# verses

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Therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your children always.


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And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant,


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Shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would You not be angry with us till You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant nor any to escape? <f>ⓑ</f>


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O Lord, the God of Israel, You are rigidly just <i>and</i> righteous, for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none can stand before You because of this.


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Now while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there gathered to him out of Israel a very great assembly of men, women, and children; for the people wept bitterly.


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And Shecaniah [II] son of Jehiel [one of the congregation], of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra: We have broken faith <i>and</i> dealt treacherously against our God and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is still hope for Israel in spite of this thing.


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Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God; and let it be done according to the Law.


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Then Ezra arose and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.


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Then Ezra came from before the house of God and went into the lodging place of Jehohanan son of Eliashib [for the night]. There he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned over the returned exiles’ faithlessness [and violation of God’s law].


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And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles, that they should assemble in Jerusalem,


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And that whoever did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders, all his property should be forfeited and he himself banned from the assembly of the exiles.


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Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered at Jerusalem within three days. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month, and all the people sat in the open space before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.


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And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have acted wickedly <i>and</i> broken faith [with God] and have married foreign (heathen) women, increasing the guilt of Israel.


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So now make confession <i>and</i> give thanks to the Lord, the God of your fathers [for not consuming you], and do His will. <f>[1]</f>Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from [your] foreign (heathen) wives.


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But the people are many and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand outside. Nor can this work be done in a day or two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.


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Let our officials stand for the whole assembly; let all in our cities who have foreign wives come by appointment, and with each group the elders of that city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.


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Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.


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Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest and certain heads of fathers’ houses were selected, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them by name; and they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter.


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And by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of the cases of the men married to foreign wives.


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Of the sons of the priests who had married non-Jewish women were found: of the sons of Jeshua [the high priest] son of Jozadak, and his brethren: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.


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They solemnly vowed to put away their [heathen] wives, and, being guilty, [each] offered a ram of the flock for [his] guilt.


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And of Israel: of the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah (Hashabiah), and Benaiah.


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Of the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.


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The words <i>or</i> story of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: Now in the month of Chislev in the twentieth year [of the Persian king], as I was in the castle of Shushan,


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Hanani, one of my kinsmen, came with certain men from Judah, and I asked them about the surviving Jews who had escaped exile, and about Jerusalem.


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And they said to me, The remnant there in the province who escaped exile are in great trouble and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its [fortified] gates are destroyed by fire.


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When I heard this, I sat down and wept and mourned for days and fasted and prayed [constantly] before the God of heaven,


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And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, Who keeps covenant, loving-kindness, <i>and</i> mercy for those who love Him and keep His commandments,


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Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to listen to the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You day and night for the Israelites, Your servants, confessing the sins of the Israelites which we have sinned against You. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.


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We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Remember [earnestly] what You commanded Your servant Moses: If you transgress <i>and</i> are unfaithful, I will scatter you abroad among the nations; <f>ⓑ</f>


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But if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the farthest part of the heavens [the expanse of outer space], yet will I gather them from there and will bring them to the place in which I have chosen to set My <f>[1]</f>Name. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.


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O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere <i>and</i> fear Your name (Your nature and attributes); and prosper, I pray You, Your servant this day and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was cupbearer to the king.


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In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.


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So the king said to me, Why do you look sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart. Then I was very much afraid


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And said to the king, Let the king live forever! Why should I not be sad faced when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchers, lies waste, and its [fortified] gates are consumed by fire?


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And I said to [him], If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you will send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ sepulchers, that I may rebuild it.


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The king, beside whom the queen was sitting, asked me, How long will your journey take, and when will you return? So it pleased [him] to send me; and I set him a time.


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Also I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me for the governors beyond the [Euphrates] River, that they may let me pass through to Judah,


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And a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest <i>or</i> park, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple and for the city wall and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.


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Then I came to the governors beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.


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When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard this, it distressed them exceedingly that a man had come to inquire for <i>and</i> require the good <i>and</i> prosperity of the Israelites.


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Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. No beast was with me except the one I rode.


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I went out by night by the Valley Gate toward the Dragon’s Well and to the Dung Gate and inspected the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.


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I passed over to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.


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So [gradually] I went up by the brook [Kidron] in the night and inspected the wall; then I turned back and entered [the city] by the Valley Gate, and so returned.


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And the magistrates knew not where I went or what I did; nor had I yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the rest who did the work.


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Then I said to them, You see the bad situation we are in — how Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a disgrace.


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Then I told them of the hand of my God which was upon me for good, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build! So they strengthened their hands for the good work.


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But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?


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I answered them, The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.


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Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set up its doors; they consecrated it even to the Tower of Hammeah <i>or</i> the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.


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And the Fish Gate the sons of Hassenaah built; they laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.


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And next to them Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired. Next to them Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, repaired. Next to them Zadok son of Baana repaired.


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Next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles <i>or</i> lords did not put their necks to the work of their Lord.


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Moreover, the Old Gate Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired. They laid its beams and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars.


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Next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, [up] to the seat or residence of the governor [west of] the River [Euphrates, there in Jerusalem].


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Next to them repaired Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths. Next to him repaired Hananiah, one of the perfumers, and they abandoned [fortification of] Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall [omitting that part of the ancient city and reducing the area].


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Next to them repaired Jedaiah son of Harumaph, opposite his own house. And next to him repaired Hattush son of Hashabneiah.


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Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired another portion and the Tower of the Furnaces.


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Next to [them] repaired Shallum son of Hallohesh, the ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.


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The Valley Gate [the main entrance in the west wall, the Jaffa Gate] was repaired by Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah. They built it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.


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The Dung Gate was repaired by Malchijah son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.


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The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt and covered it and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah (Siloam), by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down [the eastern slope] from the [portion of Jerusalem known as] the City of David.


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After him Nehemiah [III] son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired [the wall] to a point opposite the sepulchers of David, and to the artificial pool and the house of the guards.


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After him the Levites: Rehum son of Bani. Next to him repaired Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah.


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After him repaired their brethren under Bavvai son of Henadad, ruler of [the other] half of the district of Keilah.


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Next to him repaired Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, another district over opposite the ascent to the armory at the angle [in the wall].


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After him Baruch son of Zabbai (Zaccai) earnestly repaired another portion [toward the hill] from the angular turning of the wall to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.


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After him Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired from the door of Eliashib’s house to the end of his house.


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After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them repaired Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah beside his own house.


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After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section [of the wall], from the house of Azariah to the angular turn of the wall and to the corner.


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Palal son of Uzai repaired opposite the angular turn of the wall and the tower which stands out from the upper house of the king by the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah son of Parosh


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And the servants of the priests dwelling on Ophel [the hill south of the temple] repaired to opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower.


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After them the Tekoites repaired another portion opposite the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.


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After them repaired Zadok son of Immer opposite his house. Then Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate, repaired.


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After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber.


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After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the ascent <i>and</i> upper room of the corner.


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And from the ascent <i>and</i> upper room of the corner to the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants repaired.


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But when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and in a great rage, and he ridiculed the Jews.


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And he said before his brethren and the army of Samaria, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things [at will and by themselves]? Will they [try to bribe their God] with sacrifices? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned?


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Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him, and he said, What they build — if a fox climbs upon it, he will break down their stone wall.


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[And Nehemiah prayed] Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn their taunts upon their own heads, and give them for a prey in a land of their captivity.


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Cover not their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have vexed [with alarm] the builders <i>and</i> provoked You.


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So we built the wall, and all [of it] was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart <i>and</i> mind to work.


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But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were going up and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry.


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And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, to injure <i>and</i> cause confusion <i>and</i> failure in it.


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And [the leaders of] Judah said, The strength of the burden bearers is weakening, and there is much rubbish; we are not able to work on the wall.


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And our enemies said, They will not know or see till we come into their midst and kill them and stop the work.


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And when the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, You must return [to guard our little villages]; from all places where they dwell they will be upon us.


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So I set [armed men] behind the wall in places where it was least protected; I even thus used the people as families with their swords, spears, and bows.


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I looked [them over] and rose up and said to the nobles and officials and the other people, Do not be afraid of the enemy; [earnestly] remember the Lord <i>and</i> imprint Him [on your minds], great and terrible, and [take from Him courage to] fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.


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And when our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated their purpose, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work.


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And from that time forth, half of my servants worked at the task, and the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail; and the leaders stood behind all the house of Judah.


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Those who built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other hand,


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And every builder had his sword girded by his side, and so worked. And he who sounded the trumpet was at my side.


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And I said to the nobles and officials and the rest of the people, The work is great and scattered, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another.


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At that time also I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that at night they may be a guard to us and a laborer during the day.


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So none of us — I, my kinsmen, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me — took off our clothes; each kept his weapon [in his hand for days].


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Now there arose a great cry of the [poor] people and of their wives [driven to borrowing] against their Jewish brethren [the few who could afford to lend].


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For some said, We, our sons and daughters, are many; therefore allow us to take grain, that we may eat and live! If we are not given grain, let us take it!


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Also some said, We are mortgaging our lands, vineyards, and houses to buy grain because of the scarcity.


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Others said, We have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards to pay the [Persian] king’s heavy tax.


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Although our flesh is the same as that of our brethren and our children are as theirs, yet we are forced to sell our children as slaves; some of our daughters have already been thus sold, and we are powerless to redeem them, for others have our lands and vineyards.


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I thought it over and then rebuked the nobles and officials. I told them, You are exacting interest from your own kinsmen. And I held a great assembly against them.


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I said to them, We, according to our ability, have bought back our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations; but will you even sell your brethren, that they may be sold to us? Then they were silent and found not a word to say.


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Also I said, What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts <i>and</i> reproach of the nations, our enemies?


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I, my brethren, and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us stop this forbidden interest! <f>ⓐ</f>


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Return this very day to them their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, and also a hundredth of all the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have exacted from them.


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Then they said, We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say. Then I called the priests and took an oath of the lenders that they would do according to this promise.


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I shook out my lap and said, So may God shake out every man from his house and from [the exercise and fruits of] his labor who does not keep this promise! So may he be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.


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Also, in the twelve years after I was appointed to be their governor in Judah, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, neither I nor my kin ate the food allowed to [me] the governor.


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But the former governors lived at the expense of the people and took from them food and wine, besides forty shekels of silver [a large monthly official salary]; yes, even their servants assumed authority over the people. But I did not so because of my [reverent] fear of God.


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I also held fast to the work on this wall; and we bought no land. And all my servants were gathered there for the work.


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And there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations about us.


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Now these were prepared for each day: one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I did not demand [my rights] the food allowed me as governor, for the [tribute] bondage was heavy upon this people.


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Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates,


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Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they intended to do me harm.


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And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to you?


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In it was written: It is reported among the neighboring nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore you are building the wall, that you may be their king, according to the report.


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Also you have set up prophets to announce concerning you in Jerusalem, There is a king in Judah. And now this will be reported to the [Persian] king. So, come now and let us take counsel together.


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I replied to him, No such things as you say have been done; you are inventing them out of your own heart <i>and</i> mind.


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For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, Their hands will be so weak that the work will not be done. But now strengthen my hands!


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I went into the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut up. He said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you — at night they are coming to kill you.


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But I said, Should such a man as I flee? And what man such as I could go into the temple [where only the priests are allowed to go] and yet live? I will not go in.


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And behold, I saw that God had not sent him, but he made this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.


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He was hired that I should be made afraid and do as he said and sin, that they might have matter for an evil report with which to taunt <i>and</i> reproach me.


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My God, think on Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear.


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When all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us feared and fell far in their own esteem, for they saw that this work was done by our God.


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Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came to them.


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For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.


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Also they spoke of [Tobiah’s] good deeds before me and told him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.


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Now when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites had been appointed,


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I gave my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the ruler of the castle, charge over Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.


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I said to them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while the watchmen are still on guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from the people of Jerusalem, each to his watch [on the wall] and each opposite his own house.


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Now the city was wide and large, but the people in it were few, and their houses were not yet built.


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And my God put it into my mind <i>and</i> heart to assemble the nobles, the officers, and the people, that they might be counted by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] at the first, and found written in it:


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These are the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away; they returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his town,


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Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah [not the author], Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The men of Israel numbered:


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And these were they who went up also from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they [had no birth records and] could not prove their father’s house nor their descent, whether they were of Israel:


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Of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah, of Hakkoz, and of Barzillai, who [was so named because he] married one of the daughters of the [noted] Gileadite Barzillai and was called by their name.


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These sought their registration among those recorded in the genealogies, but it was not found; so they were excluded from the priesthood as [ceremonially] unclean.


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The governor told them that they should refrain from eating any of the most holy food until a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise [to determine the will of God in the matter].


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Besides their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were 7,337; and they had 245 singers, men and women.


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And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The Tirshatha <i>or</i> governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 530 priests’ garments.


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Some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the treasury for the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver.


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What the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.


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So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim [the temple servants], along with all Israel, dwelt in their towns, and were in them when the seventh month came.


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Then all the people gathered together as one man in the broad place before the Water Gate; and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.


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And Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first of the seventh month.


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He read from it, facing the broad place before the Water Gate, from early morning until noon, in the presence of the men and women and those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.


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Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.


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Ezra opened the book in sight of all the people, for he was standing above them; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.


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And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with faces to the ground.


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Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah — the Levites — helped the people to understand the Law, and the people [remained] in their place.


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So they read from the Book of the Law of God distinctly, faithfully amplifying <i>and</i> giving the sense so that [the people] understood the reading.


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And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of them, This day is holy to the Lord your God; mourn not nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.


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Then [Ezra] told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved <i>and</i> depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength <i>and</i> stronghold.


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So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy. And do not be grieved <i>and</i> sad.


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And all the people went their way to eat, drink, send portions, and make great rejoicing, for they had understood the words that were declared to them.


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On the second day, all the heads of fathers’ houses, with the priests and Levites, gathered to Ezra the scribe to study <i>and</i> understand the words of <f>[1]</f>divine instruction.


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And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month


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And that they should publish and proclaim in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written. <f>ⓐ</f>


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So the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each on the roof of his house and in their courts and the courts of God’s house and in the squares of the Water Gate and the Gate of Ephraim.


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All the assembly of returned exiles made booths and dwelt in them; for since the days of Jeshua (Joshua) son of Nun up to that day, the Israelites had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.


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Also day by day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast for seven days; the eighth day was a [closing] solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.


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Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the Israelites were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth and with earth upon their heads.


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And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.


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And they stood in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day, and for another fourth of it they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.


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On the stairs of the Levites stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord their God.


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Then the Levites — Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah — said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be Your glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise.


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[And Ezra said], You are the Lord, You alone; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve them all, and the hosts of heaven worship You.


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You are the Lord, the God Who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave him the name Abraham.


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You found his heart faithful before You, and You made the covenant with him to give his descendants the land of the Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Jebusite, and Girgashite. And You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are just <i>and</i> righteous.


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You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for You knew that they dealt insolently against the Israelites. And You got for Yourself a name, as it is today.


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You divided the sea before them, so that they went through its midst on dry land; their persecutors You threw into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.


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Moreover, by a pillar of cloud You led them by day, and by a pillar of fire by night to light the way they should go.


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You came down also upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from Heaven and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.


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And You made known to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments, statutes, and a law through Moses Your servant.


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You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst; and You told them to go in and possess the land You had sworn to give them. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments.


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They refused to obey, nor were they mindful of Your wonders <i>and</i> miracles which You did among them; but they stiffened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain, that they might return to their bondage [in Egypt]. But You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great steadfast love; and You did not forsake them.


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Even when they had made for themselves a molten calf and said, This is your god, who brought you out of Egypt, and had committed great <i>and</i> contemptible blasphemies,


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You in Your great mercy forsook them not in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night to light the way they should go.


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You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and withheld not Your manna from them, and gave water for their thirst.


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Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.


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Also You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they possessed the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.


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Their children You also multiplied as the stars of heaven and brought them into the land which You told their fathers they should go in and possess.


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So the descendants went in and possessed the land; and You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would.


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And they captured fortified cities and a rich land and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns hewn out, vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in Your great goodness.


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Yet they were disobedient and rebelled against You and cast Your law behind their back and killed Your prophets who accused <i>and</i> warned them to turn to You again; and they committed great <i>and</i> contemptible blasphemies.


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Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them. In the time of their suffering when they cried to You, You heard them from heaven, and according to Your abundant mercy You gave them deliverers, who saved them from their enemies.


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But after they had rest, they did evil again before You; therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to You, You heard them from heaven, and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,


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And reproved <i>and</i> warned them, that You might bring them again to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances, which by keeping, a man shall live. And they turned a stubborn shoulder, stiffened their neck, and would not listen.


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Yet You bore with them many years more and reproved <i>and</i> warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets; still they would not listen. Therefore You gave them into the power of the peoples of the lands.


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Yet in Your great mercies You did not utterly consume them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.


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Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and terrible God, Who keeps covenant and mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, let not all the trouble <i>and</i> hardship seem little to You — the hardship that has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and on all Your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.


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However, You are just in all that has come upon us; for You have dealt faithfully, but we have done wickedly;


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Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept Your law or hearkened to Your commandments and Your warnings <i>and</i> reproofs which You gave them.


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They did not serve You in their kingdom, and in Your great goodness that You gave them and in the large and rich land You set before them, nor did they turn from their wicked works.


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Behold, we are slaves this day, and as for the land that You gave to our fathers to eat the fruit and the good of it, behold, we are slaves in it.


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And its rich yield goes to the kings whom You have set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our livestock at their pleasure. And we are in great distress.


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Because of all this, we make a firm <i>and</i> sure written covenant, and our princes, Levites, and priests set their seal to it.


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And the rest of the people — the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Nethinim [temple servants], and all they who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who had knowledge and understanding —


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Join now, with their brethren, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law which was given to Moses the servant of God and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:


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And if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we shall not buy it on the Sabbath or on a holy day; and we shall forego raising crops the seventh year [letting the land lie fallow] and the compulsory payment of every debt. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Also we pledge ourselves to pay yearly a third of a shekel for the service expenses of the house of our God [which are]:


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For the showbread; for the continual cereal offerings and burnt offerings; [for the offerings on] the Sabbaths, the New Moons, the set feasts; for the holy things, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the work of the house of our God.


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We also cast lots — the priests, the Levites, and the people — for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at appointed times year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.


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And [we obligate ourselves] to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the first of all the fruit of all trees year by year to the house of the Lord,


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As well as the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as is written in the Law, and the firstlings of our herds and flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in [His] house.


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And we shall bring the first <i>and</i> best of our coarse meal, our contributions, the fruit of all kinds of trees, of new wine, and of oil to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God. And we shall bring the tithes from our ground to the Levites, for they, the Levites, collect the tithes in all our rural towns.


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And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when [they] receive tithes, and [they] shall bring one-tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers, into the storehouse.


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For the Israelites and the sons of Levi shall bring the offering of grain, new wine, and oil to the chambers where the vessels of the sanctuary are, along with the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and singers. We will not forsake <i>or</i> neglect the house of our God.


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Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths dwelt in other towns <i>and</i> villages.


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These are the province chiefs who dwelt in Jerusalem, but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property there — Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants.


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And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the sons of Judah and Benjamin. Of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez;


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Maaseiah son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Shilonite.


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These are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah,


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Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, ruler of the house of God,


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And their brethren, who did the work of the house, 822; and Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,


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And his brethren, chiefs of fathers’ houses, 242; and Amashsai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,


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And their brethren, mighty men of valor, 128. Their overseer was Zabdiel son of Haggedolim [one of the great men].


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And of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;


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And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, who had charge of the outside work of the house of God;


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Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, second among his brethren; and Abda son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.


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And the rest of Israel, with the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance.


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Overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem and the work of God’s house was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of Asaph’s sons, the singers.


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For the [Persian] king had ordered concerning them that a certain provision be made for the singers, as each day required.


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Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the sons of Zerah son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in all matters concerning the people.


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As for the villages with their fields, some people of Judah dwelt in Kiriath-arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and their villages,


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Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its fields, Azekah and its villages. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Hinnom Valley.


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Now these are the priests and Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,


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Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the chiefs of the priests and their brethren in the days of Jeshua.


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And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his brethren, was over the thanksgiving [choirs].


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And in the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers’ houses: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;


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As for the Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua, the heads of fathers’ houses were recorded, as well as the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian.


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The sons of Levi, heads of fathers’ houses, were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles until the days of Johanan son of Eliashib.


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And the chiefs of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, as David, God’s man, commanded, [one] watch [singing] in response to [the men in the opposite] watch.


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Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers guarding at the storehouses of the gates.


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These were in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest and scribe.


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And for the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites in all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings, and with singing, cymbals, harps, and lyres.


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And the sons of the singers gathered together from the plain <i>and</i> circuit around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,


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And also from Beth-gilgal and the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.


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Then I brought the princes of Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great companies of them who gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right upon the wall toward the Dung Gate.


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And certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets, and Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph,


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And his kinsmen — Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, Hanani — with the musical instruments of David, God’s man. And Ezra the scribe went before them.


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At the Fountain Gate they went up straight ahead by the stairs of the City of David at the wall’s ascent above David’s house to the Water Gate on the east.


