Psalm 23
1 Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
World English Bible (WEB)
On Psalm 23 ("The LORD is my shepherd"): the meaning of this psalm of trust, the shepherd image and why it is read in grief, fear and hardship. Read it directly.
Psalm 23 is the best known of all the psalms in the Bible. In just six short verses it sets God's care for people alongside the care a shepherd gives a flock; that plain image is what keeps it close in every generation.
The psalm is a poem of trust: it begins in green pastures, passes through "the valley of the shadow of death," and still arrives not at fear but at a calm sense of being accompanied. This is why it is so often read at funerals and on ordinary hard days alike.
You can move to the full chapter below to read its context and the verses that follow. Related collections on comfort and protection lead to other passages that carry the same peace.