New International Version NIV
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;
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<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.
2 hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
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Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;
3 because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.
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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.
4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me.
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My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.
5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.
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Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
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And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert;
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I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”
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I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city.
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Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town.
10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.
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By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.
11 Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.
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Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide.
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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;
13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
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But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.
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We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them.
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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.
16 As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
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As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.
17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.
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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.
18 He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
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He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God.
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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.
20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.
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He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.
21 His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
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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.
22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
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Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
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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.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.