23

Psalm 23 · Book One · David

A Psalm of David.

The Hebrew title · Berean Standard Bible

About this psalm

Six verses, and probably the best known page in the Old Testament. What is easy to miss is its shape: it begins outdoors with a shepherd, passes through the valley of the shadow of death, and ends indoors — a table prepared, a cup running over, a house to dwell in for ever. The turn comes in the fourth verse, where the psalm stops saying he and starts saying thou.

Read it when you already know the words, and watch where it goes.

My psalms

One verse at a time, slowly

¹The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:he leadeth me beside the still waters.³He restoreth my soul:he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:for thou art with me;thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:thou anointest my head with oil;my cup runneth over.⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Hymns built on this psalm

The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want Scottish Psalter, 1650. Words, chords in any key, and the story. Free to sing.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is Henry Williams Baker, 1868. Words, chords in any key, and the story. Free to sing.

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Read it in the app

Open Psalm 23 in XA Daily for the Hebrew, the cross-references and the other translations.