The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Y'hudah: "We have a strong city! He has built walls and ramparts for our safety.
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In that day will this song be made in the land of Judah: We have a strong town; he will make salvation our walls and towers.
2 Open the gates! Let the righteous nation enter, a nation that keeps faith!
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Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 "A person whose desire rests on you you preserve in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.
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The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
4 Trust in ADONAI forever, because in Yah ADONAI, is a Rock of Ages."
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Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging Rock.
5 For he has humbled those in high places, levelling the lofty city, levelling it to the ground, laying it in the dust.
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For he has made low those who are lifted up, all the people of the town of pride: he makes it low, crushing it down to the earth; he makes it low in the dust.
6 It is trampled underfoot by the feet of the poor, by the footsteps of the needy.
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It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of those who are in need.
7 The way of the righteous is level; Righteous One, you smooth the path for the righteous.
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The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
8 Following the way of your judgments, we put our hope in you. The desire of all our soul is to remember you and your name.
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We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.
9 My soul desires you at night, my spirit in me seeks you at dawn; for when your judgments are here on earth, the people in the world learn what righteousness is.
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In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.
10 Even if pity is shown to the wicked, he still doesn't learn what righteousness is. In a land of uprightness he will still act wrongly and fail to see the majesty of ADONAI.
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Even if you are kind to the evil-doer, he will not go after righteousness; even in the land of the upright he will still go on in his wrongdoing, and will not see the glory of the Lord.
11 ADONAI, you raised your hand, but they still didn't see. Yet with shame they will see your zeal for the people. Yes, fire will destroy your enemies.
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Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see: let them see ... yes, your haters will be burned up in the fire.
12 ADONAI, you will grant us peace; because all we have done, you have done for us.
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Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
13 ADONAI our God, other lords besides you have ruled us, but only you do we invoke by name.
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O Lord, our God, other lords than you have had rule over us; but in you only is our salvation, and no other name will we take on our lips.
14 The dead will not live again, the ghosts will not rise again; for you punished and destroyed them, wiped out all memory of them.
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The dead will not come back to life: their spirits will not come back to earth; for this cause you have sent destruction on them, so that the memory of them is dead.
15 You enlarged the nation, ADONAI, you enlarged the nation; and thus you glorified yourself; you extended all the frontiers of the country.
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You have made the nation great, O Lord, you have made it great; glory is yours: you have made wide the limits of the land.
16 ADONAI, when they were troubled, they sought you. When you chastened them, they poured out a silent prayer.
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Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth cries out and writhes in her labor pains, so we have been at your presence, ADONAI
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As a woman with child, whose time is near, is troubled, crying out in her pain; so have we been before you, O Lord.
18 we have been pregnant and been in pain. But we, as it were, have given birth to wind; we have not brought salvation to the land, and those inhabiting the world have not come to life.
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We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have given birth to wind; no salvation has come to the earth through us, and no children have come into the world.
19 Your dead will live, my corpses will rise; awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the morning dew, and the earth will bring the ghosts to life.
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Your dead will come back; their dead bodies will come to life again. Those in the dust, awaking from their sleep, will send out a song; for your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the shades.
20 Come, my people, enter your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while until the wrath is past.
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Come, my people, into your secret places, and let your doors be shut: keep yourself safe for a short time, till his wrath is over.
21 For see! ADONAI emerges from his place to punish those on earth for their sin. Then the earth will reveal the blood shed on it and no longer conceal its slain.
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For the Lord is coming out of his place to send punishment on the people of the earth for their evil-doing: the earth will let the blood drained out on her be seen, and will keep her dead covered no longer.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.