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The other company of those who gave thanks went to the left; I followed with half of the people upon the wall, above the Tower of the Furnaces to the Broad Wall,


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And above the Gate of Ephraim, and by the Old Gate and by the Fish Gate and by the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of Hammeah, even to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.


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So the two companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I, and the half of the officials with me;


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And the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;


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And Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang <i>and</i> made themselves heard, with Jezrahiah as leader.


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Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women also and the children rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.


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On that day men were appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them the portions required by law for the priests and the Levites according to the fields of the towns, for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served [faithfully].


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And they performed the due service of their God and of the purification; so did the singers and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had commanded.


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For in the days of David and Asaph of old, there was a chief of singers and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.


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And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and [later] of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart what was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart what was for the sons of Aaron [the priests].


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On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the audience of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God,


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For they met not the Israelites with food and drink but hired Balaam to curse them; yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and was related [by marriage] to Tobiah [our adversary],


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Prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where previously they had put the cereal offerings, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil which were given by commandment to the Levites, the singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.


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But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes [Persian] king of Babylon I went to the king. Then later I asked leave of him


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And came to Jerusalem. Then I discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing him [an adversary] a chamber in the courts of the house of God!


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Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the cereal offerings and the frankincense.


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And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who did the work [forced by necessity] had each fled to his field.


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Then I contended with the officials and said, Why is the house of God neglected <i>and</i> forsaken? I gathered the Levites and singers and set them in their stations.


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I set treasurers over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; assisting them was Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were counted faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.


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O my God, [earnestly] remember me concerning this and wipe not out my good deeds <i>and</i> kindnesses done for the house of my God and for His service.


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In those days I saw in Judah men treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in sheaves <i>or</i> heaps of grain with which they loaded donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I protested <i>and</i> warned them on the day they sold the produce.


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There dwelt men of Tyre there also who brought fish and all kinds of wares and sold on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in Jerusalem.


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Then I reproved the nobles of Judah and said, What evil thing is this that you do — profaning the Sabbath day?


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Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.


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And when it began to get dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath [day began], I commanded that the gates should be shut and not be opened till after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants at the gates to prevent any burden being brought in on the Sabbath day.


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But I reproved <i>and</i> warned them, saying, Why do you lodge by the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you. Then they stopped coming on the Sabbath.


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And I commanded the Levites to cleanse themselves and come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. O my God, [earnestly] remember me concerning this also and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness.


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And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak the Hebrew, but in the language of each people.


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And I contended with them and reviled them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.


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Did not Solomon king of Israel act treacherously against God <i>and</i> miss the mark on account of such women? Among many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; yet strange women even caused him to sin [when he was old he turned treacherously away from the Lord to other gods, and God rent his kingdom from him]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Shall we then listen to you to do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying strange (heathen) women?


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One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me.


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O my God, [earnestly] remember them, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priests and Levites.


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Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign (heathen), and I defined the duties of the priests and Levites, everyone in his work;


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And I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. O my God, [earnestly] remember me for good <i>and</i> imprint me [on Your heart]!


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It was in the days of Ahasuerus [Xerxes], the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces.


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In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne which was in Shushan <i>or</i> Susa [the capital of the Persian Empire] in the palace <i>or</i> castle,


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In the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his princes and his courtiers. The chief officers of the Persian and Median army and the nobles and governors of the provinces were there before him


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While he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor and excellence of his majesty for many days, even 180 days.


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And when these days were completed, the king made a feast for all the people present in Shushan the capital, both great and small, a seven-day feast in the court of the garden of the king’s palace.


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There were hangings of fine white cloth, of green and of blue [cotton], fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings <i>or</i> rods and marble pillars. The couches of gold and silver rested on a [mosaic] pavement of porphyry, white marble, mother-of-pearl, and [precious] colored stones.


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Drinks were served in different kinds of golden goblets, and there was royal wine in abundance, according to the liberality of the king.


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And drinking was according to the law; no one was compelled to drink, for the king had directed all the officials of his palace to serve only as each guest desired.


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On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who ministered to King Ahasuerus as attendants,


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To bring Queen Vashti before the king, with her royal crown, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to behold.


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But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.


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Then the king spoke to the wise men who knew the times — for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were familiar with law and judgment —


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Those next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who were in the king’s presence and held first place in the kingdom.


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[He said] According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti because she has not done the bidding of King Ahasuerus conveyed by the eunuchs?


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And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen has not only done wrong to the king but also to all the princes and to all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.


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For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, making their husbands contemptible in their eyes, since they will say, King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.


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This very day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will be telling it to all the king’s princes. So contempt and wrath in plenty will arise.


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If it pleases the king, let a royal command go forth from him and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and Medes, so that it may not be changed, that Vashti is to [be divorced and] come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.


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So when the king’s decree is made and proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, extensive as it is, all wives will give honor to their husbands, high and low.


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He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to each in its own script and to every people in their own language, saying that every man should rule in his own house and speak there in the language of his own people. [If he had foreign wives, let them learn his language.]


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After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he [earnestly] remembered Vashti and what she had done and what was decreed against her.


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Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.


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And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the capital in Shushan, to the harem under the custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let their things for purification be given them.


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And let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. This pleased the king, and he did so.


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There was a certain Jew in the capital in Shushan whose name was Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite,


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Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile.


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He had brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was beautiful and lovely, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.


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So when the king’s command and his decree were proclaimed and when many maidens were gathered in Shushan the capital under the custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken to the king’s house into the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.


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And the maiden pleased [Hegai] and obtained his favor. And he speedily gave her the things for her purification and her portion of food and the seven chosen maids to be given her from the king’s palace; and he removed her and her maids to the best [apartment] in the harem.


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Esther had not made known her nationality or her kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to do so.


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And Mordecai [who was an <f>[1]</f>attendant in the king’s court] walked every day before the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what would become of her.


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Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months — since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices <i>and</i> perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women —


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Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king’s palace.


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In the evening she went and next day she returned into the second harem in the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She came to the king no more unless the king delighted in her and she was called for by name.


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Now when the turn for Esther the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his own daughter, had come to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s attendant, the keeper of the women, suggested. And Esther won favor in the sight of all who saw her.


text:
So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.


text:
And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the maidens, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.


text:
Then the king gave a great feast for all his princes and his servants, Esther’s feast; and he gave a holiday [or a lessening of taxes] to the provinces and gave gifts in keeping with the generosity of the king.


text:
And when the maidens were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.


text:
Now Esther had not yet revealed her nationality or her people, for she obeyed Mordecai’s command to her [<f>[2]</f>to fear God and execute His commands] just as when she was being brought up by him.


text:
In those days, while Mordecai sat at the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who guarded the door, were angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.


text:
And this was known to Mordecai, who told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name.


text:
When it was investigated and found to be true, both men were hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.


text:
After these things, King <f>[1]</f>Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.


text:
And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and did reverence to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or do him reverence.


text:
Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, Why do you transgress the king’s command?


text:
Now when they spoke to him day after day and he paid no attention to them, they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s conduct would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew.


text:
But he scorned laying hands only on Mordecai. So since they had told him Mordecai’s nationality, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.


text:
In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Haman caused Pur, that is, lots, to be cast before him day after day [to find a lucky day for his venture], month after month, until the twelfth, the month of Adar.


text:
Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every other people, neither do they keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to tolerate them.


text:
If it pleases the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that it may be brought into the king’s treasuries.


text:
And the king took his signet ring from his hand [with which to seal his letters by the king’s authority] and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.


text:
And the king said to Haman, The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.


text:
Then the king’s secretaries were called in on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman had commanded was written to the king’s chief rulers and to the governors who were over all the provinces and to the princes of each people, to every province in its own script and to each people in their own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and it was sealed with the king’s [signet] ring.


text:
And letters were sent by special messengers to all the king’s provinces — to destroy, to slay, and to do away with all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to seize their belongings as spoil.


text:
A copy of the writing was to be published <i>and</i> given out as a decree in every province to all the peoples to be ready for that day.


text:
The special messengers went out in haste by order of the king, and the decree was given out in Shushan, the capital. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed [at the strange and alarming decree].


text:
Now when Mordecai learned all that was done, [he] rent his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes and went out into the midst of the city and cried with a loud and bitter cry.


text:
He came <i>and</i> stood before the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.


text:
And in every province, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.


text:
When Esther’s maids and her attendants came and told it to her, the queen was exceedingly grieved <i>and</i> distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, with orders to take his sackcloth from off him, but he would not receive them.


text:
Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s attendants whom he had appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.


text:
So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city, which was in front of the king’s gate.


text:
And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed.


text:
[Mordecai] also gave him a copy of the decree to destroy them, that was given out in Shushan, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king, make supplication to him, and plead with him for the lives of her people.


text:
All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any person, be it man or woman, who shall go into the inner court to the king without being called shall be put to death; there is but one law for him, except [him] to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. But I have not been called to come to the king for these thirty days.


text:
Then Mordecai told them to return this answer to Esther, Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.


text:
For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this <i>and</i> for this very occasion?


text:
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me; and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I also and my maids will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.


text:
On the third day [of the fast] Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the royal <i>or</i> inner court of the king’s palace opposite his [throne room]. The king was sitting on his throne, facing the main entrance of the palace.


text:
And when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight, and he held out to [her] the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the tip of the scepter.


text:
Then the king said to her, What will you have, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of the kingdom.


text:
And Esther said, If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the dinner that I have prepared for the king.


text:
And during the serving of wine, the king said to Esther, What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed.


text:
Then Esther said, My petition and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the dinner that I shall prepare for them; and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.


text:
Haman went away that day joyful and elated in heart. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate refusing to stand up or show fear before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.


text:
Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. There he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.


text:
And Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the abundance of his [ten] sons, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.


text:
Haman added, Yes, and today Queen Esther did not let any man come with the king to the dinner she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.


text:
Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits [seventy-five feet] high, and in the morning speak to the king, that Mordecai may be hanged on it; then you go in merrily with the king to the dinner. And the thing pleased Haman, and he caused the gallows to be made.


text:
On that night the king could not sleep; and he ordered that the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, be brought, and they were read before the king.


text:
And it was found written there how Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s attendants who guarded the door, who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.


text:
And the king said, What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this? Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Nothing has been done for him.


text:
The king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had just come into the outer court of the king’s palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.


text:
And the king’s servants said to him, Behold, Haman is standing in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.


text:
So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor? Now Haman said to himself, To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to me?


text:
Let royal apparel be brought which the king has worn and the horse which the king has ridden, and a royal crown be set on his head.


text:
And let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes. Let him array the man whom the king delights to honor, and conduct him on horseback through the open square of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.


text:
Then the king said to Haman, Make haste and take the apparel and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have spoken.


text:
Then Haman took the apparel and the horse and conducted Mordecai on horseback through the open square of the city, proclaiming before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.


text:
Then Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hastened to his house, mourning and having his head covered.


text:
And Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the offspring of the Jews, you cannot prevail against him, but shall surely fall before him.


text:
While they were yet talking with him, the king’s attendants came and hastily brought Haman to the dinner that Esther had prepared.


text:
And the king said again to Esther on the second day when wine was being served, What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted. And what is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom, it shall be performed.


text:
Then Queen Esther said, If I have found favor in your sight, O king and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request.


text:
For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, slain, and wiped out of existence! But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I would have held my tongue, for our affliction is not to be compared with the damage this will do to the king.


text:
Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, Who is he, and where is he who dares presume in his heart to do that?


text:
And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and queen.


text:
And the king arose from the feast in his wrath and went into the palace garden; and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Queen Esther, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.


text:
When the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the drinking of wine, Haman was falling upon the couch where Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even forcibly assault the queen in my presence, in my own palace? As the king spoke the words, [the servants] covered Haman’s face.


text:
Then said Harbonah, one of the attendants serving the king, Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, whose warning saved the king, stands at the house of Haman. And the king said, Hang him on it!


text:
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.


text:
On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews’ enemy, to Queen Esther. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her.


text:
And the king took off his [signet] ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.


text:
And Esther spoke yet again to the king and fell down at his feet and besought him with tears to avert the evil plot of Haman the Agagite and his scheme that he had devised against the Jews.


text:
And she said, If it pleases the king and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right before the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.


text:
For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come upon my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?


text:
Then the King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows because he laid his hand upon the Jews.


text:
Write also concerning the Jews as it pleases you in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s [signet] ring — for writing which is in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s ring no man can reverse.


text:
Then the king’s scribes were called, in the third month, the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day, and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, to the chief rulers, and the governors and princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in their own language and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their language.


text:
He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s ring and sent letters by messengers on horseback, riding on swift steeds, mules, and young dromedaries used in the king’s service, bred from the [royal] stud.


text:
In it the king granted the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives; to destroy, to slay, and to wipe out any armed force that might attack them, their little ones, and women; and to take the enemies’ goods for spoil.


text:
On one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,


text:
A copy of the writing was to be issued as a decree in every province and as a proclamation to all peoples, and the Jews should be ready on that day to avenge themselves upon their enemies.


text:
So the couriers, who were mounted on swift beasts that were used in the king’s service, went out, being hurried and urged on by the king’s command; and the decree was released in Shushan, the capital.


text:
And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and with a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and rejoiced.


text:
And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a holiday. And many from among the peoples of the land [submitted themselves to Jewish rite and] became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.


text:
Now in the twelfth month, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of Adar when the king’s command and his edict were about to be executed, on the [very] day that the enemies of the Jews had planned for a massacre of them, it was turned to the contrary and the Jews had rule over those who hated them.


text:
The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on such as sought their hurt; and no man could withstand them, for the fear of them had fallen upon all the peoples.


text:
And all the princes of the provinces and the chief rulers and the governors and they who attended to the king’s business helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.


text:
For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace; and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai became more and more powerful.


text:
So the Jews smote all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering and destroying them, and did as they chose with those who hated them.


text:
And Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy; but on the spoil they laid not their hands.


text:
On that day the number of those who were slain in Shushan, the capital, was brought before the king.


text:
And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed 500 men in Shushan, the capital, and the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your request further? It shall be done.


text:
Then said Esther, If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according to this day’s decree, and let [the dead bodies of] Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the king commanded it to be done; the decree was given in Shushan, and they hanged [the bodies of] Haman’s ten sons.


text:
And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered together on the fourteenth day also of the month of Adar and slew 300 men in Shushan, but on the spoil they laid not their hands.


text:
And the other Jews who were in the king’s provinces gathered to defend their lives and had relief <i>and</i> rest from their enemies and slew of them that hated them 75,000; but on the spoil they laid not their hands.


text:
This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.


text:
But the Jews who were in Shushan [Susa] assembled on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and on the fifteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.


text:
Therefore the Jews of the villages, who dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a holiday, and a day for sending choice portions to one another.


text:
And Mordecai recorded these things, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far,


text:
As the days on which the Jews got rest from their enemies, and as the month which was turned for them from sorrow to gladness and from mourning into a holiday — that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days of sending choice portions to one another and gifts to the poor.


text:
Because Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, [to find a lucky day] to crush <i>and</i> consume and destroy them.


text:
But when Esther brought the matter before the king, he commanded in writing that Haman’s wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.


text:
Therefore they called these days Purim, after the name Pur [lot]. Therefore, because of all that was in this letter and what they had faced in this matter and what had happened to them,


text:
The Jews ordained and took it upon themselves and their descendants and all who joined them that without fail every year they would keep these two days at the appointed time and as it was written,


text:
That these days should be remembered (imprinted on their minds) and kept throughout every generation in every family, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never cease from among the Jews, nor the commemoration of them cease among their descendants.


text:
Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, gave full power [written authority], confirming this second letter about Purim.


text:
And letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth,


text:
To confirm that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had commanded [the Jews], and as they had ordained for themselves and for their descendants in the matter of their fasts and their lamenting.


text:
And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?


text:
For Mordecai the Jew was next to King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews, and was a favorite with the multitude of his brethren, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to his whole race.


text:
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from <i>and</i> shunned evil [because it was wrong].


text:
He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very great body of servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.


text:
His sons used to go and feast in the house of each on his day (birthday) in turn, and they invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And when the days of their feasting were over, Job sent for them to purify <i>and</i> hallow them, and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed <i>or</i> disowned God in their hearts. Thus did Job at all [such] times.


text:
Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the Lord said to Satan, From where did you come? Then Satan answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.


text:
And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from <i>and</i> shuns evil [because it is wrong]?


text:
Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity <i>and</i> happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.


text:
And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon the man himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.


text:
And there was a day when [Job’s] sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house [on his birthday],


text:
And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,


text:
And the Sabeans swooped down upon them and took away [the animals]. Indeed, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.


text:
While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The fire of God (lightning) has fallen from the heavens and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.


text:
While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, The Chaldeans divided into three bands and made a raid upon the camels and have taken them away, yes, and have slain the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.


text:
While he was yet speaking, there came also another and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house,


text:
And behold, there came a great [whirlwind] from the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.


text:
And said, Naked (without possessions) came I [into this world] from my mother’s womb, and naked (without possessions) shall I depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed (praised and magnified in worship) be the name of the Lord!


text:
Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord.


text:
And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan (the adversary and the accuser) answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.


text:
And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from <i>and</i> shuns all evil [because it is wrong]? And still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.


text:
But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse <i>and</i> renounce You to Your face.


text:
So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with loathsome <i>and</i> painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.


text:
And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself, and he sat [down] among the ashes.


text:
But he said to her, You speak as one of the impious <i>and</i> foolish women would speak. What? Shall we accept [only] good at the hand of God and shall we not accept [also] misfortune <i>and</i> what is of a bad nature? In [spite of] all this, Job did not sin with his lips.


text:
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, for they had made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him.


text:
And when they looked from afar off and saw him [disfigured] beyond recognition, they lifted up their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe, and they cast dust over their heads toward the heavens.


text:
So they sat down with [Job] on the ground for seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief <i>and</i> pain were very great.


text:
Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which announced, There is a man-child conceived.


text:
Let gloom and deep darkness claim it for their own; let a cloud dwell upon it; let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).


text:
As for that night, let thick darkness seize it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months.


text:
Let the stars of the early dawn of that day be dark; let [the morning] look in vain for the light, nor let it behold the day’s dawning,


text:
For then would I have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then would I have been at rest [in death]


text:
Who long <i>and</i> wait for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,


text:
I was not <i>or</i> am not at ease, nor had I <i>or</i> have I rest, nor was I <i>or</i> am I quiet, yet trouble came <i>and</i> still comes [upon me].


text:
If we venture to converse with you, will you be offended? Yet who can restrain himself from speaking?


text:
But now it is come upon you, and you faint <i>and</i> are grieved; it touches you, and you are troubled <i>and</i> dismayed.


text:
Is not your [reverent] fear of God your confidence and the integrity <i>and</i> uprightness of your ways your hope?


text:
Think [earnestly], I beg of you: who, being innocent, ever perished? Or where were those upright <i>and</i> in right standing with God cut off?


text:
The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken.


text:
The old <i>and</i> strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.


text:
[The spirit] stood still, but I could not discern the appearance of it. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying,


text:
Can mortal man be just before God, <i>or</i> be more right than He is? Can a man be pure before his Maker, <i>or</i> be more cleansed than He is? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Even in His [heavenly] servants He puts no trust <i>or</i> confidence, and His angels He charges with folly <i>and</i> error —


text:
How much more those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed like the moth.


text:
Is not their tent cord plucked up within them [so that the tent falls]? Do they not die, and that without [acquiring] wisdom?


text:
For <f>[1]</f>vexation <i>and</i> rage kill the foolish man; jealousy <i>and</i> indignation slay the simple.


text:
I have seen the foolish taking root [and outwardly prospering], but suddenly I saw that his dwelling was cursed [for his doom was certain].


text:
His children are far from safety; [involved in their father’s ruin] they are crushed in the [court of justice in the city’s] gate, and there is no one to deliver them.


text:
His harvest the hungry eat and take it even [when it grows] among the thorns; the snare opens for [his] wealth.


text:
As for me, I would seek God <i>and</i> inquire of <i>and</i> require Him, and to God would I commit my cause —


text:
He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise <i>or</i> anything of [lasting] worth.


text:
He catches the [so-called] wise in their own trickiness, and the counsel of the schemers is brought to a quick end. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But [God] saves [the fatherless] from the sword of their mouth, and the needy from the hand of the mighty.


text:
Happy <i>and</i> fortunate is the man whom God reproves; so do not despise <i>or</i> reject the correction of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering].


text:
You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.


text:
At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the living creatures of the earth.


text:
For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.


text:
And you shall know that your tent shall be in peace, and you shall visit your fold <i>and</i> your dwelling and miss nothing [from them].


text:
You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, and as a shock of grain goes up [to the threshing floor] in its season.


text:
This is what we have searched out; it is true. Hear <i>and</i> heed it and know for yourself [for your good].


text:
Oh, that my impatience <i>and</i> vexation might be [thoroughly] weighed and all my calamity be laid up over against them in the balances, one against the other [to see if my grief is unmanly]!


text:
For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash <i>and</i> wild,


text:
[But it is] because the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison which my spirit drinks up; the terrors of God set themselves in array against me.


text:
Can that which has no taste to it be eaten without salt? Or is there any flavor in the white of an egg?


text:
[These afflictions] my soul refuses to touch! Such things are like diseased food to me [sickening and repugnant]!


