The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Give thanks to ADONAI; for he is good, for his grace continues forever.
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O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
2 Let those redeemed by ADONAI say it, those he redeemed from the power of the foe.
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Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters;
3 He gathered them from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.
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Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 They wandered in the desert, on paths through the wastes, without finding any inhabited city.
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They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place.
5 They were hungry and thirsty, their life was ebbing away.
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Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink.
6 In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.
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Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles;
7 He led them by a direct path to a city where they could live.
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Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place.
8 Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!
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Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!
9 For he has satisfied the hungry, filled the starving with good.
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He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things.
10 Some lived in darkness, in death-dark gloom, bound in misery and iron chains,
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Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron;
11 because they defied God's word, scorned the counsel of the Most High.
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Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High:
12 So he humbled their hearts by hard labor; when they stumbled, no one came to their aid.
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So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper.
13 In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.
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Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles.
14 He led them from darkness, from death-dark gloom, shattering their chains.
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He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken.
15 Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!
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Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!
16 For he shattered bronze doors and cut through iron bars.
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The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two.
17 There were foolish people who suffered affliction because of their crimes and sins;
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Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled;
18 they couldn't stand to eat anything; they were near the gates of death.
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They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death.
19 In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress;
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Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.
20 he sent his word and healed them, he delivered them from destruction.
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He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld.
21 Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!
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Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and proclaim his great deeds with songs of joy.
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Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy.
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, plying their trade on the great ocean,
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Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters;
24 saw the works of ADONAI, his wonders in the deep.
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They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For at his word the storm-wind arose, lifting up towering waves.
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For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves.
26 The sailors were raised up to the sky, then plunged into the depths. At the danger, their courage failed them,
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The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble.
27 they reeled and staggered like drunk men, and all their skill was swallowed up.
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They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing.
28 In their trouble they cried to ADONAI, and he rescued them from their distress.
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Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles.
29 He silenced the storm and stilled its waves,
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He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace.
30 and they rejoiced as the sea grew calm. Then he brought them safely to their desired port.
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Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire.
31 Let them give thanks to ADONAI for his grace, for his wonders bestowed on humanity!
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Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men!
32 Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the leaders' council.
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Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs.
33 He turns rivers into desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
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He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land;
34 productive land into salt flats, because the people living there are so wicked.
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He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.
35 But he also turns desert into pools of water, dry land into flowing springs;
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He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs.
36 there he gives the hungry a home, and they build a city to live in;
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And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town;
37 there they sow fields and plant vineyards, which yield an abundant harvest.
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And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit.
38 He blesses them, their numbers grow, and he doesn't let their livestock decrease.
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He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less.
39 When their numbers fall, and they grow weak, because of oppression, disaster and sorrow,
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And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and leaves them to wander in trackless wastes.
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He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way.
41 But the needy he raises up from their distress and increases their families like sheep.
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But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock.
42 When the upright see this, they rejoice; while the wicked are reduced to silence.
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The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped.
43 Let whoever is wise observe these things and consider ADONAI's loving deeds.
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Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord.
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.