New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
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O God, in whose hands is punishment, O God of punishment, let your shining face be seen.
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
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Be lifted up, O judge of the earth; let their reward come to the men of pride.
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
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How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners have joy over us?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
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Words of pride come from their lips; all the workers of evil say great things of themselves.
5 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
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Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled,
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
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They put to death the widow and the guest, they take the lives of children who have no father;
7 and they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."
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And they say, Jah will not see it, the God of Jacob will not give thought to it.
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
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Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
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Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
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He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man?
11 The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
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The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
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Happy is the man who is guided by you, O Jah, and to whom you give teaching out of your law;
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
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So that you may give him rest from the days of evil, till a hole is made ready for the destruction of the sinners.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
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The Lord will not give up his people, or take away his support from his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
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But decisions will again be made in righteousness; and they will be kept by all whose hearts are true.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
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Who will give me help against the sinners? and who will be my support against the workers of evil?
17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
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If the Lord had not been my helper, my soul would quickly have gone down into death.
18 When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
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If I say, My foot is slipping; your mercy, O Lord, is my support.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
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Among all my troubled thoughts, your comforts are the delight of my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
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What part with you has the seat of sin, which makes evil into a law?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
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They are banded together against the soul of the upright, to give decisions against those who have done no wrong.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
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But the Lord is my safe resting-place; my God is the Rock where I am safe.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.
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And he has made their evil designs come back on themselves, cutting them off in their sin; the Lord our God will put an end to them.
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.