text:
Then would I still have consolation — yes, I would leap [for joy] amid unsparing pain [though I shrink from it] — that I have not concealed <i>or</i> denied the words of the Holy One!


text:
What strength have I left, that I should wait <i>and</i> hope? And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient?


text:
To him who is about to faint <i>and</i> despair, kindness is due from his friend, lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty.


text:
When they get warm, they shrink <i>and</i> disappear; when it is hot, they vanish out of their place.


text:
The caravans which travel by way of them turn aside; they go into the waste places and perish. [Such is my disappointment in you, the friends I fully trusted.]


text:
They were confounded because they had hoped [to find water]; they came there and were bitterly disappointed.


text:
Now to me you are [like a dried-up brook]; you see my dismay <i>and</i> terror, and [believing me to be a victim of God’s anger] you are afraid [to sympathize with me].


text:
How forcible are words of straightforward speech! But what does your arguing argue <i>and</i> prove <i>or</i> your reproof reprove?


text:
Do you imagine your words to be an argument, but the speeches of one who is desperate to be as wind?


text:
Now be pleased to look upon me, that it may be evident to you if I lie [for surely I would not lie to your face].


text:
Return [from your suspicion], I pray you, let there be no injustice; yes, return again [to confidence in me], my vindication is in it.


text:
Is there not an [appointed] warfare <i>and</i> hard labor to man upon earth? And are not his days like the days of a hireling?


text:
As a servant earnestly longs for the shade <i>and</i> the evening shadows, and as a hireling who looks for the reward of his work,


text:
When I lie down I say, When shall I arise and the night be gone? And I am full of tossing to and fro till the dawning of the day.


text:
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and has become loathsome, <i>and</i> it closes up and breaks out afresh.


text:
As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to Sheol (the place of the dead) shall come up no more.


text:
Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul [O Lord]!


text:
What is man that You should magnify him <i>and</i> think him important? And that You should set Your mind upon him? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
How long will Your [plaguing] glance not look away from me, nor You let me alone till I swallow my spittle?


text:
If I have sinned, what [harm] have I done You, O You Watcher <i>and</i> Keeper of men? Why have You set me as a mark for You, so that I am a burden to myself [and You]?


text:
And why do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust; and [even if] You will seek me diligently, [it will be too late, for] I shall not be.


text:
How long will you say these things [Job]? And how long shall the words of your mouth be as a mighty wind?


text:
If your children have sinned against Him, then He has delivered them into the power of their transgression.


text:
Then, if you are pure and upright, surely He will bestir Himself for you and make your righteous dwelling prosperous again.


text:
For inquire, I pray you, of the former age and apply yourself to that which their fathers have searched out,


text:
Shall not [the forefathers] teach you and tell you and utter words out of their hearts (the deepest part of their nature)?


text:
Can the rush <i>or</i> papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the flag <i>or</i> reed grass grow without water?


text:
While it is yet green, in flower, and not cut down, it withers before any other herb [when without water].


text:
He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold fast to it, but it shall not last.


text:
[Godless] his roots are wrapped about the [stone] heap, and see their way [promisingly] among the rocks.


text:
But if [God] snatches him from his property, [then having passed into the hands of others] it [his property] will forget <i>and</i> deny him, [saying,] I have never seen you [before, as if ashamed of him — like his former friends].


text:
See, this is the joy of going the way [of the ungodly]! And from the dust others will spring up [to take his place].


text:
[God] is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has [ever] hardened himself against Him and prospered <i>or</i> even been safe?


text:
Who made [the constellations] the Bear, Orion, and the [loose cluster] Pleiades, and the [vast starry] spaces of the south;


text:
Behold, He snatches away; who can hinder <i>or</i> turn Him back? Who will say to Him, What are You doing?


text:
God will not withdraw His anger; the [proud] helpers of Rahab [arrogant monster of the sea] bow under Him.


text:
Whom, though I were righteous (upright and innocent) yet I could not answer? I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent <i>and</i> Judge [for my right].


text:
Though I am innocent <i>and</i> in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, He would prove me perverse.


text:
It is all one; therefore I say, God [does not discriminate, but] destroys the blameless and the wicked.


text:
The earth is given into the hands of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges [so that they are blinded to justice]. If it is not [God], who then is it [responsible for all this inequality]?


text:
They are passed away like the swift rowboats made of reeds, or like the eagle that swoops down on the prey.


text:
If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer <i>and</i> brighten up,


text:
I become afraid of all my pains <i>and</i> sorrows [yet to come], for I know You will not pronounce me innocent [by removing them].


text:
I shall be held guilty <i>and</i> be condemned; why then should I labor in vain [to appear innocent]?


text:
Yet You will plunge me into the ditch, and my own clothes will abhor me [and refuse to cover so foul a body].


text:
For [God] is not a [mere] man, as I am, that I should answer Him, that we should come together in court.


text:
There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand upon us both, [would that there were!] <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
That He might take His rod away from [threatening] me, and that the fear of Him might not terrify me.


text:
[Then] would I speak and not fear Him, but I am not so in myself [to make me afraid, were only a fair trial given me].


text:
I am weary of my life <i>and</i> loathe it! I will give free expression to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.


text:
Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise <i>and</i> reject the work of Your hands, and favor the schemes of the wicked?


text:
Although You know that I am not wicked <i>or</i> guilty and that there is none who can deliver me out of Your hand?


text:
Remember [earnestly], I beseech You, that You have fashioned me as clay [out of the same earth material, exquisitely and elaborately]. And will You bring me into dust again?


text:
Yet these [the present evils] have You hid in Your heart [for me since my creation]; I know that this was with You [in Your purpose and thought].


text:
If I am wicked, woe unto me! And if I am righteous, yet must I not lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and the sight of my affliction.


text:
If I lift myself up, You hunt me like a lion and again show Yourself [inflicting] marvelous [trials] upon me.


text:
You renew Your witnesses against me and increase Your indignation toward me; I am as if attacked by a troop time after time.


text:
I should have been as though I had not existed; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.


text:
Are not my days few? Cease then and let me alone, that I may take a little comfort <i>and</i> cheer up


text:
The land of sunless gloom as intense darkness, [the land] of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as thick darkness.


text:
Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk [and making such great professions] be pronounced free from guilt <i>or</i> blame?


text:
Should your boastings <i>and</i> babble make men keep silent? And when you mock <i>and</i> scoff, shall no man make you ashamed?


text:
For you have said, My doctrine [that God afflicts the righteous knowingly] is pure, and I am clean in [God’s] eyes. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And that He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For He is manifold in understanding! Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your guilt <i>and</i> iniquity [deserve].


text:
Can you find out the deep things of God, or can you by searching find out the limits of the Almighty [explore His depths, ascend to His heights, extend to His breadths, and comprehend His infinite perfection]?


text:
His wisdom is as high as the heights of heaven! What can you do? It is deeper than Sheol (the place of the dead)! What can you know?


text:
If [God] sweeps in and arrests and calls into judgment, who can hinder Him? [If He is against a man, who shall call Him to account for it?]


text:
For He recognizes <i>and</i> knows hollow, wicked, <i>and</i> useless men (men of falsehood); when He sees iniquity, will He not consider it?


text:
But a stupid man will get wisdom [only] when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man [as when he thinks himself free because he is lifted up in pride].


text:
Then can you lift up your face to Him without stain [of sin, and unashamed]; yes, you shall be steadfast <i>and</i> secure; you shall not fear.


text:
And [your] life shall be clearer than the noonday <i>and</i> rise above it; though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.


text:
And you shall be secure <i>and</i> feel confident because there is hope; yes, you shall search about you, and you shall take your rest in safety.


text:
But the eyes of the wicked shall look [for relief] in vain, and they shall not escape [the justice of God]; and their hope shall be to give up the ghost.


text:
But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]?


text:
I am become one who is a laughingstock to his friend; I, one whom God answered when he called upon Him — a just, upright (blameless) man — laughed to scorn!


text:
In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune — but it is ready for those whose feet slip.


text:
The dwellings of robbers prosper; those who provoke God are [apparently] secure; God supplies them abundantly [who have no god but their own hands and power].


text:
For ask now the animals, and they will teach you [that God does not deal with His creatures according to their character]; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you;


text:
Or speak to the earth [with its other forms of life], and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare [this truth] to you.


text:
Who [is so blind as] not to recognize in all these [that good and evil are promiscuously scattered throughout nature and human life] that it is God’s hand which does it [and God’s way]?


text:
Is it not the task of the ear to discriminate between [wise and unwise] words, just as the mouth distinguishes [between desirable and undesirable] food?


text:
But [only] with [God] are [perfect] wisdom and might; He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding.


text:
He withholds the waters, and the land dries up; again, He sends forth [rains], and they overwhelm the land <i>or</i> transform it.


text:
He leads [great and scheming] counselors away stripped <i>and</i> barefoot and makes the judges fools [in human estimation, by overthrowing their plans].


text:
He looses the fetters [ordered] by kings and has [the] waistcloth [of a slave] bound about their [own] loins.


text:
He deprives of speech those who are trusted and takes away the discernment <i>and</i> discretion of the aged.


text:
He pours contempt on princes and loosens the belt of the strong [disabling them, bringing low the pride of the learned].


text:
He uncovers deep things out of darkness and brings into light black gloom <i>and</i> the shadow of death.


text:
He makes nations great, and He destroys them; He enlarges nations [and then straitens and shrinks them again], and leads them [away captive].


text:
He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the land <i>and</i> of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no path.


text:
They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them to stagger <i>and</i> wander like a drunken man.


text:
Surely I wish to speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue <i>and</i> reason my case with God [that He may explain the conflict between what I believe of Him and what I see of Him].


text:
But you are forgers of lies [you defame my character most untruthfully]; you are all physicians of no value <i>and</i> have no remedy to offer.


text:
Oh, that you would altogether hold your peace! Then you would evidence your wisdom <i>and</i> you might pass for wise men.


text:
Will you show partiality to Him [be unjust to me in order to gain favor with Him]? Will you act as special pleaders for God?


text:
Would it be profitable for you if He should investigate your tactics [with me]? Or as one deceives <i>and</i> mocks a man, do you deceive <i>and</i> mock Him?


text:
Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes [valueless]; your defenses are defenses of clay [and will crumble].


text:
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hands [incurring the danger of God’s wrath]?


text:
[I do it because, though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him and] behold, He will slay me; I have no hope — nevertheless, I will maintain <i>and</i> argue my ways before Him <i>and</i> even to His face.


text:
Withdraw Your hand and take this bodily suffering far from me; and let not my [reverent] dread of You terrify me.


text:
How many are my iniquities and sins [that so much sorrow should come to me]? Make me recognize <i>and</i> know my transgression and my sin. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Will You harass <i>and</i> frighten a [poor, helpless] leaf driven to and fro, and will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?


text:
For You write bitter things against me [in Your bill of indictment] and make me inherit <i>and</i> be accountable now for the iniquities of my youth.


text:
You put my feet also in the stocks and observe critically all my paths; You set a circle <i>and</i> limit around the soles of my feet [which I must not overstep].


text:
Since a man’s days are already determined, and the number of his months is wholly in Your control, and he cannot pass the bounds of his allotted time —


text:
[O God] turn from him [and cease to watch him so pitilessly]; let him rest until he has accomplished as does a hireling the appointed time for his day.


text:
For there is hope for a tree if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that the tender shoots of it will not cease. [But there is no such hope for man.]


text:
Yet through the scent [and breathing] of water [the stump of the tree] will bud and bring forth boughs like a young plant.


text:
But [the brave, strong] man must die and lie prostrate; yes, man breathes his last, and where is he?


text:
So man lies down and does not rise [to his former state]. Till the heavens are no more, men will not awake nor be raised [physically] out of their sleep.


text:
Oh, that You would hide me in Sheol (the unseen state), that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would set a definite time and then remember me earnestly [and imprint me on your heart]!


text:
If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare <i>and</i> service I will wait, till my change <i>and</i> release shall come. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You glue up my iniquity [to preserve it in full for the day of reckoning].


text:
As waters wear away the stones and as floods wash away the soil of the earth, so You [O Lord] destroy the hope of man.


text:
You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his appearance [in death] and send him away [from the presence of the living].


text:
But his body [lamenting its decay in the grave] shall grieve over him, and his soul shall mourn [over the body of clay which it once enlivened].


text:
Should a wise man utter such windy knowledge [as we have just heard] and fill himself with the east wind [of withering, parching, and violent accusations]?


text:
Indeed, you are doing away with [reverential] fear, and you are hindering <i>and</i> diminishing meditation <i>and</i> devotion before God.


text:
Were you present to hear the secret counsel of God? And do you limit [the possession of] wisdom to yourself?


text:
Are God’s consolations [as we have interpreted them to you] too trivial for you? Is there any secret thing (any bosom sin) which you have not given up? [Or] were we too gentle [in our first speech] toward you to be effective?


text:
Why does your heart carry you away [why allow yourself to be controlled by feeling]? And why do your eyes flash [in anger or contempt],


text:
That you turn your spirit against God and let [such] words [as you have spoken] go out of your mouth?


text:
What is man, that he could be pure <i>and</i> clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be right <i>and</i> just?


text:
Behold, [God] puts no trust in His holy ones [the angels]; indeed, the heavens are not clean in His sight —


text:
Unto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger intruded <i>or</i> passed among them [corrupting the truth].


text:
The wicked man suffers with [self-inflicted] torment all his days, through all the years that are numbered <i>and</i> laid up for him, the oppressor.


text:
A [dreadful] sound of terrors is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him [the dwellings of robbers are not at peace].


text:
He believes that he will not return out of darkness, and [because of his guilt] he is waited for by the sword [of God’s vengeance].


text:
He wanders abroad for food, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness <i>and</i> destruction is already close upon him.


text:
Distress and anguish terrify him; [he knows] they shall prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.


text:
Because he has stretched out his hand against God and bids defiance <i>and</i> behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,


text:
Because he has covered his face with his fat, adding layers of fat on his loins [giving himself up to animal pleasures],


text:
And has lived in desolate [God-forsaken] cities and in houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps [of ruins];


text:
He shall not be rich, neither shall his wealth last, neither shall his produce bend to the earth <i>nor</i> his possessions be extended on the earth.


text:
He shall not depart out of darkness [and escape from calamity; the wrath of God] shall consume him as flame consumes a dry tree, and by the blast of His mouth he shall be swept away.


text:
Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense [for such living].


text:
It shall be accomplished <i>and</i> paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green [but shall wither away].


text:
He shall fail to bring his grapes to maturity [leaving them to wither unnourished] on the vine and shall cast off blossoms [and fail to bring forth fruit] like the olive tree.


text:
For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice).


text:
I also could speak as you do, if you were in my stead; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.


text:
[But] I would strengthen <i>and</i> encourage you with [the words of] my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would soothe your suffering.


text:
If I speak [to you miserable comforters], my sorrow is not soothed <i>or</i> lessened; and if I refrain [from speaking], in what way am I eased? [I hardly know whether to answer you or be silent.]


text:
But now [God] has taken away my strength. You [O Lord] have made desolate all my family <i>and</i> associates.


text:
You have laid firm hold on me <i>and</i> have shriveled me up, which is a witness against me; and my leanness [and wretched state of body] are further evidence [against me]; [they] testify to my face.


text:
[<f>[1]</f>My adversary Satan] has torn [me] in his wrath and hated <i>and</i> persecuted me; he has gnashed upon me with his teeth; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.


text:
[The forces of evil] have gaped at me with their mouths; they have struck me upon the cheek insolently; they massed themselves together <i>and</i> conspired unanimously against me. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
God has delivered me to the ungodly (to the evil one) and cast me [headlong] into the hands of the wicked (Satan’s host).


text:
I was living at ease, but [Satan] crushed me <i>and</i> broke me apart; yes, he seized me by the neck and dashed me in pieces; then he set me up for his target.


text:
[Satan’s] arrows whiz around me. He slashes open my vitals and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground.


text:
[Satan] stabs me, making breach after breach <i>and</i> attacking again and again; he runs at me like a giant <i>and</i> irresistible warrior.


text:
I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] and have defiled my horn (my insignia of strength) in the dust.


text:
My face is red <i>and</i> swollen with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],


text:
O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry have no resting-place [where it will cease being heard].


text:
Oh, that there might be one who would plead for a man with God <i>and</i> that he would maintain his right with Him, as a son of man pleads with <i>or</i> for his neighbor! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Surely there are mockers <i>and</i> mockery around me, and my eye dwells on their obstinacy, insults, <i>and</i> resistance.


text:
Give me a pledge with Yourself [acknowledge my innocence before my death]; who is there that will give security for me?


text:
But their hearts [Lord] You have closed to understanding; therefore You will not let them triumph [by giving them a verdict against me].


text:
He who denounces his friends [in order to make them] a prey <i>and</i> get a share, the eyes of his children shall fail [to find food].


text:
Upright men shall be astonished <i>and</i> appalled at this, and the innocent shall stir himself up against the godless <i>and</i> polluted.


text:
Yet shall the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) hold to their ways, and he who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
My days are past, my purposes <i>and</i> plans are frustrated; even the thoughts (desires and possessions) of my heart [are broken off].


text:
These [thoughts] extend from the night into the day, [so that] the light is short because of darkness.


text:
If I say to the grave <i>and</i> corruption, You are my father, and to the worm [that feeds on decay], You are my mother and my sister [because I will soon be closest to you],


text:
[My hope] shall go down to the bars of Sheol (the unseen state) when once there is rest in the dust.


text:
How long will you lay snares for words <i>and</i> have to hunt for your argument? Do some clear thinking, and then we will reply.


text:
You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?


text:
The steps of his strength shall be shortened, and his own counsel <i>and</i> the plans in which he trusted shall bring about his downfall.


text:
The strength [of the wicked] shall be hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready at his side [if he halts].


text:
By disease his strength <i>and</i> his skin shall be devoured; the firstborn of death [the worst of diseases] shall consume his limbs.


text:
He shall be rooted out of his dwelling place in which he trusted, and he shall be brought to the king of terrors [death].


text:
There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his [family]; sulphur shall be scattered over his dwelling [to purify it after his going].


text:
The roots [of the wicked] shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off <i>and</i> wither.


text:
They [of the west] that come after [the wicked man] shall be astonished <i>and</i> appalled at his day, as they [of the east] that went before were seized with horror.


text:
Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly, and such is the place of him who knows not (recognizes not and honors not) God.


text:
These ten times you have reproached me; you are not ashamed that you make yourselves strange [harden yourselves against me and deal severely with me].


text:
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me and plead against me my reproach <i>and</i> humiliation,


text:
His troops come together and cast up their way <i>and</i> siege works against me and encamp round about my tent.


text:
Those who live temporarily in my house and my maids count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.


text:
All the men of my council <i>and</i> my familiar friends abhor me; those whom I loved are turned against me.


text:
My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped with the skin <i>or</i> gums of my teeth.


text:
Why do you, as if you were God, pursue <i>and</i> persecute me? [Acting like wild beasts] why are you not satisfied with my flesh?


text:
Oh, that the words I now speak were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book [carved on a tablet of stone]!


text:
For I know that my Redeemer <i>and</i> Vindicator lives, and at last He [the Last One] will stand upon the earth. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And after my skin, even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh <i>or</i> without it I shall see God,


text:
Whom I, even I, shall see for myself <i>and</i> on my side! And my eyes shall behold Him, and not as a stranger! My heart pines away <i>and</i> is consumed within me.


text:
If you say, How we will pursue him! [and continue to persecute me with the claim] that the root [cause] of all these [afflictions] is found in me,


text:
Then beware <i>and</i> be afraid of the sword [of divine vengeance], for wrathful are the punishments of that sword, that you may know there is a judgment.


text:
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless <i>and</i> defiled is but for a moment? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; yes, he will be chased away as a vision of the night.


text:
The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his [accustomed] place any more behold him.


text:
He has swallowed down [his ill-gotten] riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly.


text:
He shall suck the poison of asps [which ill-gotten wealth contains]; the viper’s tongue shall slay him.


text:
That which he labored for shall he give back and shall not swallow it down [to enjoy it]; according to his wealth shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice in it.


text:
For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house which he did not build.


text:
Because his desire <i>and</i> greed knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights.


text:
In the fullness of his sufficiency [in the time of his great abundance] he shall be poor and in straits; every hand of everyone who is in misery shall come upon him [he is but a wretch on every side].


text:
When he is about to fill his belly [as in the wilderness when God sent the quails], God will cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him and will rain it upon him while he is eating. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[The arrow] is drawn forth and it comes out after passing through his body; yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors march in upon him;


text:
Every misfortune is laid up for his treasures. A fire not blown by man shall devour him; it shall consume what is left in his tent [and it shall go ill with him who remains there].


text:
The produce <i>and</i> increase of his house will go into exile [with the victors], dragged away in the day of [God’s] wrath.


text:
As for me, is my complaint to man <i>or</i> of him? And why should I not be impatient <i>and</i> my spirit be troubled?


text:
Even when I remember, I am troubled <i>and</i> afraid; horror <i>and</i> trembling take hold of my flesh.


text:
They themselves lift up their voices <i>and</i> sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.


text:
They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol (the unseen state) in a moment <i>and</i> peacefully.


