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 23 English was made in 1565 by Thomas Sternhold. Other metrical versions to emerge from the Protestant Reformation include those from "The Bay Psalm Book" (1640) and a version influenced by Sternholm published in the Scottish Psalter (1650). The latter version is still encountered, with modernized spelling, in many Protestant hymns. Other notable metrical versions include those by George Herbert, Philip Sidney, and Isaac Watts. A metrical version of the psalm is traditionally sung to the hymn tune "Crimond", generally attributed to Jessie Seymour Irvine. This version, with its opening words "The Lord's My Shepherd", is probably the best-known amongst English-speaking