The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house forevermore
My dwelling place shall be.
SCOTTISH BIBLES in the seventeenth century often had psalms in meter printed after the book of Revelation. The metrical psalms were sung twice a day in most of the humble cottages of Scotland and so became more familiar to the people than the Bible text itself.
This text of the familiar Twenty-third Psalm comes from a metrical version by Francis Rous, a member of the British Parliament. He was dissatisfied with the accuracy of other psalm translations being used by the Puritans, some of which took liberties with the meaning to make the words rhyme. As you can see, this version is a faithful paraphrase of David’s original. Rous’s Psalter was widely used and was authorized by the Westminster Assembly, which also created the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Psalm 23:1-3
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