text:
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But notice, [you say] the prosperity of the wicked is not in their power; the mystery [of God’s dealings] with the ungodly is far from my comprehension.


text:
How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains <i>and</i> sorrows to them in His anger? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
That they are like stubble before the wind and like chaff that the storm steals <i>and</i> carries away?


text:
You say, God lays up [the punishment of the wicked man’s] iniquity for his children. Let Him recompense it to the man himself, that he may know <i>and</i> feel it.


text:
For what pleasure <i>or</i> interest has a man in his house <i>and</i> family after he is dead, when the number of his months is cut off?


text:
His pails are full of milk [his veins are filled with nourishment], and the marrow of his bones is fresh <i>and</i> moist,


text:
For you say, Where is the house of the rich <i>and</i> liberal prince [meaning me]? And where is the tent in which the wicked [Job] dwelt?


text:
Have you not asked those who travel this way, and do you not accept their testimony <i>and</i> evidences —


text:
That the evil man is [now] spared in the day of calamity <i>and</i> destruction, and they are led forth <i>and</i> away on the day of [God’s] wrath?


text:
But who declares [a man’s] way [and rebukes] him to his face? And who pays him back for what he has done?


text:
The clods of the valley are sweet to him, and every man shall follow him to a grave, as innumerable people [have gone] before him.


text:
How then can you comfort me with empty <i>and</i> futile words, since in your replies there lurks falsehood?


text:
Is it any pleasure <i>or</i> advantage to the Almighty that you are righteous (upright and in right standing with Him)? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways perfect? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Is it for your [reverential] fear of Him that He [thus] reproves you, that He enters with you into judgment?


text:
You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But [you, Job] the man with power possessed the land, and the favored <i>and</i> accepted man dwelt in it.


text:
Therefore you say, How <i>and</i> what does God know [about me]? Can He judge through the thick darkness?


text:
Thick clouds are a covering to Him, so that He does not see, and He walks on the vault of the heavens.


text:
Will you pay attention <i>and</i> keep to the old way that wicked men trod [in Noah’s time], <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Men who were snatched away before their time, whose foundations were poured out like a stream [during the flood]?


text:
Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, and that which remained to them the fire has consumed.


text:
Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you.


text:
Receive, I pray you, the law <i>and</i> instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up; if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents,


text:
If you lay gold in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brook [considering them of little worth],


text:
You shall also decide <i>and</i> decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways.


text:
When they make [you] low, you will say, [There is] a lifting up; and the humble person He lifts up <i>and</i> saves.


text:
He will even deliver the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent; yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
There the righteous [one who is upright and in right standing with God] could reason with Him; so I should be acquitted by my Judge forever.


text:
Behold, I go forward [and to the east], but He is not there; I go backward [and to the west], but I cannot perceive Him;


text:
On the left hand [and to the north] where He works [I seek Him], but I cannot behold Him; He turns Himself to the right hand [and to the south], but I cannot see Him.


text:
But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold [pure and luminous]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed <i>and</i> treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.


text:
Therefore am I troubled <i>and</i> terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am in dread <i>and</i> afraid of Him.


text:
Because I was not cut off before the darkness [of these woes befell me], neither has He covered the thick darkness from my face.


text:
Why [seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty] does He not set seasons for judgment? Why do those who know Him see not His days [for punishment of the wicked]? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks and pasture them [appropriating land and flocks openly].


text:
They crowd the poor <i>and</i> needy off the road; the poor <i>and</i> meek of the earth all hide themselves.


text:
Behold, as wild asses in the desert, [the poor] go forth to their work, seeking diligently for prey <i>and</i> food; the wilderness yields them bread for their children [in roots and herbage].


text:
They reap each one his fodder in a field [that is not his own], and they glean the vintage of the wicked man.


text:
[The violent men whose wickedness seems unnoticed] pluck the fatherless infants from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], and take [the clothing on] the poor for a pledge,


text:
So that the needy go about naked for lack of clothing, and though hungry, they must carry [but not eat from] the sheaves.


text:
Among the olive rows [of the wicked, the poor] make oil; they tread [the fresh juice of the grape from] the presses, but suffer thirst.


text:
From out of the populous city men groan, and the very life of the wounded cries for help; yet God [seemingly] regards not the wrong done them.


text:
These wrongdoers are of those who rebel against the light; they know not its ways nor stay in its paths.


text:
The murderer rises with the light; he kills the poor and the needy, and in the night he becomes as a thief.


text:
The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and he puts a disguise upon his face.


text:
In the dark, they dig through [the penetrable walls of] houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the sunlight.


text:
[You say] Swiftly such men pass away on the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; [no treader] turns into their vineyards.


text:
Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol (the place of the dead) those who have sinned.


text:
The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness shall be broken like a tree [which cannot be healed]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Yet [God] prolongs the life of the [wicked] mighty by His power; they rise up when they had despaired of life.


text:
They are exalted for a little while, and then are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.


text:
How then can man be justified <i>and</i> righteous before God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be pure <i>and</i> clean? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God’s glory] and the stars are not pure in His sight —


text:
How you have helped him who is without power! How you have sustained the arm that is without strength!


text:
How you have counseled him who has no wisdom! And how plentifully you have declared to him sound knowledge!


text:
With whose assistance have you uttered these words? And whose spirit [inspired what] came forth from you?


text:
Sheol (the place of the dead) is naked before God, and Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].


text:
He it is Who spreads out the northern skies over emptiness and <f>[1]</f>hangs the earth upon <i>or</i> over nothing.


text:
He holds the waters bound in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once], and the cloud is not rent under them.


text:
He has placed an enclosing limit [the horizon] upon the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.


text:
Yet these are but [a small part of His doings] the outskirts of His ways <i>or</i> the mere fringes of His force, the faintest whisper of His voice! Who dares contemplate <i>or</i> who can understand the thunders of His full, magnificent power?


text:
As God lives, Who has taken away my right <i>and</i> denied me justice, and the Almighty, Who has vexed <i>and</i> embittered my life,


text:
God forbid that I should justify you — saying you are right [in your accusations against me]; till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me.


text:
My uprightness <i>and</i> my right standing with God I hold fast and will not let them go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days <i>and</i> it shall not reproach me as long as I live.


text:
For what is the hope of the godless <i>and</i> polluted, even though he has gained [in this world], when God cuts him off <i>and</i> takes away his life?


text:
I will teach you regarding the hand <i>and</i> handiwork of God; that which is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked man] will I not conceal.


text:
Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain [cherishing foolish notions]?


text:
This [which I am about to tell] is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage which oppressors shall receive from the Almighty:


text:
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring will not have sufficient bread.


text:
He builds his house like a moth <i>or</i> a spider, like a booth which a watchman makes [to last for a season].


text:
[The wicked] will lie down rich, but does it not again; he opens his eyes, and [his wealth] is gone.


text:
For [God and the storm] hurl at him without pity <i>and</i> unsparingly [their thunderbolts of wrath]; he flees in haste before His power.


text:
Man sets an end to darkness, and he searches out the farthest bounds for the ore buried in gloom and deep darkness.


text:
Men break open shafts away from where people sojourn, in places forgotten by [human] foot; and [descend into them], hanging afar from men, they swing <i>or</i> flit to and fro.


text:
As for the earth, out of it comes bread, but underneath [its surface, down deep in the mine] there is <f>[1]</f>blasting, turning it up as by fire.


text:
[Man] binds the streams so that they do not trickle [into the mine], and the thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.


text:
It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir, in the precious onyx <i>or</i> beryl, or the sapphire.


text:
Gold and glass cannot equal [Wisdom], nor can it be exchanged for jewels <i>or</i> vessels of fine gold.


text:
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; for the possession of Wisdom is even above rubies <i>or</i> pearls.


text:
It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and knowledge of it is withheld from the birds of the heavens.


text:
Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say, We have [only] heard the report of it with our ears.


text:
Then He saw [Wisdom] and declared it; He established it, yes, and searched it out [for His own use, and He alone possesses it].


text:
But to man He said, Behold, the reverential <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord — that is Wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.


text:
As I was in the [prime] ripeness of my days, when the friendship <i>and</i> counsel of God were over my tent,


text:
When my steps [through rich pasturage] were washed with butter and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!


text:
When I went out to the gate of the city, when I prepared my seat in the street [the broad place for the council at the city’s gate],


text:
For when the ear heard, it called me happy <i>and</i> blessed me; and when the eye saw, it testified for me [approvingly],


text:
The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.


text:
I put on <f>[1]</f>righteousness, and it clothed me <i>or</i> clothed itself with me; my justice was like a robe and a turban <i>or</i> a diadem <i>or</i> a crown!


text:
And I broke the jaws <i>or</i> the big teeth of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth.


text:
My glory <i>and</i> honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed], and my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.


text:
After I spoke, they did not speak again, and my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower].


text:
I smiled on them when they had no confidence, and their depression did not cast down the light of my countenance.


text:
I chose their way [for them] and sat as [their] chief, and dwelt like a king among his soldiers, like one who comforts mourners.


text:
But now they who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.


text:
Yes, how could the strength of their hands profit me? They were men whose ripe age <i>and</i> vigor had perished.


text:
They are gaunt with want and famine; they gnaw the dry <i>and</i> barren ground <i>or</i> flee into the wilderness, into the gloom of wasteness and desolation.


text:
They pluck saltwort <i>or</i> mallows among the bushes, and roots of the broom for their food <i>or</i> to warm them.


text:
They must dwell in the clefts of frightful valleys (gullies made by torrents) and in holes of the earth and of the rocks.


text:
Among the bushes they bray <i>and</i> howl [like wild animals]; beneath the prickly scrub they fling themselves <i>and</i> huddle together.


text:
They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, and do not refrain from spitting in my face <i>or</i> at the sight of me.


text:
For God has loosed my bowstring and afflicted <i>and</i> humbled me; they have cast off the bridle [of restraint] before me.


text:
On my right hand rises the rabble brood; they jostle me <i>and</i> push away my feet, and they cast up against me their ways of destruction [like an advancing army].


text:
They break up <i>and</i> clutter my path [embarrassing my plans]; they urge on my calamity, even though they have no helper [and are themselves helpless].


text:
As through a wide breach they come in; amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll themselves upon me.


text:
Terrors are turned upon me; my honor <i>and</i> reputation they chase away like the wind, and my welfare has passed away as a cloud.


text:
By the great force [of my disease] my garment is disguised <i>and</i> disfigured; it binds me about like the collar of my coat.


text:
I cry to You, [Lord,] and You do not answer me; I stand up, but You [only] gaze [indifferently] at me.


text:
You have become harsh <i>and</i> cruel to me; with the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.


text:
For I know that You will bring me to death and to the house [of meeting] appointed for all the living.


text:
However, does not one falling in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand? Or in his calamity will he not therefore cry for help?


text:
For what portion should I have from God above [if I were lewd], and what heritage from the Almighty on high?


text:
Oh, let me be weighed in a just balance <i>and</i> let Him weigh me, that God may know my integrity!


text:
If my step has turned out of [God’s] way, and my heart has gone the way my eyes [covetously] invited, and if any spot has stained my hands with guilt,


text:
Then let me sow and let another eat; yes, let the produce of my field <i>or</i> my offspring be rooted out.


text:
If my heart has been deceived <i>and</i> I made a fool by a woman, or if I have [covetously] laid wait at my neighbor’s door [until his departure],


text:
For [adultery] is a heinous <i>and</i> chief crime, an iniquity [to demand action by] the judges <i>and</i> punishment. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For [uncontrolled passion] is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (to destruction, ruin, and the place of final torment); [that fire once lighted would rage until all is consumed] and would burn to the root all my [life’s] increase.


text:
If I have despised <i>and</i> rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant when they contended <i>or</i> brought a complaint against me,


text:
What then shall I do when God rises up [to judge]? When He visits [to inquire of me], what shall I answer Him? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Did not He Who made me in the womb make [my servant]? And did not One fashion us both in the womb? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
If I have withheld from the poor <i>and</i> needy what they desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],


text:
No, but from my youth [the fatherless] grew up with me as a father, and I have been [the widow’s] guide from my mother’s womb —


text:
If his loins have not blessed me [for clothing them], and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,


text:
If I have lifted my hand against the fatherless when I saw [that the judges would be favorable and be] my help at the [council] gate,


text:
For calamity from God was a terror to me, and because of His majesty I could not endure [to face Him] <i>and</i> could do nothing. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
If I beheld [as an object of worship] the sunlight when it shone or the moon walking in its brightness,


text:
This also would have been [a heinous and principal] iniquity to demand the judges’ action <i>and</i> punishment, for I would have denied <i>and</i> been false to the God Who is above. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
If I rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me or lifted myself up [in malicious triumph] when evil overtook him —


text:
[Just ask] if the men of my tent will not say, Who can find one in need who has not been satisfied with food he gave them? —


text:
The temporary resident has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my door to the wayfaring man —


text:
If like Adam <i>or</i> like [other] men I have concealed my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom


text:
Because I feared the great multitude and the contempt of families terrified me so that I kept silence and did not go out of the door —


text:
Oh, for a hearing! Oh, for an answer from the Almighty! Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form] in a book!


text:
I would count out to Him the number of my steps [with every detail of my life], approaching His presence as a prince —


text:
For if my land has cried out against me and its furrows have complained together with tears [that I have no right to them],


text:
If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them or have caused its [rightful] owners to breathe their last,


text:
Let thistles grow instead of wheat and cockleburs instead of barley. The [controversial] words of Job [with his friends] are ended.


text:
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was [rigidly] righteous (upright and in right standing with God) in his own eyes. [But there was a fifth man there also.]


text:
Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became indignant. His indignation was kindled against Job because he justified himself rather than God [even made himself out to be better than God].


text:
Also against [Job’s] three friends was [Elihu’s] anger kindled, because they had found no answer [were unable to show his real error], and yet they had declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions].


text:
Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite said, I am young, and you are aged; for that reason I was timid <i>and</i> restrained and dared not declare my opinion to you.


text:
But there is [a vital force] a spirit [of intelligence] in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives men understanding. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
So I say, Listen to me; I also will give you my opinion [about Job’s situation] <i>and</i> my knowledge.


text:
You see, I waited for your words, I listened to your wise reasons, while you searched out what to say.


text:
Yes, I paid attention to what you said, and behold, not one of you convinced Job or made [satisfactory] replies to his words [you could not refute him].


text:
Beware lest you say, We have found wisdom; God thrusts [Job] down [justly], not man [God alone is dealing with him].


text:
Now [Job] has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no cause for irritation], neither will I answer him with speeches like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]


text:
[Job’s friends] are amazed <i>and</i> embarrassed, they answer no more; they have not a thing to say [reports Elihu].


text:
I will not [I warn you] be influenced by respect for any man’s person <i>and</i> show partiality, neither will I flatter any man.


text:
For I know not how to flatter, [wasting my time in mere formalities, for then] my Maker would soon take me away.


text:
My words shall express the uprightness of my heart, and my lips shall speak what they know with utter sincerity.


text:
[It is] the Spirit of God that made me [which has stirred me up], and the breath of the Almighty that gives me life [which inspires me].


text:
Behold, I am toward God <i>and</i> before Him even as you are; I also am formed out of the clay [though I speak with abnormal wisdom because of a divine illumination].


text:
See my terror [for I am only a fellow mortal, not God]; I shall not make you afraid, neither shall my pressure be heavy upon you.


text:
But behold, God finds occasions against me <i>and</i> causes of alienation <i>and</i> indifference; He counts me as His enemy.


text:
Why do you contend against Him? For He does not give account of any of His actions. [Sufficient for us it should be to know that it is He Who does them.]


text:
For God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once, but more than once, even though men do not regard it [including you, Job].


text:
[One may hear God’s voice] in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men while slumbering upon the bed,


text:
That He may withdraw man from his purpose and cut off pride from him [disgusting him with his own disappointing self-sufficiency].


text:
He holds him back from the pit [of destruction], and his life from perishing by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments].


text:
[God’s voice may be heard by man when] he is chastened with pain upon his bed and with continual strife in his bones <i>or</i> while all his bones are firmly set,


text:
[God’s voice may be heard] if there is for the hearer a messenger <i>or</i> an angel, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show to man what is right for him [how to be upright and in right standing with God],


text:
Then [God] is gracious to him and says, Deliver him from going down into the pit [of destruction]; I have found a ransom (a price of redemption, an atonement)!


text:
[Then the man’s] flesh shall be restored; it becomes fresher <i>and</i> more tender than a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth.


text:
He prays to God, and He is favorable to him, so that he sees His face with joy; for [God] restores to him his righteousness (his uprightness and right standing with God — with its joys).


text:
He looks upon other men <i>or</i> sings out to them, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it did not profit me, <i>or</i> He did not requite me [according to my iniquity]!


text:
[God] has redeemed my life from going down to the pit [of destruction], and my life shall see the light!


text:
To bring back his life from the pit [of destruction], that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.


text:
For Job has said, I am [innocent and uncompromisingly] righteous, but God has taken away my right; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Would I lie against my right? Yet, notwithstanding my right, I am counted a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.


text:
For he has said, It profits a man nothing that he should delight himself with God <i>and</i> consent to Him.


text:
Therefore hear me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God that He should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that He should commit iniquity.


text:
For according to the deeds of a man God will [exactly] proportion his pay, and He will cause every man to find [recompense] according to his ways.


text:
If [God] should set His heart upon him [man] and withdraw His [life-giving] spirit and His breath [from man] to Himself,


text:
Is it possible that an enemy of right should govern? And will you condemn Him Who is just <i>and</i> mighty?


text:
[God] Who says to a king, You are worthless <i>and</i> vile, or to princes <i>and</i> nobles, You are ungodly <i>and</i> evil?


text:
[God] is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor, for they all are the work of His hands.


text:
In a moment they die; even at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no [human] hand.


text:
He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry [before a jury] <i>and</i> in ways past finding out and sets others in their stead. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Therefore He takes knowledge of their works, and He overturns them in the night, so that they are crushed <i>and</i> destroyed.


text:
Because they turned aside from Him and would not consider <i>or</i> show regard for any of His ways, <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, and He heard the cry of the afflicted. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
When He gives quietness (peace and security from oppression), who then can condemn? When He hides His face [withdrawing His favor and help], who then can behold Him [and make Him gracious], whether it be a nation or a man by himself? —


text:
Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned]; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?


text:
Should [God’s] recompense [for your sins] be as you will it, when you refuse to accept it? For you must do the choosing, and not I; therefore say what is your truthful conclusion.


text:
[Would that Job’s afflictions be continued and] he be tried to the end because of his answering like wicked men!


text:
For he adds rebellion [in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God] to his unacknowledged sin; he claps his hands [in open mockery and contempt of God] among us, and he multiplies his words of accusation against God.


text:
If you have sinned, how does that affect God? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?


text:
Your wickedness touches and affects a man such as you are, and your righteousness is for yourself, one of the human race [but it cannot touch God, Who is above such influence].


text:
Because of the multitudes of oppressions the people cry out; they cry for help because of the violence of the mighty.


text:
Surely God will refuse to answer [the cry which is] vanity (vain and empty — instead of abiding trust); neither will the Almighty regard it —


text:
How much less when [missing His righteous judgment on earth] you say that you do not see Him, that your cause is before Him, and you are waiting for Him!


text:
But now because God has not [speedily] punished in His anger and seems to be unaware of the wrong <i>and</i> oppression [of which a person is guilty],


text:
Job uselessly opens his mouth and multiplies words without knowledge [drawing the worthless conclusion that the righteous have no more advantage than the wicked].


text:
Bear with me <i>and</i> wait a little longer, and I will show you, for I have something still to say on God’s behalf.


text:
Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial; He is mighty in power of understanding <i>and</i> heart.


text:
He withdraws not His eyes from the righteous (the upright in right standing with God); but He sets them forever with kings upon the throne, and they are exalted.


text:
Then He shows to them [the true character of] their deeds and their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and self-sufficiency].


text:
He also opens their ears to instruction <i>and</i> discipline, and commands that they return from iniquity.


text:
If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness <i>and</i> joy.


text:
But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments], and they shall die in ignorance of true knowledge.


text:
But the godless <i>and</i> profane in heart heap up anger [at the divine discipline]; they do not cry to Him when He binds them [with cords of affliction]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Indeed, God would have allured you out of the mouth of distress into a broad place where there is no situation of perplexity <i>or</i> privation; and that which would be set on your table would be full of fatness.


text:
But if you [Job] are filled with the judgment of the wicked, judgment and justice will keep hold on you.


text:
For let not wrath entice you into scorning chastisements; and let not the greatness of the ransom [the suffering, if rightly endured] turn you aside.


text:
Will your cry be sufficient to keep you from distress, or will all the force of your strength do it?


text:
Take heed, turn not to iniquity, for this [the iniquity of complaining against God] you have chosen rather than [submission in] affliction.


text:
Behold, God exalts <i>and</i> does loftily in His power; who is a ruler <i>or</i> a teacher like Him?


text:
Not only that, but can anyone understand the spreadings of the clouds <i>or</i> the thunderings of His pavilion? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
After it His voice roars; He thunders with the voice of His majesty, and He restrains not [His lightnings against His adversaries] when His voice is heard.


