Common English Bible CEB
New Revised Standard NRS
1 Listen, my people, to my teaching; tilt your ears toward the words of my mouth.
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Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a proverb. I'll declare riddles from days long gone—
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I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 ones that we've heard and learned about, ones that our ancestors told us.
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things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We won't hide them from their descendants; we'll tell the next generation all about the praise due the LORD and his strength— the wondrous works God has done.
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We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a law for Jacob and set up Instruction for Israel, ordering our ancestors to teach them to their children.
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He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 This is so that the next generation and children not yet born will know these things, and so they can rise up and tell their children
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that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 to put their hope in God— never forgetting God's deeds, but keeping God's commandments—
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so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and so that they won't become like their ancestors: a rebellious, stubborn generation, a generation whose heart wasn't set firm and whose spirit wasn't faithful to God.
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and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, retreated on the day of battle.
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The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They didn't keep God's covenant; they refused to walk in his Instruction.
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They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot God's deeds as well as the wondrous works he showed them.
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They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
12 But God performed wonders in their ancestors' presence— in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
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In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 God split the sea and led them through, making the waters stand up like a wall.
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He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 God led them with the cloud by day; by the lightning all through the night.
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In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
15 God split rocks open in the wilderness, gave them plenty to drink— as if from the deep itself!
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He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 God made streams flow from the rock, made water run like rivers.
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He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against God, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
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Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their hearts, demanded food for their stomachs.
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They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God! "Can God set a dinner table in the wilderness?" they asked.
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They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 "True, God struck the rock and water gushed and streams flowed, but can he give bread too? Can he provide meat for his people?"
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Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people?"
21 When the LORD heard this, he became furious. A fire was ignited against Jacob; wrath also burned against Israel
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Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of rage; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel,
22 because they had no faith in God, because they didn't trust his saving power.
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because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power.
23 God gave orders to the skies above, opened heaven's doors,
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Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;
24 and rained manna on them so they could eat. He gave them the very grain of heaven!
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he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Each person ate the bread of the powerful ones; God sent provisions to satisfy them.
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Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.
26 God set the east wind moving across the skies and drove the south wind by his strength.
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He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 He rained meat on them as if it were dust in the air; he rained as many birds as the sand on the seashore!
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he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 God brought the birds down in the center of their camp, all around their dwellings.
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he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were completely satisfied; God gave them exactly what they had craved.
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And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
30 But they didn't stop craving— even with the food still in their mouths!
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But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
31 So God's anger came up against them: he killed the most hearty of them; he cut down Israel's youth in their prime.
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the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.
32 But in spite of all that, they kept sinning and had no faith in God's wondrous works.
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In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders.
33 So God brought their days to an end, like a puff of air, and their years in total ruin.
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So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
34 But whenever God killed them, they went after him! They would turn and earnestly search for God.
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When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They would remember that God was their rock, that the Most High was their redeemer.
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They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they were just flattering him with lip service. They were lying to him with their tongues.
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But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their hearts weren't firmly set on him; they weren't faithful to his covenant.
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Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant.
38 But God, being compassionate, kept forgiving their sins, kept avoiding destruction; he took back his anger so many times, wouldn't stir up all his wrath!
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Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 God kept remembering that they were just flesh, just breath that passes and doesn't come back.
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He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.
40 How often they rebelled against God in the wilderness and distressed him in the desert!
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How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
41 Time and time again they tested God, provoking the holy one of Israel.
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They tested God again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They didn't remember God's power— the day when he saved them from the enemy;
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They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 how God performed his signs in Egypt, his marvelous works in the field of Zoan.
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when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44 God turned their rivers into blood; they couldn't drink from their own streams.
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He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 God sent swarms against them to eat them up, frogs to destroy them.
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He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 God handed over their crops to caterpillars, their land's produce to locusts.
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He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 God killed their vines with hail, their sycamore trees with frost.
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He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 God delivered their cattle over to disease, their herds to plagues.
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He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 God unleashed his burning anger against them— fury, indignation, distress, a troop of evil messengers.
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He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
50 God blazed a path for his wrath. He didn't save them from death, but delivered their lives over to disease.
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He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 God struck down all of Egypt's oldest males; in Ham's tents, he struck their pride and joy.
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He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 God led his own people out like sheep, guiding them like a flock in the wilderness.
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Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 God led them in safety—they were not afraid! But the sea engulfed their enemies!
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He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 God brought them to his holy territory, to the mountain that his own strong hand had acquired.
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And he brought them to his holy hill, to the mountain that his right hand had won.
55 God drove out the nations before them and apportioned property for them; he settled Israel's tribes in their tents.
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He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 But they tested and defied the Most High God; they didn't pay attention to his warnings.
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Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees,
57 They turned away, became faithless just like their ancestors; they twisted away like a defective bow.
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but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
58 They angered God with their many shrines; they angered him with their idols.
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For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
59 God heard and became enraged; he rejected Israel utterly.
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When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 God abandoned the sanctuary at Shiloh, the tent where he had lived with humans.
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He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals,
61 God let his power be held captive, let his glory go to the enemy's hand.
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and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.
62 God delivered his people up to the sword; he was enraged at his own possession.
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He gave his people to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 Fire devoured his young men, and his young women had no wedding songs.
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Fire devoured their young men, and their girls had no marriage song.
64 God's priests were killed by the sword, and his widows couldn't even cry.
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Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
65 But then my Lord woke up— as if he'd been sleeping! Like a warrior shaking off wine,
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Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine.
66 God beat back his foes; he made them an everlasting disgrace.
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He put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting disgrace.
67 God rejected the tent of Joseph and didn't choose the tribe of Ephraim.
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He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah, the mountain of Zion, which he loves.
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but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 God built his sanctuary like the highest heaven and like the earth, which he established forever.
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He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 And God chose David, his servant, taking him from the sheepfolds.
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He chose his servant David, and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 God brought him from shepherding nursing ewes to shepherd his people Jacob, to shepherd his inheritance, Israel.
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from tending the nursing ewes he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance.
72 David shepherded them with a heart of integrity; he led them with the skill of his hands.
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With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
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.