The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?
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Call now, if there be any that will answer thee, and to which of the kadoshim (holy ones) wilt thou turn?
2 For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.
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For ka’as (anger) killeth the foolish man, and kinah (envy) slayeth the simple one.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house.
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I have seen the fool taking shoresh (root), but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.
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His banim are far from yesha (safety, salvation), and they are crushed in the sha’ar (gate, before the public), neither is there any to deliver them.
5 Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.
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Whose katzir (harvest) the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even from among of the tzinnim (thorns), and the intriguer pants after their wealth.
6 For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth;
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Although affliction springeth not forth of the aphar (dust), neither doth amal (trouble, tzoros) sprout out of the adamah;
7 But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.
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Yet adam is born unto amal (trouble, tzoros), even as sparks fly upward.
8 But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:
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I would seek El (G-d), and before Elohim would I lay my cause;
9 Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number:
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Who doeth gedolot unsearchable, marvellous things without mispar;
10 Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:
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Who giveth matar upon eretz, and sendeth mayim upon the fields;
11 Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;
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To set up on high those that be the shefalim (the lowly ones); that those which mourn may be exalted to safety,
12 Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.
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Thwarting the machshevot of the arumim (crafty ones), so that their hands cannot accomplish tushiyyah (success).
13 He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
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He taketh the chachamim in their own arum (craftiness), and the etzah of the wily is swiftly swept away.
14 In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.
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They meet with choshech in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the lailah,
15 But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong.
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But He saveth the needy from the cherev of their mouth, and from the yad chazak.
16 So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.
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So the poor hath tikveh, and olatah (perversity, wickedness) stoppeth her mouth.
17 Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.
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Hinei, ashrei is the enosh whom Eloah correcteth; therefore despise not thou the musar (chastening) of Shaddai;
18 For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.
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For He woundeth, and bindeth up; He injureth, and His yadayim (hands) heal.
19 He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.
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He shall deliver thee in shesh tzoros; yea, in shivah there shall no rah touch thee.
20 When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
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In ra’av (famine) He shall redeem thee from mavet; and in milchamah from the power of the cherev.
21 He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.
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Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the leshon, neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.
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At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh; neither shalt thou be afraid of the chayyat ha’aretz.
23 For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
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For thou shalt be in league with the avanim of the sadeh, and the chayyat sadeh shall be hashelemah (at peace) with thee.
24 And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.
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And thou shalt know that shalom shall be thy ohel; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and find nothing wanting.
25 You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.
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Thou shalt know also that thy zera shall be rav, and thine offspring as the esev ha’aretz.
26 You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time.
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Thou shalt come to thy kever in a ripe age, like a shock of grain cometh in its season.
27 See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.
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Hinei zot, this we have searched out, so it is; hear it, and apply thou it for thy good.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.