The 23rd Psalm

[Multicolored Lemur]

Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 23 - King James Version

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...

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1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, 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.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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This is poetry of great beauty.

Thank God sincerely for the simple joys of life. Know that God is with you and will help you get through the hard times.

This even has a little extra “bite”! It talks about enjoying the good things in the presence of your enemies. About taking the high road, and that living well is the best revenge. Don't let your enemies define you.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 23 - Revised Standard Version

The Divine Shepherd - A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of...

www.biblegateway.com

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;

2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;

3 he restores my soul [or, life]
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [or, the valley of deep darkness]
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.

6 Surely [or, Only] goodness and mercy [or, kindness] shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever [or, as long as I live].

— Revised Standard Version

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I have put some of the footnotes inline which seemed the more impactful ones.

A when I was a teenager in 1976, 1977, etc, the Revised Standard Version was the version of the Protestant Bible.

— — — — —

I think I prefer the King James such as “ . . He restoreth my soul . . ”

The King James is also a Protestant Bible.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

Agree with much of your points.

With me, it's not just the message, but also how much better it is in bad moments which i believe is the impact that the Psalm was looking to have. Strength in times of trouble!

This is one advantage that I think religion has over secularism, or I should say atheism. Only hardcore atheists might be too rational for hope (stereotype joke ), but even otherwise, I would think that their hope would be limited. They might say well I'd rather that than make-believe hope for something or in something. But then that question boils down to if there's still positive effects in believing in the impossible or the supernatural. There's also the question of what if God is real?

I at least think the Christian would benefit more because they are not just limited to the natural, but can also rely on the supernatural (even if it's not real).