text:
For He says to the snow, Fall on the earth; likewise He speaks to the showers and to the downpour of His mighty rains.


text:
God seals up (stops, brings to a standstill by severe weather) the hand of every man [and now under His seal their hands are forced to inactivity], that all men whom He has made may know His doings (His sovereign power and their subjection to it).


text:
And it is turned round about by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them upon the face of the habitable earth.


text:
Whether it be for correction or for His earth [generally] or for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, He causes it to come. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Do you know how God lays His command upon them and causes the lightning of His [storm] cloud to shine?


text:
Do you know how the clouds are balanced [and poised in the heavens], the wonderful works of Him Who is perfect in knowledge?


text:
[Or] why your garments are hot when He quiets the earth [in sultry summer] with the [oppressive] south wind?


text:
Tell us [Job] with what words of man we may address such a Being; we cannot state our case because we are in the dark [in the presence of the unsearchable God].


text:
And now men cannot look upon the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them.


text:
Golden brightness <i>and</i> splendor come out of the north; [if men can scarcely look upon it, how much less upon the] terrible splendor <i>and</i> majesty God has upon Himself!


text:
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out; He is excellent in power; and to justice and plenteous righteousness He does no violence [He will disregard no right]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Men therefore [reverently] fear Him; He regards <i>and</i> respects not any who are wise in heart [in their own understanding and conceit]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have <i>and</i> know understanding.


text:
And said, Thus far shall you come and no farther; and here shall your proud waves be stayed? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So that [light] may get hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wickedness [of night] out of it?


text:
It is changed like clay into which a seal is pressed; and things stand out like a many-colored garment.


text:
Can you bind the chains of [the cluster of stars called] Pleiades, or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion?


text:
Can you lead forth the signs of the zodiac in their season? Or can you guide [the stars of] the Bear with her young?


text:
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts [or in the dark clouds]? Or who has given understanding to the mind [or to the meteor]?


text:
Who provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?


text:
Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth [their young]? [Or] do you observe when the hinds are giving birth? [Do you attend to all this, Job?]


text:
Can you number the months that they carry their offspring? Or do you know the time when they are delivered,


text:
Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field; they go forth and return not to them.


text:
Who has sent out the wild donkey, giving him his freedom? Or who has loosed the bands of the swift donkey [by which his tame brother is bound — he, the shy, the swift-footed, and the untamable],


text:
Can you bind the wild ox with a harness to the plow in the furrow? Or will he harrow the furrows for you?


text:
Will you depend upon him to bring home your seed and gather the grain of your threshing floor? [Who, Job, was the author of this strange variance in the disposition of animals so alike in appearance? Was it you?]


text:
She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers; her labor is in vain because she has no sense of danger [for her unborn brood],


text:
Yet when she lifts herself up in flight, [so swift is she that] she can laugh to scorn the horse and his rider.


text:
Have you given the horse his might? Have you clothed his neck with quivering <i>and</i> a shaking mane?


text:
Was it you [Job] who made him to leap like a locust? The majesty of his [snorting] nostrils is terrible.


text:
He mocks at fear and is not dismayed <i>or</i> terrified; neither does he turn back [in battle] from the sword.


text:
[He seems in running to] devour the ground with fierceness and rage; neither can he stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet.


text:
As often as the trumpet sounds he says, Ha, ha! And he smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


text:
Is it by your wisdom [Job] that the hawk soars and stretches her wings toward the south [as winter approaches]?


text:
Shall he who would find fault with the Almighty contend with Him? He who disputes with God, let him answer it.


text:
Behold, I am of small account <i>and</i> vile! What shall I answer You? I lay my hand upon my mouth. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I have spoken once, but I will not reply again — indeed, twice [have I answered], but I will proceed no further.


text:
Will you also annul (set aside and render void) My judgment? Will you condemn Me [your God], that you may [appear] righteous <i>and</i> justified?


text:
[Since you question the manner of the Almighty’s rule] deck yourself now with the excellency <i>and</i> dignity [of the Supreme Ruler, and yourself undertake the government of the world if you are so wise], <i>and</i> array yourself with honor and majesty.


text:
Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low, and tread down the wicked where they stand [if you are so able, Job].


text:
[If you can do all this, Job, proving yourself of divine might] then will I [God] praise you also [and acknowledge that] your own right hand can save you.


text:
[The hippopotamus] is the first [in magnitude and power] of the works of God [in animal life]; [only] He Who made him provides him with his [swordlike tusks, or only God Who made him can bring near His sword to master him].


text:
Behold, if a river is violent <i>and</i> overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.


text:
Can you draw out the leviathan (the crocodile) with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?


text:
Will he make many supplications to you [begging to be spared]? Will he speak soft words to you [to coax you to treat him kindly]?


text:
Lay your hand upon him! Remember your battle with him; you will not do [such an ill-advised thing] again!


text:
No one is so fierce [and foolhardy] that he dares to stir up [the crocodile]; who then is he who can stand before Me [the beast’s Creator, or dares to contend with Me]?


text:
Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heavens is Mine. [Therefore, who can have a claim against God, God Who made the unmastered crocodile?] <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Who can strip off [the crocodile’s] outer garment? [Who can penetrate his double coat of mail?] Who shall come within his jaws?


text:
Who can open the doors of his [lipless] mouth? His [extended jaws and bare] teeth are terrible round about.


text:
His scales are [the crocodile’s] pride, [for his back is made of rows of shields] shut up together [as with] a tight seal;


text:
The folds of his flesh cleave together; they are firm upon him, and they cannot shake [when he moves].


text:
When [the crocodile] raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; because of terror <i>and</i> the crashing they are beside themselves.


text:
Even if one strikes at him with the sword, it cannot get any hold, nor does the spear, the dart, or the javelin.


text:
Clubs [also] are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rushing <i>and</i> the rattling of the javelin.


text:
His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery; he spreads [grooves like] a threshing sledge upon the mire.


text:
[His swift darting] makes a shining track behind him; one would think the deep to be hoary [with foam].


text:
Upon earth there is not [the crocodile’s] equal, a creature made without fear <i>and</i> he behaves fearlessly.


text:
He looks all mighty [beasts of prey] in the face [without terror]; he is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, <f>[1]</f>who are you who dares not arouse the unmastered crocodile, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s Creator, to My face? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]


text:
I know that You can do all things, and that no thought <i>or</i> purpose of Yours can be restrained <i>or</i> thwarted.


text:
[You said to me] Who is this that darkens <i>and</i> obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge? Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
[I had virtually said to You what You have said to me:] Hear, I beseech You, and I will speak; I will demand of You, and You declare to me.


text:
After the Lord had spoken the previous words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.


text:
Now therefore take seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept [his prayer] that I deal not with you after your folly, in that you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.


text:
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; and the Lord accepted [Job’s prayer].


text:
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job <i>and</i> restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him over all the [distressing] calamities that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money, and every man an earring of gold.


text:
And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And he called the name of the first Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.


text:
And in all the land there were no women so fair as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.


text:
 Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks <i>and</i> lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.


text:
But his delight <i>and</i> desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade <i>or</i> wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]. But they are like the chaff [worthless, dead, without substance] which the wind drives away.


text:
Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor <f>[1]</f>sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].


text:
For the Lord knows <i>and</i> is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).


text:
Why do the nations assemble with commotion [uproar and confusion of voices], and why do the people imagine (meditate upon and devise) an empty scheme?


text:
The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ). <i>They say</i>, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision [and in supreme contempt He mocks them].


text:
He speaks to them in His deep anger and troubles (terrifies and confounds) them in His displeasure <i>and</i> fury, <i>saying</i>,


text:
I will declare the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son; this day [I declare] I have begotten You. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession.


text:
Serve the Lord with reverent awe <i>and</i> worshipful fear; rejoice <i>and</i> be in high spirits with trembling [lest you displease Him].


text:
Kiss the Son [pay homage to Him in purity], lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled. O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refuge <i>and</i> put their trust in Him!


text:
Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.


text:
Salvation belongs to the Lord; May Your blessing be upon Your people. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness (uprightness, justice, and right standing with You)! You have freed me when I was hemmed in <i>and</i> enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.


text:
O you sons of men, how long will you turn my honor <i>and</i> glory into shame? How long will you love vanity <i>and</i> futility <i>and</i> seek after lies? <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and given distinction to] him who is godly [the man of loving-kindness]. The Lord listens <i>and</i> heeds when I call to Him.


text:
Be angry [or stand in awe] and sin not; commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be silent (sorry for the things you say in your hearts). <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You have put more joy <i>and</i> rejoicing in my heart than [they know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly.


text:
In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety <i>and</i> confident trust.


text:
In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch <i>and</i> wait [for You to speak to my heart].


text:
For You are not a God Who takes pleasure in wickedness; neither will the evil [man] so much as dwell [temporarily] with You.


text:
You will destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors [and rejects] the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.


text:
But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love <i>and</i> mercy; I will worship toward <i>and</i> at Your holy temple in reverent fear <i>and</i> awe of You.


text:
Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way level (straight and right) before my face.


text:
For there is nothing trustworthy <i>or</i> steadfast <i>or</i> truthful in their talk; their heart is destruction [or a destructive chasm, a yawning gulf]; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter and make smooth with their tongue. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Hold them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own designs <i>and</i> counsels; cast them out because of the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.


text:
But let all those who take refuge <i>and</i> put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing <i>and</i> shout for joy, because You make a covering over them <i>and</i> defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You <i>and</i> be in high spirits.


text:
For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor).


text:
Have mercy on me <i>and</i> be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak (faint and withered away); O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.


text:
My [inner] self [as well as my body] is also exceedingly disturbed <i>and</i> troubled. But You, O Lord, how long [until You return and speak peace to me]?


text:
Return [to my relief], O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of Your steadfast love <i>and</i> mercy.


text:
For in death there is no remembrance of You; in Sheol (the place of the dead) who will give You thanks?


text:
I am weary with my groaning; all night I soak my pillow with tears, I drench my couch with my weeping.


text:
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let all my enemies be ashamed and sorely troubled; let them turn back <i>and</i> be put to shame suddenly.


text:
O Lord my God, in You I take refuge <i>and</i> put my trust; save me from all those who pursue <i>and</i> persecute me, and deliver me,


text:
Lest my foe tear my life [from my body] like a lion, dragging <i>me</i> away while there is none to deliver.


text:
If I have paid back with evil him who was at peace with me or without cause have robbed him who was my enemy,


text:
Let the enemy pursue my life and take it; yes, let him trample my life to the ground and lay my honor in the dust. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies; and awake [and stir up] for me the justice <i>and</i> vindication [that] You have commanded.


text:
The Lord judges the people; judge me, O Lord, <i>and</i> do me justice according to my righteousness [my rightness, justice, and right standing with You] and according to the integrity that is in me.


text:
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the [uncompromisingly] righteous [those upright and in harmony with You]; for You, Who try the hearts and emotions <i>and</i> thinking powers, are a righteous God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
If a man does not turn <i>and</i> repent, [God] will whet His sword; He has strung <i>and</i> bent His [huge] bow and made it ready [by treading it with His foot].


text:
He made a pit and hollowed it out and has fallen into the hole which he made [before the trap was completed].


text:
His mischief shall fall back in return upon his own head, and his violence come down [with the loose dirt] upon his own scalp.


text:
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness <i>and</i> justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.


text:
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.


text:
Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
When I view <i>and</i> consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained <i>and</i> established,


text:
Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.


text:
You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet: <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, <i>and</i> whatever passes along the paths of the seas.


text:
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works <i>and</i> wonderful deeds!


text:
You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.


text:
The enemy have been cut off <i>and</i> have vanished in everlasting ruins, You have plucked up <i>and</i> overthrown their cities; the very memory of them has perished <i>and</i> vanished.


text:
But the Lord shall remain <i>and</i> continue forever; He has prepared <i>and</i> established His throne for judgment. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And He will judge the world in righteousness (rightness and equity); He will minister justice to the peoples in uprightness. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The Lord also will be a refuge <i>and</i> a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge <i>and</i> a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation).


text:
And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on <i>and</i> confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For He Who avenges the blood [of His people shed unjustly] remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted (the poor and the humble).


text:
Have mercy upon me <i>and</i> be gracious <i>to me</i>, O Lord; consider how I am afflicted by those who hate me, You Who lift me up from the gates of death,


text:
That I may show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your praises! In the gates of the Daughter of Zion I will rejoice in Your salvation <i>and</i> Your saving help.


text:
The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is their own foot caught.


text:
The Lord has made Himself known; He executes judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion [meditation]. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
The wicked shall be turned back [headlong into premature death] into Sheol (the place of the departed spirits of the wicked), even all the nations that forget <i>or</i> are forgetful of God.


text:
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the expectation <i>and</i> hope of the meek <i>and</i> the poor shall not perish forever.


text:
Put them in fear [make them realize their frail nature], O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself, [veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble (distress and desperation)?


text:
The wicked in pride <i>and</i> arrogance hotly pursue <i>and</i> persecute the poor; let them be taken in the schemes which they have devised.


text:
For the wicked <i>man</i> boasts (sings the praises) of his own heart’s desire, and the one greedy for gain curses <i>and</i> spurns, yes, renounces <i>and</i> despises the Lord.


text:
The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> yearn for God; all his thoughts are that there is no God [so He never punishes].


text:
His ways are grievous [or persist] at all times; Your judgments [Lord] are far above <i>and</i> on high out of his sight [so he never thinks about them]; as for all his foes, he sniffs <i>and</i> sneers at them.


text:
He thinks in his heart, I shall not be moved; for throughout all generations I shall not come to want <i>or</i> be in adversity.


text:
His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, oppression (fraud); under his tongue are trouble and sin (mischief and iniquity).


text:
He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he slays the innocent; he watches stealthily for the poor (the helpless and unfortunate).


text:
He lurks in secret places like a lion in his thicket; he lies in wait that he may seize the poor (the helpless and the unfortunate); he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.


text:
[The foe] thinks in his heart, God has quite forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see [my deed].


text:
Why does the wicked [man] condemn (spurn and renounce) God? Why has he thought in his heart, You will not call to account?


text:
You have seen it; yes, You note trouble and grief (vexation) to requite it with Your hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.


text:
Break the arm of the wicked man; and as for the evil man, search out his wickedness until You find no more.


text:
O Lord, You have heard the desire <i>and</i> the longing of the humble <i>and</i> oppressed; You will prepare <i>and</i> strengthen <i>and</i> direct their hearts, You will cause Your ear to hear,


text:
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, may not terrify them any more.


text:
In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust]; how can you say to me, Flee like a bird to your mountain?


text:
For see, the wicked are bending the bow; they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they [furtively] in darkness may shoot at the upright in heart.


text:
If the foundations are destroyed, what can the [unyieldingly] righteous do, <i>or</i> what has He [the Righteous One] wrought <i>or</i> accomplished?


text:
The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test <i>and</i> prove the children of men. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord tests <i>and</i> proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals <i>or</i> snares; fire, brimstone, and a [dreadful] scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.


text:
For the Lord is [rigidly] righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face, <i>or</i> He beholds the upright.


text:
Help, Lord! For principled <i>and</i> godly people are here no more; faithfulness <i>and</i> the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.


text:
To his neighbor each one speaks words without use <i>or</i> worth <i>or</i> truth; with flattering lips and double heart [deceitfully] they speak.


text:
Those who say, With our tongues we prevail; our lips are our own [to command at our will] — who is lord <i>and</i> master over us?


text:
Now will I arise, says the Lord, because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy; I will set him in safety <i>and</i> in the salvation for which he pants.


text:
The words <i>and</i> promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over.


text:
You will keep them and preserve them, O Lord; You will guard <i>and</i> keep us from this [evil] generation forever.


text:
The wicked walk <i>or</i> prowl about on every side, as vileness is exalted [and baseness is rated high] among the sons of men.


text:
How long must I lay up cares within me and have sorrow in my heart day after day? How long shall my enemy exalt himself over me?


text:
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten the eyes [of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness], lest I sleep the sleep of death,


text:
Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed over him, <i>and</i> those that trouble me rejoice when I am shaken.


text:
But I have trusted, leaned on, <i>and</i> been confident in Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness; my heart shall rejoice <i>and</i> be in high spirits in Your salvation.


text:
The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good <i>or</i> right. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, <i>and</i> sought after God, inquiring for <i>and</i> of Him <i>and</i> requiring Him [of vital necessity].


text:
They are all gone aside, they have <i>all</i> together become filthy; there is none that does good <i>or</i> right, no, not one. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread and who do not call on the Lord?


text:
There they shall be in great fear [literally — dreading a dread], for God is with the generation of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright and in right standing with Him).


text:
You [evildoers] would put to shame <i>and</i> confound the plans of the poor <i>and</i> patient, but the Lord is his safe refuge.


text:
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord shall restore the fortunes of His people, then Jacob shall rejoice <i>and</i> Israel shall be glad. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Lord, who shall dwell [temporarily] in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell [permanently] on Your holy hill?


text:
He who walks <i>and</i> lives uprightly <i>and</i> blamelessly, who works rightness <i>and</i> justice and speaks <i>and</i> thinks the truth in his heart,


text:
He who does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;


text:
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he who honors those who fear the Lord (who revere and worship Him); who swears to his own hurt and does not change;


text:
[He who] does not put out his money for <f>[1]</f>interest [to one of his own people] and who will not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Keep <i>and</i> protect me, O God, for in You I have found refuge, <i>and</i> in You do I put my trust <i>and</i> hide myself.


text:
As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, <i>and</i> the glorious, in whom is all my delight.


text:
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.


text:
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my inner self] rejoices; my body too shall rest <i>and</i> confidently dwell in safety,


text:
For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the place of the dead), neither will You suffer Your holy one [Holy One] to see corruption. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Hear the right (my righteous cause), O Lord; listen to my shrill, piercing cry! Give ear to my prayer, that comes from unfeigned <i>and</i> guileless lips.


text:
Let my sentence of vindication come from You! May Your eyes behold the things that are just <i>and</i> upright.


text:
You have proved my heart; You have visited <i>me</i> in the night; You have tried me and find nothing [no evil purpose in me]; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.


text:
Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent (the paths of the destroyer).


text:
My steps have held closely to Your paths [to the tracks of the One Who has gone on before]; my feet have not slipped.


text:
I have called upon You, O God, for You will hear me; incline Your ear to me <i>and</i> hear my speech.


text:
Show Your marvelous loving-kindness, O You Who save by Your right hand those who trust <i>and</i> take refuge in You from those who rise up against them.


text:
They are enclosed in their own prosperity <i>and</i> have shut up their hearts to pity; with their mouths they make exorbitant claims <i>and</i> proudly <i>and</i> arrogantly speak.


text:
They track us down in each step we take; now they surround us; they set their eyes to cast us to the ground,


text:
Arise, O Lord! Confront <i>and</i> forestall them, cast them down! Deliver my life from the wicked by Your sword,


text:
From men by Your hand, O Lord, from men of <i>this</i> world [these poor moths of the night] whose portion in life is idle <i>and</i> vain. Their bellies are filled with Your hidden treasure [what You have stored up]; their children are satiated, and they leave the rest [of their] wealth to their babes.


text:
As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].


text:
The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen <i>and</i> firm Strength in Whom I will trust <i>and</i> take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The cords <i>or</i> bands of death surrounded me, and the streams of ungodliness <i>and</i> the torrents of ruin terrified me.


text:
The cords of Sheol (the place of the dead) surrounded me; the snares of death confronted <i>and</i> came upon me.


text:
In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears.


text:
Then the earth quaked and rocked, the foundations also of the mountains trembled; they moved <i>and</i> were shaken because He was indignant <i>and</i> angry.


text:
There went up smoke from His nostrils; and lightning out of His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it.


text:
He made darkness His secret hiding place; as His pavilion (His canopy) round about Him were dark waters <i>and</i> thick clouds of the skies.


text:
Out of the brightness before Him there broke forth through His thick clouds hailstones and coals of fire.


text:
The Lord also thundered from the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, amid hailstones and coals of fire.


text:
And He sent out His arrows and scattered them; and He flashed forth lightnings and put them to rout.


text:
Then the beds of the sea appeared and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.


text:
He delivered me from my strong enemy and from those who hated <i>and</i> abhorred me, for they were too strong for me.


text:
They confronted <i>and</i> came upon me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay <i>and</i> support.


text:
He brought me forth also into a large place; He was delivering me because He was pleased with me <i>and</i> delighted in me.


text:
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness (my conscious integrity and sincerity with Him); according to the cleanness of my hands has He recompensed me.


text:
I was upright before Him <i>and</i> blameless with Him, ever [on guard] to keep myself free from my sin <i>and</i> guilt.


text:
Therefore has the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness (my uprightness and right standing with Him), according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.


text:
With the kind <i>and</i> merciful You will show Yourself kind <i>and</i> merciful, with an upright man You will show Yourself upright,


text:
As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested <i>and</i> tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge <i>and</i> put their trust in Him.


text:
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.


text:
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has held me up; Your gentleness <i>and</i> condescension have made me great.


text:
For You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me and caused to bow down those who rose up against me.


text:
They cried [for help], but there was none to deliver — even unto the Lord, but He answered them not.


