By Bill Gaultiere
SoulShepherding.org
Psalm 23 is the most loved chapter in the Bible. It is probably the most famous, most loved poem ever composed. The only prayer that surpasses it is the Lord’s prayer. Untold millions of people over the millennia have found comfort, healing, wisdom, and guidance from praying Psalm 23.
How could David, a shepherd boy, put together such a masterpiece? It was the Holy Spirit who inspired his writing.
Countless translations of Psalm 23 have been written in English. Also there are many other hymns, poems, and paraphrases that have been inspired by Psalm 23. I have enjoyed sharing these with others in Psalm 23 themed seminars and retreats. I’d like to share them with you here:
I have enjoyed sharing my favorite Psalm 23 translations, hymns, and poems with others in spiritual formation seminars and retreats I’ve led. I’d like to share these with you here:
Palm 23 Translations
In these Bible translations and paraphrases of Psalm 23 David’s ancient Shepherd Psalm is given fresh wording that helps to bring out new insights and applications. Read slowly and prayerfully to let the Holy Spirit bring the Word of God to life for you!
Psalm 23: A Psalm for David
From The Holy Bible Douay-Rheims Version, 1609/1752/1899
The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
He hath set me in a place of pasture.
He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:
He hath converted my soul.
He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake.
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.
Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!
And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
Psalm 23: A David Song
From The Moffatt Bible by James Moffatt, 1922
The Eternal Shepherds me, I lack for nothing;
he makes me lie in meadows green,
he leads me to refreshing streams,
he revives life in me.
He guides me by true paths, as he himself is true.
My road may run through a glen of gloom, but I fear no harm, for thou are beside me;
thy club, thy staff – they give me courage.
Thou art my host, spreading a feast for me, while my foes have to look on!
Thou hast poured oil upon my head, my cup is brimming over;
yes, and all through my life Goodness and Kindness waits on me,
the Eternal’s guest within his household evermore.
Psalm 23: A David Psalm
From The Message By Eugene Peterson, 1994
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley,
I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
Psalm 23 Hymns
These hymns based on the text of Psalm 23 have been sung for hundreds of years in the Church of Jesus Christ. Not only are these hymns theologically rich they are also heart warming. Even if you don’t know a hymn’s tune reading it meditatively will make your heart sing!
My Shepherd will Supply my Need
From The Psalms of David by Isaac Watts, 1719
My Shepherd will supply my need:
Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.
He Leadeth Me
By Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862
He leadeth me, O blessèd thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.
(Refrain)
Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
(Refrain)
And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.
(Refrain)
The King of Love my Shepherd Is
By Henry W. Baker in 1868
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.
In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.
Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!
And so, through all the length of day,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
Included in Masterpieces of Religious Verse, James Dalton Morrison, ed., New
York: Harper & Bros., 1948, p. 250.
Psalm 23 Poems
Countless famous writers and amateurs (like me!) have written poetic paraphrases of David’s psalm. Putting a passage of Scripture into your own wording is a delightful and powerful way to meditate on God’s Word. Sometimes this is done as a colloquial paraphrase to reach a particular audience with the message of Psalm 23.
The God of Love my Shepherd Is
In The Temple by George Herbert, 1633
The God of love my shepherd is,
And He that does me feed:
While He is mine, and I am His,
What can I want or need?
He leads me to the tender grass,
Where I both feed and rest;
Then to the streams that gently pass:
In both I have the best.
Or if I stray, He does convert
And bring my mind in frame:
And all this not for my dessert,
But for His holy name.
Yea, in death’s shady black abode
Well may I walk, not fear:
For You are with me; and Your rod
To guide, Your staff to bear.
Nay, you do make me sit and dine,
Ev’n in my enemies’ sight:
My head with oil, my cup with wine
Runs over day and night.
Surely Your sweet and wondrous love
Shall measure all my days;
And as it never shall remove,
So neither shall my praise.
God our Shepherd (Psalm 23 L.M.)
