Psalm 23 — The Lord Is My Shepherd (Full Text & Meaning)

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.

— Psalm 23 (KJV)

About This Prayer

Psalm 23 is attributed to David, who was a shepherd before he was a king, and it is probably the best-loved passage in all of Scripture. Its picture is simple: God cares for His people the way a good shepherd cares for his sheep — feeding, leading, protecting, and staying close even in the darkest valley. Believers have prayed it for roughly three thousand years, at bedsides and gravesides, in fear and in gratitude, and its promise is not that hard places will be avoided but that we will never walk through them alone.

When to Pray This

Pray Psalm 23 when you are afraid, grieving, facing illness, or simply need to remember who is looking after you. Many people know it by heart and return to it nightly; it is also a natural psalm to read aloud with someone in the hospital or at the end of life.