New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; he sets up victory like walls and bulwarks.
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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, so that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
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Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace— in peace because they trust 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 the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.
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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 brought low the inhabitants of the height; the lofty city he lays low. He lays it low to the ground, casts it to 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 The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps 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; O Just One, you make smooth the path of 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 In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and your renown are the soul's desire.
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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 yearns for you in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
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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 If favor is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness they deal perversely and do not see the majesty of the Lord.
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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 O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them.
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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 O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for indeed, all that 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 O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but we acknowledge your name alone.
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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 do not live; shades do not rise— because you have punished and destroyed them, and 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 But you have increased the nation, O Lord, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
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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 O Lord, in distress they sought you, they poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.
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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 Like a woman with child, who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near her time, so were we because of you, O Lord;
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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 were with child, we writhed, but we gave birth only to wind. We have won no victories on earth, and no one is born to inhabit the world.
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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 shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead.
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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 chambers, 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 the Lord comes out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no longer cover 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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.