The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 For the leader. By David the servant of ADONAI, who addressed the words of this song to ADONAI on the day when ADONAI delivered him from the power of all his enemies, including from the power of Sha'ul. He said: "I love you, ADONAI, my strength!
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<To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said,> I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.
2 "ADONAI is my Rock, my fortress and deliverer, my God, my Rock, in whom I find shelter, my shield, the power that saves me, my stronghold.
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The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I call on ADONAI, who is worthy of praise; and I am saved from my enemies.
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I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
4 "For the cords of death surrounded me, the floods of B'liya'al terrified me,
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The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
5 the ropes of Sh'ol were wrapped around me, the snares of death lay there before me.
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The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.
6 In my distress I called to ADONAI; I cried out to my God. Out of his temple he heard my voice; my cry reached his ears.
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In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.
7 "Then the earth quaked and shook, the foundations of the mountains trembled. They were shaken because he was angry.
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Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 Smoke arose in his nostrils; out of his mouth came devouring fire; sparks blazed forth from him.
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There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 He lowered heaven and came down with thick darkness under his feet.
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The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 He rode on a keruv; he flew, swooping down on the wings of the wind.
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And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding-place, his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
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He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before him, there broke through his thick clouds hailstones and fiery coals.
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Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 "ADONAI also thundered in heaven, Ha'Elyon sounded his voice -hailstones and fiery coals.
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The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 He sent out arrows and scattered them, shot out lightning and routed them.
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He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 The channels of water appeared, the foundations of the world were exposed at your rebuke, ADONAI, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
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Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
16 "He sent from on high, he took me and pulled me out of deep water;
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He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 he rescued me from my powerful enemy, from those who hated me, for they were stronger than I.
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He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They came against me on my day of disaster, but ADONAI was my support.
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They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out to an open place; he rescued me, because he took pleasure in me.
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He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 ADONAI rewarded me for my uprightness, he repaid me because my hands were clean.
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The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
21 "For I have kept the ways of ADONAI, I have not done evil by leaving my God;
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For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 for all his rulings were before me, I did not distance his regulations from me.
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For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 I was pure-hearted with him and kept myself from my sin.
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And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 "Hence ADONAI repaid me for my uprightness, according to the purity of my hands in his view.
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Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 With the merciful, you are merciful; with a man who is sincere, you are sincere;
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On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 with the pure, you are pure; but with the crooked you are cunning.
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He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
27 People afflicted, you save; but haughty eyes, you humble.
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For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 "For you, ADONAI, light my lamp; ADONAI, my God, lights up my darkness.
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You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 With you I can run through a whole troop of men, with my God I can leap a wall.
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By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
30 "As for God, his way is perfect, the word of ADONAI has been tested by fire; he shields all who take refuge in him.
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As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
31 "For who is God but ADONAI? Who is a Rock but our God?
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For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 "It is God who girds me with strength; he makes my way go straight.
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God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 He makes me swift, sure-footed as a deer, and enables me to stand on my high places.
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He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 He trains my hands for war until my arms can bend a bow of bronze;
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He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 "You give me your shield, which is salvation, your right hand holds me up, your humility makes me great.
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You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 You lengthen the steps I can take, yet my ankles do not turn.
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You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 "I pursued my enemies and overtook them, without turning back until they were destroyed.
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I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I crushed them, so that they can't get up; they have fallen under my feet.
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I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 "For you braced me with strength for the battle and bent down my adversaries beneath me.
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For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed those who hated me.
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By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 "They cried out, but there was no one to help, even to ADONAI, but he didn't answer.
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They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 I pulverized them like dust in the wind, threw them out like mud in the streets.
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Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
43 "You also freed me from the quarrels of my people. You made me head of the nations; a people I did not know now serve me
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You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
44 the moment they hear of me, they obey me, foreigners come cringing to me.
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From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
45 Foreigners lose heart as they come trembling from their fortresses.
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They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 "ADONAI is alive! Blessed is my Rock! Exalted be the God of my salvation,
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The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 the God who avenges me and subdues peoples under me.
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It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 He delivers me from my enemies. You lift me high above my enemies, you rescue me from violent men.
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He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
49 "So I give thanks to you, ADONAI, among the nations; I sing praises to your name.
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Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
50 Great salvation he gives to his king; he displays grace to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever."
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Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
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.