New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 I love you, O Lord, 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 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, 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 upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be 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 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me;
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The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted 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 upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him 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 reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, 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 went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed 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 bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was 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 cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon 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 covering around him, 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 Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
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Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice.
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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 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, 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 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of 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 reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters.
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He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
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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 confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord 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 into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted 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 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
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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 the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from 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 ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away 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 blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
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And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
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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 loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
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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 show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
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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 For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
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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 It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, 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 By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over 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 This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for 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 except the Lord? And who is a rock besides our God?—
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For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe.
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God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights.
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He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 He trains my hands for war, so that 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 have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand has supported me; your help has made 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 gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
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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; and did not turn back until they were consumed.
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I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise; they fell 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 girded me with strength for the battle; you made my assailants sink under 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 to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
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By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
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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 beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of 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 delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served 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 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came 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 lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
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They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and 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 gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
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It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
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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 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and 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 triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love 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.
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.