New Revised Standard NRS
Common English Bible CEB
1 O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
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LORD, avenging God— avenging God, show yourself!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
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Rise up, judge of the earth! Pay back the arrogant exactly what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
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How long will the wicked—oh, LORD!— how long will the wicked win?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
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They spew arrogant words; all the evildoers are bragging.
5 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
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They crush your own people, LORD! They abuse your very own possession.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
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They kill widows and immigrants; they murder orphans,
7 and they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."
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saying all the while, "The LORD can't see it; Jacob's God doesn't know what's going on!"
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
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You ignorant people better learn quickly. You fools—when will you get some sense?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
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The one who made the ear, can't he hear? The one who formed the eye, can't he see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
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The one who disciplines nations, can't he punish? The one who teaches humans, doesn't he know?
11 The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
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The LORD does indeed know human thoughts, knows that they are nothing but a puff of air.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,
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The people you discipline, LORD, are truly happy— the ones you teach from your Instruction—
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
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giving them relief from troubling times until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
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The LORD will not reject his people; he will not abandon his very own possession.
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
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No, but justice will once again meet up with righteousness, and all whose heart is right will follow after.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
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Who will stand up for me against the wicked? Who will help me against evildoers?
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 hadn't helped me, I would live instantly in total silence.
18 When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
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Whenever I feel my foot slipping, your faithful love steadies me, LORD.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
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When my anxieties multiply, your comforting calms me down.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
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Can a wicked ruler be your ally; one who wreaks havoc by means of the law?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
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The wicked gang up against the lives of the righteous. They condemn innocent blood.
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 fortress; my God is my rock of refuge.
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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He will repay them for their wickedness, completely destroy them because of their evil. Yes, the LORD our God will completely destroy 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.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible