you think YHWH doesn't care, so you mock those who do think so. |
מִ֥י יִתֵּ֣ן מִצִּיּוֹן֮ יְשׁוּעַ֪ת יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל יָגֵ֥ל יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב | יִשְׂמַ֥ח יִשְׂרָֽאֵל׃ | 7 | In spite of all this, I know that YHWH will be true to his word. Even when I do not see him at work, I trust in his covenant. Therefore, I pray with confidence: Oh, that deliverance for Israel would come from YHWH who dwells in Zion! When YHWH restores the fortune of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad! |
Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.
This resource is forthcoming.