The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 <To the chief music-maker, on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David.> Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request.
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Hear my prayer, O God; don't turn away from my plea!
2 Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;
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Listen to me and answer me; I am worn out by my worries.
3 I am troubled because of the voice of the cruel ones, because of the loud cry of the evil-doers; for they put a weight of evil on me, and they are cruel in their hate for me.
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I am terrified by the threats of my enemies, crushed by the oppression of the wicked. They bring trouble on me; they are angry with me and hate me.
4 My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.
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I am terrified, and the terrors of death crush me.
5 Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
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I am gripped by fear and trembling; I am overcome with horror.
6 And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.
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I wish I had wings like a dove. I would fly away and find rest.
7 I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.)
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I would fly far away and make my home in the desert.
8 I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.
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I would hurry and find myself a shelter from the raging wind and the storm.
9 Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town.
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Confuse the speech of my enemies, O Lord! I see violence and riots in the city,
10 By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.
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surrounding it day and night, filling it with crime and trouble.
11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.
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There is destruction everywhere; the streets are full of oppression and fraud.
12 For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place;
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If it were an enemy making fun of me, I could endure it; if it were an opponent boasting over me, I could hide myself from him.
13 But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.
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But it is you, my companion, my colleague and close friend.
14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.
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We had intimate talks with each other and worshiped together in the Temple.
15 Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts.
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May my enemies die before their time; may they go down alive into the world of the dead! Evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.
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But I call to the Lord God for help, and he will save me.
17 In the evening and in the morning and in the middle of the day I will make my prayer with sounds of grief; and my voice will come to his ears.
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Morning, noon, and night my complaints and groans go up to him, and he will hear my voice.
18 He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.
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He will bring me safely back from the battles that I fight against so many enemies.
19 God will give thought to me; he who from early times is strong will send pain and trouble on them. (Selah.) Because they are unchanged, they have no fear of God.
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God, who has ruled from eternity, will hear me and defeat them; for they refuse to change, and they do not fear him.
20 He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.
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My former companion attacked his friends; he broke his promises.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.
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His words were smoother than cream, but there was hatred in his heart; his words were as soothing as oil, but they cut like sharp swords.
22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
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Leave your troubles with the Lord, and he will defend you; he never lets honest people be defeated.
23 But you, O God, will send them down into the underworld; the cruel and the false will be cut off before half their days are ended; but I will have faith in you.
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But you, O God, will bring those murderers and liars to their graves before half their life is over. As for me, I will trust in you.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.