Psalm 23 the ancient Hebrews. The writer describes God as his shepherd, in the role of protector and provider. The psalm is read, recited and sung by Jews and Christians. It has been called the most well-known of all chapters in the Book of Psalms for its universal theme of trust in God. Following is the Hebrew text and English translation of Psalm 23: For Christians the image of God as a shepherd evokes connections not only with David but with Jesus, described as "Good Shepherd" in the Gospel of John. The phrase about "the valley of the shadow of death" is
Psalm 36 in English "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" and "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise". The refrain and the first stanza of the German song "Herr, deine Güte reicht, so weit der Himmel ist" (Lord, your goodness extends as far as heaven)", published in 1965 with text by Gerhard Valentin and a melody by Herbert Beuerle, is based on verses from Psalm 36. Maria Luise Thurmair wrote "Herr, deine Güt ist unbegrenzt" based on Psalm 36, published in 1971 with the melody of "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß". The psalm and selected verses were set to music often. Thomas Ravenscroft