Psalms 13
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 13 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
7 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 13
1(14) For the end, Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They have corrupted themselves, and become abominable in their devices; there is none that does goodness, there is not even so much as one.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ. Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἔστι Θεός· διέφθειραν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.
2The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that understood, or sought after god.Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ ἔστι συνιὼν ἢ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν.
3They are all gone out of the way, they are together become good for nothing, there is none that does good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός· τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει, ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα· σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν· οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.
4Will not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they would eat bread? they have not called upon the Lord.Οὐχὶ γνώσονται πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, οἱ κατέσθοντες τὸν λαόν μου βρώσει ἄρτου; τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐπεκαλέσαντο.
5There were they alarmed with fear, where there was no fear; for God is in the righteous generation.Ἐκεῖ ἐδειλίασαν φόβῳ, οὗ οὐκ ἦν φόβος, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν γενεᾷ δικαίᾳ.
6You have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his hope.Βουλὴν πτωχοῦ κατῃσχύνατε, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐστι.
7Who will bring the salvation of Israel out of Sion? when the Lord brings back the captivity of his people, let Jacob exult, and Israel be glad.Τίς δώσει ἐκ Σιὼν τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσθω Ἰακὼβ, καὶ εὐφρανθήτω Ἰσραήλ.
The Fathers on Psalms 13
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 13:1Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (ver. 1). For not even have certain sacrilegious and abominable philosophers, who entertain perverse and false notions of God, dared to say, “There is no God.” Therefore it is, hath said “in his heart;” for that no one dares to say it, even if he has dared to think it. “They are corrupt, and become abominable in their affections:” that is, whilst they love…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:2Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “The Lord from heaven looked out upon the sons of men, to see if there be one understanding, or seeking after God” (ver. 2). It may be interpreted, upon the Jews; as he may have given them the more honourable name of the sons of men, by reason of their worship of the One God, in comparison with the Gentiles; of whom I suppose it was said above, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God,” etc. Now the…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:2Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “All have gone out of the way, they have together become useless:” that is, the Jews have become as the Gentiles, who were spoken of above. “There is none that doeth good, no not up to one” (ver. 3), must be interpreted as above. “Their throat is an open sepulchre.” Either the voracity of the ever open palate is signified: or allegorically those who slay, and as it were devour those they have slain, into whom…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:4Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Shall not all, who work iniquity, know?” (ver. 4). He threatens the judgment. “Who devour My people as the food of bread:” that is, daily. For the food of bread is daily food. Now they devour the people, who serve their own ends out of them, not referring their ministry to the glory of God, and the salvation of those over whom they are.
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:5Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “They have not called upon the Lord.” For he doth not really call upon Him, who longs for such things as are displeasing to Him. “There they trembled for fear, where no fear was” (ver. 5): that is, for the loss of things temporal. For they said, “If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans will come, and take away both our place and nation.” They feared to lose an earthly kingdom,…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:6Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “For God is in the just generation.” It refers to what went before, so that the sense is, “shall not all they that work iniquity know that the Lord is in the just generation;” that is, He is not in them who love the world. For it is unjust to leave the Maker of the worlds, and “serve the creature more than the Creator.” Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, for the Lord is his hope” (ver. 6): that is, ye…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →
On Psalms 13:7Open Psalms 13 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Who will give salvation to Israel out of Sion?” (ver. 7). Who but He whose humiliation ye have despised? is understood. For He will come in glory to the judgment of the quick and the dead, and the kingdom of the just: that, forasmuch as in that humble coming “blindness hath happened in part unto Israel, that the fulness of the Gentiles might enter in,” in that other should happen what follows, “and so all…
Read Expositions on the Psalms →