text:
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the dirt <i>and</i> mire of the streets.


text:
You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You made me the head of the nations; a people I had not known served me.


text:
As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners submitted themselves cringingly <i>and</i> yielded feigned obedience to me.


text:
Who delivers me from my enemies; yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me; You deliver me from the man of violence.


text:
Therefore will I give thanks <i>and</i> extol You, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Great deliverances <i>and</i> triumphs gives He to His king; and He shows mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love to His anointed, to David and his offspring forever. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows <i>and</i> proclaims His handiwork. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens has God made a tent for the sun, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; and it rejoices as a strong man to run his course.


text:
Its going forth is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the ends of it; and nothing [yes, no one] is hidden from the heat of it.


text:
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.


text:
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure <i>and</i> bright, enlightening the eyes.


text:
The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.


text:
More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.


text:
Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.


text:
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent <i>and</i> clear of great transgression.


text:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.


text:
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you];


text:
Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think of that]!


text:
We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation <i>and</i> victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.


text:
Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.


text:
Some trust in <i>and</i> boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in <i>and</i> boast of the name of the Lord our God.


text:
The king [David] shall joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!


text:
You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think of that]!


text:
For You make him to be blessed <i>and</i> a blessing forever; You make him exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the king trusts, relies on, <i>and</i> is confident in the Lord, and through the mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love of the Most High he will never be moved.


text:
You will make them as if in a blazing oven in the time of Your anger; the Lord will swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire will utterly consume them.


text:
For they planned evil against You; they conceived a mischievous plot which they are not able to perform.


text:
 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You answer not; and by night I am not silent <i>or</i> find no rest.


text:
Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted (leaned on, relied on You, and were confident) and You delivered them.


text:
They cried to You and were delivered; they trusted in, leaned on, <i>and</i> confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed <i>or</i> confounded <i>or</i> disappointed.


text:
All who see me laugh at me <i>and</i> mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He trusted <i>and</i> rolled himself on the Lord, that He would deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing that He delights in him! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope <i>and</i> trust when I was on my mother’s breasts.


text:
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is softened [with anguish] <i>and</i> melted down within me.


text:
My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery; [with thirst] my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You have brought me into the dust of death. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For [like a pack of] dogs they have encompassed me; a company of evildoers has encircled me, they pierced my hands and my feet. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
They part my clothing among them and cast lots for my raiment (a long, shirtlike garment, a seamless undertunic). <f>ⓘ</f>)


text:
Deliver my life from the sword, my dear life [my only one] from the power of the dog [the agent of execution].


text:
I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise You. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
You who fear (revere and worship) the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him. Fear (revere and worship) Him, all you offspring of Israel.


text:
For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him, but when he cried to Him, He heard.


text:
My praise shall be of You in the great congregation. I will pay to Him my vows [made in the time of trouble] before them who fear (revere and worship) Him.


text:
The poor <i>and</i> afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord — they who [diligently] seek for, inquire of <i>and</i> for Him, <i>and</i> require Him [as their greatest need]. May your hearts be quickened now <i>and</i> forever!


text:
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow down <i>and</i> worship before You,


text:
All the mighty ones upon earth shall eat [in thanksgiving] and worship; all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive.


text:
They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born — that He has done it [that it is finished]! <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still <i>and</i> restful waters. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He refreshes <i>and</i> restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him — not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.


text:
Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear <i>or</i> dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.


text:
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with <f>[1]</f>oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.


text:
Surely <i>or</i> only goodness, mercy, <i>and</i> unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.


text:
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood <i>or</i> to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think of that]! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.


text:
Lift up your heads, O you gates; yes, lift them up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.


text:
Who is [He then] this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think of that]!


text:
O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, <i>and</i> am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame <i>or</i> [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me.


text:
Yes, let none who trust <i>and</i> wait hopefully <i>and</i> look for You be put to shame <i>or</i> be disappointed; let them be ashamed who forsake the right <i>or</i> deal treacherously without cause.


text:
Guide me in Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long.


text:
Remember not the sins (the lapses and frailties) of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.


text:
All the paths of the Lord are mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love, even truth <i>and</i> faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.


text:
Who is the man who reverently fears <i>and</i> worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose.


text:
The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant <i>and</i> reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O keep me, Lord, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed <i>or</i> disappointed, for my trust <i>and</i> my refuge are in You.


text:
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity; I have [expectantly] trusted in, leaned on, <i>and</i> relied on the Lord without wavering <i>and</i> I shall not slide.


text:
Gather me not with sinners <i>and</i> sweep me not away [with them], nor my life with bloodthirsty men,


text:
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation — whom shall I fear <i>or</i> dread? The Lord is the Refuge <i>and</i> Stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?


text:
When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.


text:
Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, [even then] in this will I be confident.


text:
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold <i>and</i> gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, <i>and</i> inquire in His temple. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.


text:
And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices <i>and</i> shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.


text:
You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].


text:
Hide not Your face from me; turn not Your servant away in anger, You Who have been my help! Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation!


text:
Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain <i>and</i> even path because of my enemies [those who lie in wait for me].


text:
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me; they breathe out cruelty <i>and</i> violence.


text:
[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!


text:
Wait <i>and</i> hope for <i>and</i> expect the Lord; be brave <i>and</i> of good courage and let your heart be stout <i>and</i> enduring. Yes, wait for <i>and</i> hope for <i>and</i> expect the Lord.


text:
Unto You do I cry, O Lord my Rock, be not deaf <i>and</i> silent to me, lest, if You be silent to me, I become like those going down to the pit [the grave].


text:
Hear the voice of my supplication as I cry to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your innermost sanctuary (the Holy of Holies).


text:
Drag me not away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbors, but malice <i>and</i> mischief are in their hearts.


text:
Repay them according to their work and according to the wickedness of their doings; repay them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Because they regard not the works of the Lord nor the operations of His hands, He will break them down and not rebuild them.


text:
The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, <i>and</i> confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.


text:
The Lord is their [unyielding] Strength, and He is the Stronghold of salvation to [me] His anointed.


text:
Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness <i>or</i> in holy array.


text:
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many (great) waters.


text:
The voice of the Lord makes the hinds bring forth their young, and His voice strips bare the forests, while in His temple everyone is saying, Glory!


text:
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.


text:
O Lord, You have brought my life up from Sheol (the place of the dead); You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (the grave).


text:
For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime <i>or</i> in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
By Your favor, O Lord, You have established me as a strong mountain; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.


text:
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness to men?


text:
You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,


text:
To the end that my tongue <i>and</i> my heart <i>and</i> everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.


text:
In You, O Lord, do I put my trust <i>and</i> seek refuge; let me never be put to shame <i>or</i> [have my hope in You] disappointed; deliver me in Your righteousness!


text:
Draw me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for You are my Strength <i>and</i> my Stronghold.


text:
Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth <i>and</i> faithfulness. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
[You and] I abhor those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in, rely on, <i>and</i> confidently lean on the Lord.


text:
I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction, You have taken note of my life’s distresses,


text:
Have mercy <i>and</i> be gracious unto me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; with grief my eye is weakened, also my inner self and my body.


text:
For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and even my bones have wasted away.


text:
To all my enemies I have become a reproach, but especially to my neighbors, and a dread to my acquaintances, who flee from me on the street.


text:
For I have heard the slander of many; terror is on every side! While they schemed together against me, they plotted to take my life.


text:
My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me <i>and</i> persecute me.


text:
Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me for Your mercy’s sake <i>and</i> in Your loving-kindness.


text:
Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, <i>or</i> disappointed, for I am calling upon You; let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol (the place of the dead).


text:
Let the lying lips be silenced, which speak insolently against the [consistently] righteous with pride and contempt.


text:
Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, <i>and</i> worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust <i>and</i> take refuge in You before the sons of men!


text:
In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues.


text:
Blessed be the Lord! For He has shown me His marvelous loving favor when I was beset as in a besieged city.


text:
As for me, I said in my haste <i>and</i> alarm, I am cut off from before Your eyes. But You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You for aid.


text:
O love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily.


text:
Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for <i>and</i> hope for <i>and</i> expect the Lord!


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered.


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.


text:
For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord [continually unfolding the past till all is told] — then You [instantly] forgave me the guilt <i>and</i> iniquity of my sin. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
For this [forgiveness] let everyone who is godly pray — pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely when the great waters [of trial] overflow, they shall not reach [the spirit in] him.


text:
You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs <i>and</i> shouts of deliverance. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.


text:
Be not like the horse or the mule, which lack understanding, which must have their mouths held firm with bit and bridle, or else they will not come with you.


text:
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, <i>and</i> confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy <i>and</i> with loving-kindness.


text:
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you who are upright and in right standing with Him]; shout for joy, all you upright in heart!


text:
Rejoice in the Lord, O you [uncompromisingly] righteous [you upright in right standing with God]; for praise is becoming <i>and</i> appropriate for those who are upright [in heart].


text:
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let all the earth fear the Lord [revere and worship Him]; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.


text:
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought; He makes the thoughts <i>and</i> plans of the peoples of no effect.


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His heritage.


text:
No king is saved by the great size <i>and</i> power of his army; a mighty man is not delivered by [his] much strength.


text:
Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him <i>and</i> hope in His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness,


text:
For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name.


text:
Let Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting <i>and</i> hoping for You.


text:
I sought (inquired of) the Lord <i>and</i> required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
<f>[1]</f>The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts <i>and</i> takes refuge in Him. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere <i>and</i> worship Him <i>with</i> godly fear.


text:
The young lions lack food and suffer hunger, but they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing.


text:
The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry.


text:
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
When the <i>righteous</i> cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their distress <i>and</i> troubles.


text:
The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin <i>and</i> are humbly <i>and</i> thoroughly penitent.


text:
Evil shall cause the death of the wicked; and they who hate the just <i>and</i> righteous shall be held guilty <i>and</i> shall be condemned.


text:
The Lord redeems the lives of His servants, and none of those who take refuge <i>and</i> trust in Him shall be condemned <i>or</i> held guilty.


text:
Draw out also the spear and javelin <i>and</i> close up the way of those who pursue <i>and</i> persecute me. Say to me, I am your deliverance!


text:
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek <i>and</i> require my life; let them be turned back and confounded who plan my hurt!


text:
Let their way be through dark and slippery places, with the Angel of the Lord pursuing <i>and</i> afflicting them.


text:
For without cause they hid for me their net; a pit of destruction without cause they dug for my life.


text:
Let destruction befall [my foe] unawares; let the net he hid for me catch him; let him fall into that very destruction.


text:
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like You, You Who deliver the poor <i>and</i> the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, yes, the poor and the needy from him who snatches away his goods?


text:
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting, and I prayed with head bowed on my breast.


text:
I behaved as if grieving for my friend <i>or</i> my brother; I bowed down in sorrow, as one who bewails his mother.


text:
But in my stumbling <i>and</i> limping they rejoiced and gathered together [against me]; the smiters (slanderers and revilers) gathered against me, and I knew them not; they ceased not to slander <i>and</i> revile me.


text:
Like profane mockers at feasts [making sport for the price of a cake] they gnashed at me with their teeth.


text:
Lord, how long will You look on [without action]? Rescue my life from their destructions, my dear <i>and</i> only life from the lions!


text:
Let not those who are wrongfully my foes rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye who hate me without cause. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful matters against those who are quiet in the land.


text:
Judge <i>and</i> vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness (Your rightness and justice); and let [my foes] not rejoice over me!


text:
Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, that is what we wanted! Let them not say, We have swallowed him up <i>and</i> utterly destroyed him.


text:
Let them be put to shame and confusion together who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify <i>and</i> exalt themselves over me!


text:
Let those who favor my righteous cause <i>and</i> have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.


text:
And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, <i>and</i> justice, and of [my reasons for] Your praise all the day long.


text:
Transgression [like an oracle] speaks to the wicked deep in his heart. There is no fear <i>or</i> dread of God before his eyes. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For he flatters <i>and</i> deceives himself in his own eyes that his iniquity will not be found out and be hated.


text:
He plans wrongdoing on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject <i>or</i> despise evil.


text:
Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, <i>and</i> Your faithfulness to the clouds.


text:
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, Your judgments are like the great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast.


text:
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge <i>and</i> put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.


text:
They relish <i>and</i> feast on the abundance of Your house; and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures.


text:
O continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.


text:
There the workers of iniquity fall <i>and</i> lie prostrate; they are thrust down and shall not be able to rise.


text:
Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).


text:
Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, <i>and</i> truly you shall be fed.


text:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires <i>and</i> secret petitions of your heart.


text:
Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.


text:
And He will make your uprightness <i>and</i> right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice <i>and</i> right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.


text:
Be still <i>and</i> rest in the Lord; wait for Him <i>and</i> patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.


text:
For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait <i>and</i> hope <i>and</i> look for the Lord [in the end] shall inherit the earth. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The wicked plot against the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright in right standing with God); they gnash at them with their teeth.


text:
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who walk uprightly (blameless in conduct and in conversation).


text:
Better is the little that the [uncompromisingly] righteous have than the abundance [of possessions] of many who are wrong <i>and</i> wicked. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.


text:
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke] <i>and</i> as the glory of the pastures. They shall vanish; like smoke shall they consume away.


text:
The wicked borrow and pay not again [for they may be unable], but the [uncompromisingly] righteous deal kindly and give [for they are able].


text:
For such as are blessed of God shall [in the end] inherit the earth, but they that are cursed of Him shall be cut off. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
The steps of a [good] man are directed <i>and</i> established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].


text:
Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support <i>and</i> upholds him.


text:
I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread.


text:
All day long they are merciful <i>and</i> deal graciously; they lend, and their offspring are blessed.


text:
For the Lord delights in justice and forsakes not His saints; they are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked [in time] shall be cut off.


text:
Wait for <i>and</i> expect the Lord and keep <i>and</i> heed His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; [in the end] when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.


text:
Yet he passed away, and behold, he was not; yes, I sought <i>and</i> inquired for him, but he could not be found.


text:
But the salvation of the [consistently] righteous is of the Lord; He is their Refuge <i>and</i> secure Stronghold in the time of trouble.


text:
And the Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they trust <i>and</i> take refuge in Him.


text:
For Your arrows have sunk into me <i>and</i> stick fast, and Your hand has come down upon me <i>and</i> pressed me sorely.


text:
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; neither is there any health <i>or</i> rest in my bones because of my sin.


text:
For my iniquities have gone over my head [like waves of a flood]; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.


text:
I am faint and sorely bruised [deadly cold and quite worn out]; I groan by reason of the disquiet <i>and</i> moaning of my heart.


text:
My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my neighbors <i>and</i> my near ones stand afar off. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
They also that seek <i>and</i> demand my life lay snares for me, and they that seek <i>and</i> require my hurt speak crafty <i>and</i> mischievous things; they meditate treachery <i>and</i> deceit all the day long.


text:
I said, I will take heed <i>and</i> guard my ways, that I may sin not with my tongue; I will muzzle my mouth as with a bridle while the wicked are before me.


text:
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace without profit and had no comfort away from good, while my distress was renewed.


text:
Lord, make me to know my end and [to appreciate] the measure of my days — what it is; let me know <i>and</i> realize how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].


text:
Behold, You have made my days as [short as] handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Truly every man at his best is merely a breath! <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think calmly of that]!


text:
Surely every man walks to and fro — like a shadow in a pantomime; surely for futility <i>and</i> emptiness he is in turmoil; each one heaps up riches, not knowing who will gather them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the scorn <i>and</i> reproach of the [self-confident] fool!


text:
When with rebukes You correct <i>and</i> chasten man for sin, You waste his beauty like a moth <i>and</i> what is dear to him consumes away; surely every man is a mere breath. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and think calmly of that]!


text:
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears! For I am Your passing guest, a temporary resident, as all my fathers were.


text:
O look away from me <i>and</i> spare me, that I may recover cheerfulness <i>and</i> encouraging strength <i>and</i> know gladness before I go and am no more!


text:
He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps <i>and</i> establishing my goings.


text:
And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust <i>and</i> confident reliance in the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who makes the Lord his refuge <i>and</i> trust, and turns not to the proud or to followers of false gods.


text:
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered.


text:
Sacrifice and offering You do not desire, <i>nor</i> have You delight in them; You have given me the capacity to hear <i>and</i> obey [Your law, a more valuable service than] burnt offerings and sin offerings [which] You do not require.


text:
I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly [tidings of uprightness and right standing with God]. Behold, I have not restrained my lips, as You know, O Lord.


text:
I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart; I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not hid away Your steadfast love and Your truth from the great assembly. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me!


text:
For innumerable evils have compassed me about; my iniquities have taken such hold on me that I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me <i>and</i> forsaken me.


text:
Let them be put to shame and confounded together who seek <i>and</i> require my life to destroy it; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil <i>and</i> delight in my hurt!


text:
Let all those that seek <i>and</i> require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified!


text:
[As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought <i>and</i> plans for me. You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who considers the weak <i>and</i> the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil <i>and</i> trouble.


text:
The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; he shall be called blessed in the land; and You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.


text:
The Lord will sustain, refresh, <i>and</i> strengthen him on his bed of languishing; all his bed You [O Lord] will turn, change, <i>and</i> transform in his illness.


text:
I said, Lord, be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to me; heal my inner self, for I have sinned against You.


text:
And when one comes to see me, he speaks falsehood <i>and</i> empty words, while his heart gathers mischievous gossip [against me]; when he goes away, he tells it abroad.


text:
All who hate me whisper together about me; against me do they devise my hurt [imagining the worst for me].


text:
An evil disease, say they, is poured out upon him <i>and</i> cleaves fast to him; and now that he is bedfast, he will not rise up again.


text:
Even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted (relied on and was confident), who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting [from this age to the next, and forever]! Amen and Amen (so be it).


text:
My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
These things I [earnestly] remember and pour myself out within me: how I went slowly before the throng and led them in procession to the house of God [like a bandmaster before his band, timing the steps to the sound of music and the chant of song], with the voice of shouting and praise, a throng keeping festival.


text:
Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me <i>and</i> be disquieted within me? Hope in God <i>and</i> wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.


text:
O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar.


text:
[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me.


text:
Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.


text:
I will say to God my Rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?


text:
As with a sword [crushing] in my bones, my enemies taunt <i>and</i> reproach me, while they say continually to me, Where is your God?


text:
Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me <i>and</i> be disquieted within me? Hope in God <i>and</i> wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.


text:
Judge <i>and</i> vindicate me, O God; plead and defend my cause against an ungodly nation. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!


text:
For You are the God of my strength [my Stronghold — in Whom I take refuge]; why have You cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?


text:
O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling.


text:
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy; yes, with the lyre will I praise You, O God, my God!


text:
Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me <i>and</i> be disquieted within me? Hope in God <i>and</i> wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my [sad] countenance, and my God.


text:
We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us [what] work You did in their days, in the days of old.


text:
You drove out the nations with Your hand <i>and</i> it was Your power that gave [Israel] a home by rooting out the [heathen] peoples, but [Israel] You spread out.


text:
For they got not the land [of Canaan] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance [did it], because You were favorable toward <i>and</i> did delight in them.


text:
Through You shall we push down our enemies; through Your name shall we tread them under who rise up against us.


text:
In God we have made our boast all the day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are round about us.


text:
All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten You, neither have we been false to Your covenant [which You made with our fathers].


text:
Though You have distressingly broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with deep darkness, even with the shadow of death.


text:
No, but for Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Rise up! Come to our help, and deliver us for Your mercy’s sake <i>and</i> because of Your steadfast love!


text:
My heart overflows with a <f>[1]</f>goodly theme; I address my psalm to a King. My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.


text:
You are fairer than the children of men; graciousness is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.


text:
And in Your majesty ride on triumphantly for the cause of truth, humility, <i>and</i> righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); and let Your right hand guide You to tremendous things.


text:
Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You; Your darts pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies.


text:
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.


text:
You love righteousness, uprightness, <i>and</i> right standing with God and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Your garments are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes, <i>and</i> cassia; stringed instruments make You glad.


text:
Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.


text:
Hear, O daughter, consider, submit, <i>and</i> consent to my instruction: forget also your own people and your father’s house;


text:
So will the King desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, be submissive <i>and</i> reverence <i>and</i> honor Him.


text:
The King’s daughter in the inner part [of the palace] is all glorious; her clothing is inwrought with gold. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
She shall be brought to the King in raiment of needlework; with the virgins, her companions that follow her, she shall be brought to You.


text:
I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore shall the people praise and give You thanks forever and ever.


text:
God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty <i>and</i> impenetrable to temptation], a very present <i>and</i> well-proved help in trouble.


text:
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas,


text:
Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling <i>and</i> tumult. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.


text:
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning].


text:
The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered <i>and</i> were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.


text:
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our Fortress and High Tower). <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.


text:
Let be <i>and</i> be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!


text:
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our High Tower and Stronghold). <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
For the Lord Most High excites terror, awe, <i>and</i> dread; He is a great King over all the earth.


text:
He chose our inheritance for us, the glory <i>and</i> pride of Jacob, whom He loves. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises in a skillful psalm <i>and</i> with understanding.


