New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
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O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
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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 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
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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 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
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They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place.
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
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Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered 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 straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
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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 thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
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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 satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
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He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
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Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron;
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned 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 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
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So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved 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 brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
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He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
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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 shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
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The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
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Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
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They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved 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 out his word and healed them, and 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 thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
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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 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his 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 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
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Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.
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They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
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For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
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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 drunkards, and were at their wits' end.
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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 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out 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 made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
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He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
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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 thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
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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 congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
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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 a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
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He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land;
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
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He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
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He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town 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 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
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And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle 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 they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, 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 makes them 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 he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
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But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
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The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
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Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord.
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.