The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 Sorrow is mine! for I am as when they have got in the summer fruits, like the last of the grapes: there is nothing for food, not even an early fig for my desire.
1
Woe is me! For I am become like a gathering of kayitz (summer fruit), like a gleaning of the vintage; there is no grape cluster to eat, none of the early figs my nefesh desired.
2 The good man is gone from the earth, there is no one upright among men: they are all waiting secretly for blood, every man is going after his brother with a net.
2
The chasid has disappeared from ha’aretz; and there is none yashar (upright, straight) among men; they all lie in wait for dahm; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
3 Their hands are made ready to do evil; the ruler makes requests for money, and the judge is looking for a reward; and the great man gives decisions at his pleasure, and the right is twisted.
3
That they may do evil with both hands skillfully, the sar and the shofet asketh for a bribe; and hagadol uttereth the evil of his nefesh (soul); so they weave it.
4 The best of them is like a waste plant, and their upright ones are like a wall of thorns. Sorrow! the day of their fate has come; now will trouble come on them.
4
The best of them is like a brier; the yashar ([most] upright) is sharper than a thorn hedge; the yom of thy watchmen and thy pekuddah (visitation) cometh; now shall their confusion follow.
5 Put no faith in a friend, do not let your hope be placed in a relation: keep watch on the doors of your mouth against her who is resting on your breast.
5
Trust ye not in a re’a, put ye not confidence in an alluf (confidant); keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy kheyk (bosom).
6 For the son puts shame on his father, the daughter goes against her mother and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's haters are those of his family.
6
For the ben dishonoureth the av, the bat riseth up against her em, the kallah against her chamot; a man’s enemies are the men of his own bais.
7 But as for me, I am looking to the Lord; I am waiting for the God of my salvation: the ears of my God will be open to me.
7
Therefore I will look [in hope] for Hashem; I will wait for Elohei Yishi (the G-d of my Salvation); Elohai (my G-d) will hear me.
8 Do not be glad because of my sorrow, O my hater: after my fall I will be lifted up; when I am seated in the dark, the Lord will be a light to me.
8
Don’t joyously gloat over me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in choshech, Hashem shall be ohr unto me.
9 I will undergo the wrath of the Lord, because of my sin against him; till he takes up my cause and does what is right for me: when he makes me come out into the light, I will see his righteousness;
9
I will bear the wrath of Hashem, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my case, and execute mishpat for me; He will bring me forth into the ohr, and I shall behold His tzedakah.
10 And my hater will see it and be covered with shame; she who said to me, Where is the Lord your God? my eyes will see their desire effected on her, now she will be crushed under foot like the dust of the streets.
10
Then mine enemy shall see it, and bushah (shame) shall cover her which said unto me, Where is Hashem thy G-d? Mine eyes shall behold her; now shall she be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
11 A day for building your walls! in that day will your limits be stretched far and wide.
11
In the yom that thy fences are to be built, in Yom HaHu (that Day) shall the chok (prescribed limit, boundary) be far away.
12 In that day they will come to you from Assyria and the towns of Egypt, and from Egypt even to the River, and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
12
In that yom also it shall come into your possession from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates, from yam to yam, and from har to har.
13 But the land will become a waste because of its people, as the fruit of their works.
13
Notwithstanding ha’aretz shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
14 Keep your people safe with your rod, the flock of your heritage, living by themselves in the woods in the middle of Carmel: let them get their food in Bashan and Gilead as in the past.
14
Tend as a shepherd Thy people with Thy staff, the tzon of Thine nachalah, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel; let them feed in Bashan and Gil‘ad, as in days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, let us see things of wonder.
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According to the days of thy coming out of Eretz Mitzrayim will I show unto it marvellous things.
16 The nations will see and be shamed because of all their strength; they will put their hands on their mouths, their ears will be stopped.
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The Goyim shall see and be ashamed at all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
17 They will take dust as their food like a snake, like the things which go flat on the earth; they will come shaking with fear out of their secret places: they will come with fear to the Lord our God, full of fear because of you.
17
They shall lick the aphar (dust) like the nachash, like crawlers that crawl on eretz (ground) they will come trembling out of their dens; they shall be afraid of Hashem Eloheinu, and shall turn in fear because of Thee.
18 Who is a God like you, offering forgiveness for evil-doing and overlooking the sins of the rest of his heritage? he does not keep his wrath for ever, because his delight is in mercy.
18
Mee El kamocha (Who is a G-d like unto Thee), removing avon, and passing over peysha of the She’erit of His Nechalah? Hashem retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in chesed.
19 He will again have pity on us; he will put our sins under his feet: and you will send all our sins down into the heart of the sea.
19
He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue avonoteinu (our iniquities); and tashlich (thou wilt cast, throw) all their sins into the depths of the yam.
20 You will make clear your good faith to Jacob and your mercy to Abraham, as you gave your oath to our fathers from times long past.
20
Thou wilt give emes to Ya’akov, and chesed to Avraham, as Thou hast sworn unto avoteinu from days of long ago.
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.