text:
The princes <i>and</i> nobles of the peoples are gathered together, a [united] people for the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.


text:
Fair <i>and</i> beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth — <f>[1]</f>Mount Zion [the City of David], to the northern side [Mount Moriah and the temple], the [whole] city of the Great King! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
They looked, they were amazed; they were stricken with terror <i>and</i> took to flight [affrighted and dismayed].


text:
As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness (rightness and justice).


text:
Walk about Zion, and go round about her, number her towers (her lofty and noble deeds of past days),


text:
Consider well her ramparts, go through her palaces <i>and</i> citadels, that you may tell the next generation [and cease recalling disappointments].


text:
I will submit <i>and</i> consent to a parable <i>or</i> proverb; to the music of a lyre I will unfold my riddle (my problem).


text:
Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of those who would supplant me surrounds me on every side,


text:
Even of those who trust in <i>and</i> lean on their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?


text:
None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him —


text:
For he sees that even wise men die; the [self-confident] fool and the stupid alike perish and leave their wealth to others.


text:
Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, <i>and</i> their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands their own [apart from God] <i>and</i> after their own names.


text:
This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, yet after them men approve their sayings. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol (the place of the dead); death shall be their shepherd. And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their form <i>and</i> beauty shall be consumed, for Sheol shall be their dwelling.


text:
But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol (the place of the dead); for He will receive me. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Be not afraid when [an ungodly] one is made rich, when the wealth <i>and</i> glory of his house are increased;


text:
Though while he lives he counts himself happy <i>and</i> prosperous, and though a man gets praise when he does well [for himself],


text:
 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and calls the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.


text:
Our God comes and does not keep silence; a fire devours before Him, and round about Him a mighty tempest rages.


text:
Gather together to Me My saints [those who have found grace in My sight], those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.


text:
And the heavens declare His righteousness (rightness and justice), for God, He is judge. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify to you <i>and</i> against you: I am God, your God.


text:
For every beast of the forest is Mine, <i>and</i> the cattle upon a thousand hills <i>or</i> upon the mountains where thousands are.


text:
I know <i>and</i> am acquainted with all the birds of the mountains, and the wild animals of the field are Mine <i>and</i> are with Me, in My mind.


text:
And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor <i>and</i> glorify Me.


text:
But to the wicked, God says: What right have you to recite My statutes or take My covenant <i>or</i> pledge on your lips,


text:
Seeing that you hate instruction <i>and</i> correction and cast My words behind you [discarding them]?


text:
These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was once entirely like you. But [now] I will reprove you and put [the charge] in order before your eyes.


text:
He who brings an offering of praise <i>and</i> thanksgiving honors <i>and</i> glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God.


text:
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.


text:
Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity <i>and</i> guilt and cleanse me <i>and</i> make me wholly pure from my sin!


text:
Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [ceremonially]; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.


text:
Make me to hear joy and gladness <i>and</i> be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.


text:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, <i>and</i> steadfast spirit within me.


text:
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness <i>and</i> death, O God, the God of my salvation, <i>and</i> my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).


text:
For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.


text:
Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, <i>and</i> right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.


text:
Why boast you of mischief done against the loving-kindness of God [and the godly], O mighty [sinful] man, day after day?


text:
You love evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness, justice, <i>and</i> right. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
God will likewise break you down <i>and</i> destroy you forever; He will lay hold of you and pluck you out of your tent and uproot you from the land of the living. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
The [uncompromisingly] righteous also shall see [it] and be in reverent fear <i>and</i> awe, but about you they will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,


text:
See, this is the man who made not God his strength (his stronghold and high tower) but trusted in <i>and</i> confidently relied on the abundance of his riches, seeking refuge <i>and</i> security for himself through his wickedness.


text:
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in <i>and</i> confidently rely on the loving-kindness <i>and</i> the mercy of God forever and ever.


text:
I will thank You <i>and</i> confide in You forever, because You have done it [delivered me and kept me safe]. I will wait on, hope in <i>and</i> expect in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your saints (Your kind and pious ones).


text:
The [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt <i>and</i> evil are they, and doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.


text:
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, who sought (inquired after and desperately required) God.


text:
Every one of them has gone back [backslidden and fallen away]; they have altogether become filthy <i>and</i> corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Have those who work evil no knowledge (no understanding)? They eat up My people as they eat bread; they do not call upon God.


text:
There they are, in terror <i>and</i> dread, where there was [and had been] no terror <i>and</i> dread! For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you; you have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.


text:
Oh, that the salvation <i>and</i> deliverance of Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of His people, then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.


text:
Save me, O God, by Your name; judge <i>and</i> vindicate me by Your mighty strength <i>and</i> power.


text:
For strangers <i>and</i> insolent men are rising up against me, and violent men <i>and</i> ruthless ones seek <i>and</i> demand my life; they do not set God before them. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Behold, God is my helper <i>and</i> ally; the Lord is my upholder <i>and</i> is with them who uphold my life.


text:
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks <i>and</i> praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.


text:
[And I am distracted] at the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression <i>and</i> threats of the wicked; for they would cast trouble upon me, and in wrath they persecute me.


text:
Yes, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Destroy [their schemes], O Lord, confuse their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.


text:
Violence <i>and</i> ruin are within it; fraud and guile do not depart from its streets <i>and</i> marketplaces.


text:
For it is not an enemy who reproaches <i>and</i> taunts me — then I might bear it; nor is it one who has hated me who insolently vaunts himself against me — then I might hide from him.


text:
Let desolations <i>and</i> death come suddenly upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol (the place of the dead), for evils are in their habitations, in their hearts, <i>and</i> their inmost part.


text:
Evening and morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan <i>and</i> sigh, and He will hear my voice.


text:
He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me [so that none came near me], for they were many who strove with me.


text:
God will hear and humble them, even He Who abides of old — <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! — because in them there has been no change [of heart], and they do not fear, revere, <i>and</i> worship God.


text:
[My companion] has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken <i>and</i> profaned his agreement [of friendship and loyalty].


text:
The words of his mouth were smoother than cream <i>or</i> butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.


text:
Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in, lean on, <i>and</i> confidently rely on You.


text:
Be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to me, O God, for man would trample me <i>or</i> devour me; all the day long the adversary oppresses me.


text:
They that lie in wait for me would swallow me up <i>or</i> trample me all day long, for they are many who fight against me, O Most High!


text:
What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in <i>and</i> put my trust <i>and</i> reliance in You.


text:
By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, <i>and</i> confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?


text:
All day long they twist my words <i>and</i> trouble my affairs; all their thoughts are against me for evil <i>and</i> my hurt.


text:
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they watch my steps, even as they have [expectantly] waited for my life.


text:
They think to escape with iniquity, <i>and</i> shall they? In Your indignation bring down the peoples, O God.


text:
You number <i>and</i> record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle — are they not in Your book?


text:
In God have I put my trust <i>and</i> confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?


text:
For You have delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life <i>and</i> of the living.


text:
Be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to me, O God, be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge <i>and</i> finds shelter <i>and</i> confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge <i>and</i> be confident until calamities <i>and</i> destructive storms are passed.


text:
I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf <i>and</i> rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!


text:
He will send from heaven and save me from the slanders <i>and</i> reproaches of him who would trample me down <i>or</i> swallow me up, <i>and</i> He will put him to shame. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! God will send forth His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness <i>and</i> His truth <i>and</i> faithfulness.


text:
My life is among lions; I must lie among those who are aflame — the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.


text:
They set a net for my steps; my very life was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Awake, my glory (my inner self); awake, harp and lyre! I will awake right early [I will awaken the dawn]!


text:
I will praise <i>and</i> give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.


text:
For Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness are great, reaching to the heavens, and Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness to the clouds.


text:
Do you indeed in silence speak righteousness, O you mighty ones? [Or is the righteousness, rightness, and justice you should speak quite dumb?] Do you judge fairly <i>and</i> uprightly, O you sons of men?


text:
The ungodly are perverse <i>and</i> estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.


text:
Their poison is like the venom of a serpent; they are like the deaf adder <i>or</i> asp that stops its ear,


text:
Which listens not to the voice of charmers <i>or</i> of the enchanter never casting spells so cunningly.


text:
Let them melt away as water which runs on apace; when he aims his arrows, let them be as if they were headless <i>or</i> split apart.


text:
Let them be as a snail dissolving slime as it passes on <i>or</i> as a festering sore which wastes away, like [the child to which] a woman gives untimely birth that has not seen the sun.


text:
Before your pots can feel the thorns [that are placed under them for fuel], He will take them away as with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.


text:
The [unyieldingly] righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.


text:
Men will say, Surely there is a reward for the [uncompromisingly] righteous; surely there is a God Who judges on the earth.


text:
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; defend <i>and</i> protect me from those who rise up against me.


text:
For, behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce <i>and</i> mighty men are banding together against me, not for my transgression nor for any sin of mine, O Lord.


text:
They run and prepare themselves, though there is no fault in me; rouse Yourself [O Lord] to meet <i>and</i> help me, and see!


text:
You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, arise to visit all the nations; spare none <i>and</i> be not merciful to any who treacherously plot evil. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Behold, they belch out [insults] with their mouths; swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, for who, they think, hears us?


text:
O my Strength, I will watch <i>and</i> give heed to You <i>and</i> sing praises; for God is my Defense (my Protector and High Tower).


text:
My God in His mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look [triumphantly] on my enemies (those who lie in wait for me).


text:
Slay them not, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power <i>and</i> make them wander to and fro, and bring them down, O Lord our Shield!


text:
For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them even be trapped <i>and</i> taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they utter.


text:
Consume them in wrath, consume them so that they shall be no more; and let them know unto the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob (Israel). <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
And at evening let them return; let them howl <i>and</i> snarl like dogs, and go prowling about the city.


text:
Let them wander up and down for food and tarry all night if they are not satisfied (not getting their fill).


text:
But I will sing of Your mighty strength <i>and</i> power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness in the morning; for You have been to me a defense (a fortress and a high tower) and a refuge in the day of my distress.


text:
Unto You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my Defense, my Fortress, <i>and</i> High Tower, the God Who shows me mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love.


text:
O God, You have rejected us <i>and</i> cast us off, broken down [our defenses], <i>and</i> scattered us; You have been angry — O restore us <i>and</i> turn Yourself to us again!


text:
You have made the land to quake <i>and</i> tremble, You have rent it [open]; repair its breaches, for it shakes <i>and</i> totters.


text:
You have made Your people suffer hard things; You have given us to drink wine that makes us reel <i>and</i> be dazed.


text:
[But now] You have set up a banner for those who fear <i>and</i> worshipfully revere You [to which they may flee from the bow], a standard displayed because of the truth. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
God has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]: I will rejoice, I will divide and portion out [the land] Shechem and the Valley of Succoth [west to east].


text:
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is My helmet (the defense of My head); Judah is My scepter <i>and</i> My lawgiver.


text:
Moab is My washpot [reduced to vilest servitude]; upon Edom I cast My shoe in triumph; over Philistia I raise the shout of victory.


text:
O give us help against the adversary, for vain (ineffectual and to no purpose) is the help or salvation of man.


text:
From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed <i>and</i> fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].


text:
I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; let me find refuge <i>and</i> trust in the shelter of Your wings. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, <i>and</i> honor Your name.


text:
May You prolong the [true] <f>[1]</f>King’s life [adding days upon days], and may His years be to the last generation [of this world and the generations of the world to come].


text:
May He sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God; O ordain that loving-kindness and faithfulness may watch over Him!


text:
He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense <i>and</i> my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.


text:
How long will you set upon a man that you may slay him, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?


text:
They only consult to cast him down from his height [to dishonor him]; they delight in lies. They bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
My soul, wait only upon God <i>and</i> silently submit to Him; for my hope <i>and</i> expectation are from Him.


text:
With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength <i>and</i> impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!


text:
Trust in, lean on, rely on, <i>and</i> have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Men of low degree [in the social scale] are emptiness (futility, a breath) <i>and</i> men of high degree [in the same scale] are a lie <i>and</i> a delusion. In the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.


text:
Trust not in <i>and</i> rely confidently not on extortion <i>and</i> oppression, and do not vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.


text:
Also to You, O Lord, belong mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, for You render to every man according to his work. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs <i>and</i> is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.


text:
My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips


text:
But those who seek <i>and</i> demand my life to ruin <i>and</i> destroy it shall [themselves be destroyed and] go into the lower parts of the earth [into the underworld of the dead].


text:
They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a prey for foxes <i>and</i> jackals.


text:
But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him [that is, who binds himself by God’s authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and devoting himself to His glory and service alone; every such one] shall glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.


text:
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; guard <i>and</i> preserve my life from the terror of the enemy.


text:
Hide me from the secret counsel <i>and</i> conspiracy of the ungodly, from the scheming of evildoers,


text:
Who shoot from ambush at the blameless man; suddenly do they shoot at him, without self-reproach <i>or</i> fear.


text:
They encourage themselves in an evil purpose, they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, Who will discover <i>us</i>?


text:
They think out acts of injustice and say, We have accomplished a well-devised thing! For the inward thought of each one [is unsearchable] and his heart is deep.


text:
And they will be made to stumble, their own tongues turning against them; all who gaze upon them will shake their heads <i>and</i> flee away.


text:
And all men shall [reverently] fear <i>and</i> be in awe; and they will declare the work of God, for they will wisely consider <i>and</i> acknowledge that it is His doing.


text:
The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust <i>and</i> take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory <i>and</i> offer praise.


text:
To You belongs silence (the submissive wonder of reverence which bursts forth into praise) <i>and</i> praise is due <i>and</i> fitting to You, O God, in Zion; and to You shall the vow be performed.


text:
Iniquities <i>and</i> much varied guilt prevail against me; [yet] as for our transgressions, You forgive <i>and</i> purge them away [make atonement for them and cover them out of Your sight]!


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.


text:
By fearful <i>and</i> glorious things [that terrify the wicked but make the godly sing praises] do You answer us in righteousness (rightness and justice), O God of our salvation, You Who are the confidence and hope of all the ends of the earth and of those far off on the seas;


text:
So that those who dwell in earth’s farthest parts are afraid of [nature’s] signs of Your presence. You make the places where morning and evening have birth to shout for joy.


text:
You visit the earth and saturate it with water; You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide them with grain when You have so prepared the earth.


text:
You water the field’s furrows abundantly, You settle the ridges of it; You make the soil soft with showers, blessing the sprouting of its vegetation.


text:
You crown the year with Your bounty <i>and</i> goodness, and the tracks of Your [chariot wheels] drip with fatness.


text:
The [luxuriant] pastures in the uncultivated country drip [with moisture], and the hills gird themselves with joy.


text:
The meadows are clothed with flocks, the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy and sing together.


text:
Say to God, How awesome <i>and</i> fearfully glorious are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power shall Your enemies submit themselves to You [with feigned and reluctant obedience].


text:
All the earth shall bow down to You and sing [praises] to You; they shall praise Your name in song. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Come and see the works of God; see how [to save His people He smites their foes; He is] terrible in His doings toward the children of men.


text:
He turned the sea into dry land, they crossed through the river on foot; there did we rejoice in Him.


text:
He rules by His might forever, His eyes observe <i>and</i> keep watch <i>over</i> the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Bless our God, O peoples, give Him grateful thanks <i>and</i> make the voice of His praise be heard,


text:
You brought us into the net (the prison fortress, the dungeon); You laid a heavy burden upon our loins.


text:
You caused men to ride over our heads [when we were prostrate]; we went through fire and through water, but You brought us out into a broad, moist place [to abundance and refreshment and the open air].


text:
I will offer to You burnt offerings of fat lambs, with rams consumed in sweet-smelling smoke; I will offer bullocks and he-goats. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Come and hear, all you who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me!


text:
Blessed be God, Who has not rejected my prayer nor removed His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness from being [as it always is] with me.


text:
God be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us <i>and</i> among us — <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! —


text:
That Your way may be known upon earth, Your saving power (Your deliverances and Your salvation) among all nations.


text:
Let the peoples praise You [turn away from their idols] <i>and</i> give thanks to You, O God; let all the peoples praise <i>and</i> give thanks to You.


text:
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples fairly and guide, lead, <i>or</i> drive the nations upon earth. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Let the peoples praise You [turn away from their idols] <i>and</i> give thanks to You, O God; let all the peoples praise <i>and</i> give thanks to You!


text:
The earth has yielded its harvest [in evidence of God’s approval]; God, even our own God, will bless us.


text:
God is [already] beginning to arise, and His enemies to scatter; let them also who hate Him flee before Him!


text:
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before the presence of God.


text:
But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits <i>and</i> glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice!


text:
Sing to God, sing praises to His name, cast up a highway for Him Who rides through the deserts — His name is the Lord — be in high spirits <i>and</i> glory before Him!


text:
A father of the fatherless and a judge <i>and</i> protector of the widows <i>is</i> God in His holy habitation.


text:
God places the solitary in families <i>and</i> gives the desolate a home in which to dwell; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.


text:
O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness — <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! —


text:
The earth trembled, the heavens also poured down [rain] at the presence of God; yonder Sinai quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.


text:
You, O God, did send a plentiful rain; You did restore <i>and</i> confirm Your heritage when it languished <i>and</i> was weary.


text:
Your flock found a dwelling place in it; You, O God, in Your goodness did provide for the poor <i>and</i> needy.


text:
The Lord gives the word [of power]; the women who bear <i>and</i> publish [the news] are a great host.


text:
The kings of the enemies’ armies, they flee, they flee! She who tarries at home divides the spoil [left behind].


text:
Though you [the slackers] may lie among the sheepfolds [in slothful ease, yet for Israel] the wings of a dove are covered with silver, its pinions excessively green with gold [are trophies taken from the enemy].


text:
When the Almighty scattered kings in [the land], it was as when it snows on Zalmon [a wooded hill near Shechem].


text:
Why do you look with grudging <i>and</i> envy, you many-peaked mountains, at the mountain [of the city called Zion] which God has desired for His dwelling place? Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.


text:
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon thousands. The Lord is among them as He was in Sinai, [so also] in the Holy Place (the sanctuary in Jerusalem).


text:
<f>[1]</f>You have ascended on high. You have led away captive a train of vanquished foes; You have received gifts of men, yes, of the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell there with them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens <i>and</i> carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
God is to us a God of deliverances <i>and</i> salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from death [setting us free].


text:
But God will shatter the heads of His enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his trespasses <i>and</i> guilty ways.


text:
The Lord said, I will bring back [your enemies] from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the [Red] Sea,


text:
That you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.


text:
They see Your goings, O God, even the [solemn processions] of my God, my King, into the sanctuary [in holiness].


text:
The singers go in front, the players on instruments last; between them the maidens are playing on tambourines.


text:
Bless, give thanks, <i>and</i> gratefully praise God in full congregations, even the Lord, O you who are from [Jacob] the fountain of Israel.


text:
There is little Benjamin in the lead [in the procession], the princes of Judah and their company, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.


text:
Your God has commanded your strength [your might in His service and impenetrable hardness to temptation]; O God, display Your might <i>and</i> strengthen what You have wrought for us!


text:
Rebuke the wild beasts dwelling among the reeds [in Egypt], the herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples; trample underfoot those who lust for tribute money; scatter the peoples who delight in war.


text:
Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall hasten to stretch out her hands [with the offerings of submission] to God.


text:
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praises to the Lord! <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
[Sing praises] to Him Who rides upon the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, He sends forth His voice, His mighty voice.


text:
Ascribe power <i>and</i> strength to God; His majesty is over Israel, and His strength <i>and</i> might are in the skies.


text:
O God, awe-inspiring, profoundly impressive, <i>and</i> terrible are You out of Your holy places; the God of Israel Himself gives strength and fullness of might to His people. Blessed be God!


text:
I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overwhelm me.


text:
Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would cut me off <i>and</i> destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully, are many <i>and</i> mighty. I am [forced] to restore what I did not steal. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O God, You know my folly <i>and</i> blundering; my sins <i>and</i> my guilt are not hidden from You.


text:
Let not those who wait <i>and</i> hope <i>and</i> look for You, O Lord of hosts, be put to shame through me; let not those who seek <i>and</i> inquire for <i>and</i> require You [as their vital necessity] be brought to confusion <i>and</i> dishonor through me, O God of Israel.


text:
Because for Your sake I have borne taunt <i>and</i> reproach; confusion <i>and</i> shame have covered my face.


text:
For zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches <i>and</i> insults of those who reproach <i>and</i> insult You have fallen upon me. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord. At an acceptable <i>and</i> opportune time, O God, in the multitude of Your mercy <i>and</i> the abundance of Your loving-kindness hear me, <i>and</i> in the truth <i>and</i> faithfulness of Your salvation answer me.


text:
Rescue me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from those who hate me and from out of the deep waters.


text:
Let not the floodwaters overflow <i>and</i> overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up nor the [dug] pit [with water perhaps in the bottom] close its mouth over me.


text:
Hear <i>and</i> answer me, O Lord, for Your loving-kindness is sweet <i>and</i> comforting; according to Your plenteous tender mercy <i>and</i> steadfast love turn to me.


text:
Draw close to me and redeem me; ransom <i>and</i> set me free because of my enemies [lest they glory in my prolonged distress]!


