Psalm 23 ... well-worn and beautiful

 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: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
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.  Amen.

Beautiful words in the good old, well-worn and outdated King James Version!  Now here is an image, a little commentary and a contemporary version of Psalm 23 from The Voice Bible:  Step into the Story of Scripture.

An image of Psalm 23 (King James’ Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of
The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi., Public Domain.

Psalm 23
A song of David.

Commentary in The Voice Bible:  Psalm 23 is the best known and most beloved psalm in the collection. Surprisingly, it casts humanity as sheep— stupid, helpless sheep. But the long-lasting appeal of Psalm 23 is a direct result of that casting because the imagery is both soothing and accessible. When he was a boy, King David was a shepherd watching his father’s flocks in the hills around Bethlehem. In those days, too, it was common to refer to kings in the Near East as shepherds; but not all shepherd-kings cared for their sheep. Though David tried to shepherd his people well, he knew the truth: the Eternal is the true Shepherd. In John 10: 11 Jesus makes a bold claim. He declares that He is the good shepherd.  Immediately His disciples detected the resonance of Psalm 23 in His words. Those of us who follow Jesus today come to know Him as that gentle but strong shepherd who guides us through life if we will follow Him.

The Eternal is my shepherd, 

He cares for me always. 

He provides me rest in rich, 

green fields beside streams of refreshing water. 

He soothes my fears; 

He makes me whole again, 

hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name. 

Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness, 

I am not overcome by fear. 

Because You are with me in those dark moments, 

near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted. 

You spread out a table before me, 

provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies; 

You care for all my needs, 

anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil, 

filling my cup again and again with Your grace.

Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision 

will pursue me where I go, always, everywhere.
  I will always be with the Eternal, in Your house forever.

If music is a pathway to God for you, check out this original rendition of  Psalm 23.  Music played, composed, arranged, and vocalized by Gerd Noya. 

You can also take this link and check out my own paraphrased version of Psalm 23 on my Reflection Blog.