From The Psalms of David by Isaac Watts in 1719
My shepherd is the living Lord;
Now shall my wants be well supply’d
His providence and holy word
Become my safety and my guide.
In pastures where salvation grows
He makes me feed, he makes me rest;
There living water gently flows,
And all the food’s divinely blest.
My wandering feet his ways mistake,
But he restores my soul to peace,
And leads me for his mercy’s sake,
In the fair paths of righteousness.
Tho’ I walk thro’ the gloomy vale,
Where death and all its terrors are,
My heart and hope shall never fail,
For God my shepherd’s with me there.
Amidst the darkness and the deeps
Thou art my comfort, thou my stay;
Thy staff supports my feeble steps,
Thy rod directs my doubtful way.
The sons of earth and sons of hell
Gaze at thy goodness and repine
To see my table spread so well
With living bread and cheerful wine.
How I rejoice when on my head
Thy Spirit condescends to rest!
‘Tis a divine anointing shed
Like oil of gladness at a feast.
Surely the mercies of the Lord
Attend his household all their days;
There will I dwell to hear his word,
To seek his face, and sing his praise.
Psalm 23: 3rd Poem (S.M.)
From The Psalms of David by Isaac Watts in 1719
The Lord my shepherd is,
I shall be well supply’d;
Since he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want beside?
He leads me to the place
Where heavenly pasture grows,
Where living waters gently pass,
And full salvation flows.
If e’er I go astray,
He doth my soul reclaim,
And guides me in his own right way,
For his most holy name.
While he affords his aid,
I cannot yield to fear;
Tho’ I should walk thro’ death’s dark shade
My Shepherd’s with me there.
In spite of all my foes,
Thou dost my table spread,
My cup with blessings overflows,
And joy exalts my head.
The bounties of thy love
Shall crown my following days;
Nor from thy house will I remove,
Nor cease to speak thy praise.
The Journey of Recovery in Psalm 23 (For People in 12 Step Groups)
Published in A Walk with your Shepherd by William Gaultiere, 1992
The Lord alone is the Shepherd I need
For without him I can’t manage my life.
In his greener pasture my soul does feed;
In him I trust and lay down without strife.
I drink from the still waters of his love
Then I look close to see me as he can.
When I fall I call for help from above
And he restores me to my feet again.
He guides me to the path that’s right for me;
To all the other paths I must say “no.”
Though the path goes through a long dark valley
I won’t fear since he’s there to help me grow.
With his rod he disciplines me wisely
And helps me set boundaries that protect.
With his staff he always guides me safely
And inspects me when I pass under it.
He leads me up to a mountain plateau
There are enemies there I must forgive.
His oil heals and anoints so I can go;
His cup for me oer-flows so I can give.
My steps back home I know I can retrace
Because he follows and has made me new.
In life’s journey I look to Shepherd’s face
And he guides me to home all the way through.
My Soul Shepherding Psalm
By Bill Gaultiere, 2007
The Lord Jesus is my Soul Shepherd
who meets all my needs and makes me smile.
He gets me to stop working and to relax
with him in his Father’s loving arms.
He takes me into a quiet place
to be still and know that he is God and I am loved.
He heals and rejuvenates my whole being
with his grace from the inside out.
He holds my hand at the crossroads
and walks me onto the path of life.
Even though I go through dark and difficult times
I don’t fear anything bad because you are with me.
You discipline me in love and converse patiently with me
to bring out the best in me.
You prepare a celebration to bless and honor me
right in front of my enemies.
You anoint me with your Spirit to minister to others
out of the overflow of your love to me.
I can count on your generous favor and tender mercy
coming to me wherever I go.
I will live in the presence of Christ as his beloved
in all things and at all times.
23rd Psalm for Busy People
By Toki Miyashiro
The Lord is my Pace-setter, I shall not rush;
He makes me to stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with images of stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind.
And His guidance is my peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours,
For I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His house forever.
“Japanese version of Psalm 23″ published in Guidepost Magazine