text:
You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before You [fully known to You].


text:
Insults <i>and</i> reproach have broken my heart; I am full of heaviness <i>and</i> I am distressingly sick. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.


text:
They gave me also gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar (a soured wine) to drink. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Let their own table [with all its abundance and luxury] become a snare to them; and when they are secure in peace [or at their sacrificial feasts, let it become] a trap to them.


text:
Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually [from terror, dismay, and feebleness].


text:
Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let the fierceness of Your burning anger catch up with them.


text:
Let their habitation <i>and</i> their encampment be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
For they pursue <i>and</i> persecute him whom You have smitten, and they gossip about those whom You have wounded, [adding] to their grief <i>and</i> pain.


text:
Let one [unforgiven] perverseness <i>and</i> iniquity accumulate upon another for them [in Your book], and let them not come into Your righteousness <i>or</i> be justified and acquitted by You.


text:
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living <i>and</i> the book of life and not be enrolled among the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright and in right standing with God). <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
The humble shall see it and be glad; you who seek God, inquiring for <i>and</i> requiring Him [as your first need], let your hearts revive <i>and</i> live! <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
For the Lord hears the poor <i>and</i> needy and despises not His prisoners (His miserable and wounded ones).


text:
For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; and [His servants] shall remain <i>and</i> dwell there and have it in their possession;


text:
Let them be put to shame <i>and</i> confounded that seek <i>and</i> demand my life; let them be turned backward and brought to confusion <i>and</i> dishonor who desire <i>and</i> delight in my hurt.


text:
Let them be turned back <i>and</i> appalled because of their shame <i>and</i> disgrace who say, Aha, aha!


text:
May all those who seek, inquire of <i>and</i> for You, <i>and</i> require You [as their vital need] rejoice and be glad in You; and may those who love Your salvation say continually, Let God be magnified!


text:
But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my Help and my Deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry!


text:
In You, O Lord, do I put my trust <i>and</i> confidently take refuge; let me never be put to shame <i>or</i> confusion!


text:
Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, <i>and</i> a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.


text:
Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man.


text:
For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth <i>and</i> the source of my confidence.


text:
Upon You have I leaned <i>and</i> relied from birth; You are He Who took me from my mother’s womb <i>and</i> You have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You.


text:
Cast me not off <i>nor</i> send me away in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent <i>and</i> my powers fail.


text:
Saying, God has forsaken him; pursue <i>and</i> persecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him.


text:
Let them be put to shame and consumed who are adversaries to my life; let them be covered with reproach, scorn, <i>and</i> dishonor who seek <i>and</i> require my hurt.


text:
My mouth shall tell of Your righteous acts <i>and</i> of Your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is more than I know.


text:
I will come in the strength <i>and</i> with the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will mention <i>and</i> praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone.


text:
Yes, even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not, [but keep me alive] until I have declared Your mighty strength to [this] generation, and Your might <i>and</i> power to all that are to come.


text:
Your righteousness also, O God, is very high [reaching to the heavens], You Who have done great things; O God, who is like You, <i>or</i> who is Your equal?


text:
You Who have shown us [all] troubles great and sore will quicken us again and will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.


text:
I will also praise You with the harp, even Your truth and faithfulness, O my God; unto You will I sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.


text:
My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed.


text:
My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are put to shame, for they are confounded, who seek <i>and</i> demand my hurt.


text:
 Give the king [knowledge of] Your [way of] judging, O God, and [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king’s son [to control all his actions].


text:
Let him judge <i>and</i> govern Your people with righteousness, and Your poor <i>and</i> afflicted ones with judgment <i>and</i> justice.


text:
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, through [the general establishment of] righteousness.


text:
May he judge <i>and</i> defend the poor of the people, deliver the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor,


text:
So that they may revere <i>and</i> fear You while the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.


text:
May he [Solomon as a type of King David’s greater Son] be like rain that comes down upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.


text:
In <f>[1]</f>His [Christ’s] days shall the [uncompromisingly] righteous flourish and peace abound till there is a moon no longer. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He [Christ] shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The kings of Tarshish and of the coasts shall bring offerings; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.


text:
He will redeem their lives from oppression <i>and</i> fraud and violence, and precious <i>and</i> costly shall their blood be in His sight.


text:
And He shall live; and to Him shall be given gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for Him <i>and</i> through Him continually, <i>and</i> they shall bless <i>and</i> praise Him all the day long.


text:
There shall be abundance of grain in the soil upon the top of the mountains [the least fruitful places in the land]; the fruit of it shall wave like [the forests of] Lebanon, and [the inhabitants of] the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.


text:
His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed <i>and</i> bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed!


text:
Therefore pride is about their necks like a chain; violence covers them like a garment [like a long, luxurious robe].


text:
Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish; <i>and</i> the imaginations of their minds overflow [with follies].


text:
They scoff, and wickedly utter oppression; they speak loftily [from on high, maliciously and blasphemously].


text:
They set their mouths against <i>and</i> speak down from heaven, and their tongues swagger through the earth [invading even heaven with blasphemy and smearing earth with slanders]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore His people return here, and waters of a full cup [offered by the wicked] are [blindly] drained by them.


text:
Behold, these are the ungodly, who always prosper <i>and</i> are at ease in the world; they increase in riches.


text:
Had I spoken thus [and given expression to my feelings], I would have been untrue <i>and</i> have dealt treacherously against the generation of Your children.


text:
But when I considered how to understand this, it was too great an effort for me <i>and</i> too painful


text:
[After all] You do set the [wicked] in slippery places; You cast them down to ruin <i>and</i> destruction.


text:
As a dream [which seems real] until one awakens, so, O Lord, when You arouse Yourself [to take note of the wicked], You will despise their outward show.


text:
For my heart was grieved, embittered, <i>and</i> in a state of ferment, and I was pricked in my heart [as with the sharp fang of an adder].


text:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock <i>and</i> firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever.


text:
For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You will destroy all who are false to You <i>and</i> like [spiritual] harlots depart from You.


text:
But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God <i>and</i> made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.


text:
O God, why do You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger burn <i>and</i> smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?


text:
[Earnestly] remember Your congregation which You have acquired of old, which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your heritage; remember Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.


text:
Direct Your feet [quickly] to the perpetual ruins <i>and</i> desolations; the foe has devastated <i>and</i> desecrated everything in the sanctuary.


text:
In the midst of Your Holy Place Your enemies have roared [with their battle cry]; they set up their own [idol] emblems for signs [of victory].


text:
They have set Your sanctuary on fire; they have profaned the dwelling place of Your <f>[1]</f>Name by casting it to the ground.


text:
They said in their hearts, Let us make havoc [of such places] altogether. They have burned up all God’s meetinghouses in the land.


text:
We do not see our symbols; there is no longer any prophet, neither does any among us know for how long.


text:
O God, how long is the adversary to scoff <i>and</i> reproach? Is the enemy to blaspheme <i>and</i> revile Your name forever?


text:
Why do You hold back Your hand, even Your right hand? Draw it out of Your bosom <i>and</i> consume them [make an end of them]!


text:
You did divide the [Red] Sea by Your might; You broke the heads of the [Egyptian] dragons in the waters. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You crushed the heads of Leviathan (Egypt); You did give him as food for the creatures inhabiting the wilderness.


text:
You did cleave open [the rock bringing forth] fountains and streams; You dried up mighty, ever-flowing rivers (the Jordan). <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You have fixed all the borders of the earth [the divisions of land and sea and of the nations]; You have made summer and winter. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
[Earnestly] remember how the enemy has scoffed, O Lord, <i>and</i> reproached You, and how a foolish <i>and</i> impious people has blasphemed Your name.


text:
Oh, do not deliver the life of your turtledove to the wild beast (to the greedy multitude); forget not the life [of the multitude] of Your poor forever.


text:
Have regard for the covenant [You made with Abraham], for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.


text:
Arise, O God, plead Your own cause; remember [earnestly] how the foolish <i>and</i> impious man scoffs <i>and</i> reproaches You day after day <i>and</i> all day long.


text:
Do not forget the [clamoring] voices of Your adversaries, the tumult of those who rise up against You, which ascends continually.


text:
We give praise <i>and</i> thanks to You, O God, we praise <i>and</i> give thanks; Your wondrous works declare that Your <f>[1]</f>Name is near <i>and</i> they who invoke Your Name rehearse Your wonders.


text:
When the earth totters, and all the inhabitants of it, it is I Who will poise <i>and</i> keep steady its pillars. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
I said to the arrogant <i>and</i> boastful, Deal not arrogantly [do not boast]; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn [of personal aggrandizement].


text:
Lift not up your [aggressive] horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck <i>and</i> insolent arrogance.


text:
For not from the east nor from the west nor from the south come promotion <i>and</i> lifting up. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup [of His wrath], and the wine foams <i>and</i> is red, well mixed; and He pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth must drain it and drink its dregs. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
All the horns of the ungodly also will I cut off [says the Lord], but the horns of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be exalted.


text:
In Judah God is known <i>and</i> renowned; His name is highly praised <i>and</i> is great in Israel.


text:
There He broke the bow’s flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Glorious <i>and</i> excellent are You from the mountains of prey [splendid and majestic, more than the everlasting mountains].


text:
The stouthearted are stripped of their spoil, they have slept the sleep [of death]; and none of the men of might could raise their hands.


text:
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both chariot [rider] and horse are cast into a dead sleep [of death]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You, even You, are to be feared [with awe and reverence]! Who may stand in Your presence when once Your anger is roused?


text:
When God arose to [establish] judgment, to save all the meek <i>and</i> oppressed of the earth. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath shall You restrain <i>and</i> gird <i>and</i> arm Yourself with it.


text:
Vow and pay to the Lord your God; let all who are round about Him bring presents to Him Who ought to be [reverently] feared.


text:
He will cut off the spirit [of pride and fury] of princes; He is terrible to the [ungodly] kings of the earth.


text:
I will cry to God with my voice, even to God with my voice, and He will give ear <i>and</i> hearken to me.


text:
In the day of my trouble I seek (inquire of and desperately require) the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out [in prayer] without slacking up; I refuse to be comforted.


text:
I [earnestly] remember God; I am disquieted <i>and</i> I groan; I muse in prayer, and my spirit faints [overwhelmed]. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
I call to remembrance my song in the night; with my heart I meditate and my spirit searches diligently:


text:
Has God [deliberately] abandoned <i>or</i> forgotten His graciousness? Has He in anger shut up His compassion? <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
And I say, This [apparent desertion of Israel by God] is my appointed lot <i>and</i> trial, but I will recall the years of the right hand of the Most High [in loving-kindness extended toward us], for this is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High changes.


text:
I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders [You performed for our fathers] of old.


text:
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]. Who is a great God like our God?


text:
You have with Your [mighty] arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
When the waters [at the Red Sea and the Jordan] saw You, O God, they were afraid; the deep shuddered also, for [all] the waters saw You.


text:
The clouds poured down water, the skies sent out a sound [of rumbling thunder]; Your arrows went forth [in forked lightning].


text:
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind, the lightnings illumined the world; the earth trembled and shook.


text:
Your way [in delivering Your people] was through the sea, and Your paths through the great waters, yet Your footsteps were not traceable, <i>but</i> were obliterated.


text:
I will open my mouth in a parable (in instruction by numerous examples); I will utter dark sayings of old [that hide important truth] — <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
We will not hide them from their children, but we will tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonderful works that He has performed.


text:
For He established a testimony (an express precept) in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, commanding our fathers that they should make [the great facts of God’s dealings with Israel] known to their children,


text:
That the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born might arise and recount them to their children,


text:
That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but might keep His commandments


text:
And might not be as their fathers — a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their hearts aright <i>nor</i> prepared their hearts to know God, and whose spirits were not steadfast <i>and</i> faithful to God.


text:
Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan [where Pharaoh resided].


text:
He divided the [Red] Sea and caused them to pass through it, and He made the waters stand like a heap. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
In the daytime also He led them with a [pillar of] cloud and all the night with a light of fire. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He brought streams also out of the rock [at Rephidim and Kadesh] and caused waters to run down like rivers. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Yet they still went on to sin against Him by provoking <i>and</i> rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness (in the land of drought).


text:
And they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food according to their [selfish] desire <i>and</i> appetite.


text:
Behold, He did smite the rock so that waters gushed out and the streams overflowed; but can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?


text:
Therefore, when the Lord heard, He was [full of] wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob, His anger mounted up against Israel,


text:
Because in God they believed not [they relied not on Him, they adhered not to Him], and they trusted not in His salvation (His power to save).


text:
He rained flesh also upon them like the dust, and winged birds [quails] like the sand of the seas. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
The wrath of God came upon them and slew the strongest <i>and</i> sturdiest of them and smote down Israel’s chosen youth.


text:
In spite of all this, they sinned still more, for they believed not in (relied not on and adhered not to Him for) His wondrous works.


text:
Therefore their days He consumed like a breath [in emptiness, falsity, and futility] and their years in terror <i>and</i> sudden haste.


text:
When He slew [some of] them, [the remainder] inquired after Him diligently, and they repented <i>and</i> sincerely sought God [for a time].


text:
For their hearts were not right <i>or</i> sincere with Him, neither were they faithful <i>and</i> steadfast to His covenant. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
But He, full of [merciful] compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath <i>and</i> indignation.


text:
How often they defied <i>and</i> rebelled against Him in the wilderness <i>and</i> grieved Him in the desert!


text:
And time and again they turned back <i>and</i> tempted God, provoking <i>and</i> incensing the Holy One of Israel.


text:
They remembered not [seriously the miracles of the working of] His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy,


text:
He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost <i>and</i> [great chunks of] ice.


text:
He [caused them to shut up their cattle or] gave them up also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
He let loose upon them the fierceness of His anger, His wrath and indignation and distress, by sending [a mission of] angels of calamity <i>and</i> woe among them.


text:
He leveled <i>and</i> made a straight path for His anger [to give it free course]; He did not spare [the Egyptian families] from death but gave their beasts over to the pestilence <i>and</i> the life [of their eldest] over to the plague.


text:
He smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents [of the land of the sons] of Ham.


text:
But [God] led His own people forth like sheep and guided them [with a shepherd’s care] like a flock in the wilderness.


text:
And He led them on safely <i>and</i> in confident trust, so that they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
And He brought them to His holy border, the border of [Canaan] His sanctuary, even to this mountain [Zion] which His right hand had acquired.


text:
He drove out the nations also before [Israel] and allotted their land as a heritage, measured out <i>and</i> partitioned; and He made the tribes of Israel to dwell in the tents of those dispossessed.


text:
Yet they tempted and provoked <i>and</i> rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies.


text:
But they turned back and dealt unfaithfully <i>and</i> treacherously like their fathers; they were twisted like a warped <i>and</i> deceitful bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim].


text:
For they provoked Him to [righteous] anger with their high places [for idol worship] and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.


text:
When God heard this, He was full of [holy] wrath; and He utterly rejected Israel, greatly abhorring <i>and</i> loathing [her ways],


text:
So that He forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent in which He had dwelt among men [and never returned to it again],


text:
And delivered His strength <i>and</i> power (the ark of the covenant) into captivity, and His glory into the hands of the foe (the Philistines). <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
The fire [of war] devoured their young men, and their bereaved virgins were not praised in a wedding song.


text:
Their priests [Hophni and Phinehas] fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation [for the bodies came not back from the scene of battle, and the widow of Phinehas also died that day]. <f>ⓜ</f>


text:
Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine.


text:
And He smote His adversaries in the back [as they fled]; He put them to lasting shame <i>and</i> reproach.


text:
Moreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim [in which the tabernacle had been accustomed to stand].


text:
But He chose the tribe of Judah [as Israel’s leader], Mount Zion, which He loved [to replace Shiloh as His capital].


text:
And He built His sanctuary [exalted] like the heights [of the heavens] and like the earth which He established forever.


text:
From tending the ewes that had their young He brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob His people, of Israel His inheritance. <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
So [David] was their shepherd with an upright heart; he guided them by the discernment <i>and</i> skillfulness [which controlled] his hands.


text:
O God, the nations have come into [the land of Your people] Your inheritance; Your sacred temple have they defiled; they have made Jerusalem heaps of ruins.


text:
The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food to the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.


text:
[Because of such humiliation] we have become a taunt <i>and</i> reproach to our neighbors, a mocking and derision to those who are round about us.


text:
How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever? Shall Your jealousy [which cannot endure a divided allegiance] burn like fire?


text:
Pour out Your wrath on the Gentile nations who do not acknowledge You, and upon the kingdoms that do not call on Your name. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O do not [earnestly] remember against us the iniquities <i>and</i> guilt of our forefathers! Let Your compassion <i>and</i> tender mercy speedily come to meet us, for we are brought very low.


text:
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name! Deliver us, forgive us, <i>and</i> purge away our sins for Your name’s sake.


text:
Why should the Gentile nations say, Where is their God? Let vengeance for the blood of Your servants which is poured out be known among the nations in our sight [not delaying until some future generation].


text:
Let the groaning <i>and</i> sighing of the prisoner come before You; according to the greatness of Your power <i>and</i> Your arm spare those who are appointed to die!


text:
And return into the bosom of our neighbors sevenfold the taunts with which they have taunted <i>and</i> scoffed at You, O Lord!


text:
Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth <i>and</i> publish Your praise from generation to generation.


text:
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You Who lead Joseph like a flock; You Who sit enthroned upon the cherubim [of the ark of the covenant], shine forth


text:
Restore us again, O God; and cause Your face to shine [in pleasure and approval on us], and we shall be saved!


text:
Restore us again, O God of hosts; and cause Your face to shine [upon us with favor as of old], and we shall be saved!


text:
You brought a vine [Israel] out of Egypt; You drove out the [heathen] nations and planted it [in Canaan].


text:
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs of it were like the great cedars [cedars of God].


text:
[Israel] sent out its boughs to the [Mediterranean] Sea and its branches to the [Euphrates] River. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Turn again, we beseech You, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven and see, visit, <i>and</i> have regard for this vine!


text:
[Protect and maintain] the stock which Your right hand planted, and the branch (the son) that You have reared <i>and</i> made strong for Yourself.


text:
Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself.


text:
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; cause Your face to shine [in pleasure, approval, and favor on us], and we shall be saved!


text:
This He ordained in Joseph [the <f>[1]</f>savior] for a testimony when He went out over the land of Egypt. The speech of One Whom I knew not did I hear [saying],


text:
You called in distress and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I am the Lord your God, Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.


text:
So I gave them up to their own hearts’ lust <i>and</i> let them go after their own stubborn will, that they might follow their own counsels. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[Had Israel listened to Me in Egypt, then] those who hated the Lord would have come cringing before Him, and their defeat would have lasted forever.


text:
[God] would feed [Israel now] also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy you.


text:
God stands in the assembly [of the representatives] of God; in the midst of the magistrates <i>or</i> judges He gives judgment [as] among the gods.


text:
How long will you [magistrates or judges] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
[The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking.


text:
I said, You are gods [since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives]; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
They lay crafty schemes against Your people and consult together against Your hidden <i>and</i> precious ones.


text:
They have said, Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be in remembrance no more.


text:
For they have consulted together with one accord <i>and</i> one heart; against You they make a covenant —


text:
Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot [the Ammonites and the Moabites] <i>and</i> have been an arm to them. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
So pursue <i>and</i> afflict them with Your tempest and terrify them with Your tornado <i>or</i> hurricane.


text:
Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> insistently require Your name, O Lord.


text:
My soul yearns, yes, even pines <i>and</i> is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out <i>and</i> sing for joy to the living God.


text:
Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young — even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who dwell in Your house <i>and</i> Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.


text:
Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings.


text:
They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.


text:
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper <i>and</i> stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.


text:
For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace <i>and</i> favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.


text:
O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!


text:
Lord, You have [at last] been favorable <i>and</i> have dealt graciously with Your land [of Canaan]; You have brought back [from Babylon] the captives of Jacob.


text:
You have forgiven <i>and</i> taken away the iniquity of Your people, You have covered all their sin. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly realize what that means]!


text:
You have withdrawn all Your wrath <i>and</i> indignation, You have turned away from the blazing anger [which You had let loose].


text:
Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger [and disfavor] <i>and</i> spread it out to all generations?


text:
I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints (those who are in right standing with Him) — but let them not turn again to [self-confident] folly.


text:
Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him, [and is ready to be appropriated] that [the manifest presence of God, His] glory may tabernacle <i>and</i> abide in our land.


text:
Mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.


text:
Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor <i>and</i> distressed, needy <i>and</i> desiring.


text:
Preserve my life, for I am godly <i>and</i> dedicated; O my God, save Your servant, for I trust in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, without fear or doubt].


text:
For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness to all those who call upon You.


text:
All nations whom You have made shall come and fall down before You, O Lord; and they shall glorify Your name.


text:
Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk <i>and</i> live in Your truth; direct <i>and</i> unite my heart [solely, reverently] to fear <i>and</i> honor Your name. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I will confess <i>and</i> praise You, O Lord my God, with my whole (united) heart; and I will glorify Your name forevermore.


text:
For great is Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness toward me; and You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol [from the exceeding depths of affliction].


text:
O God, the proud <i>and</i> insolent are risen against me; a rabble of violent <i>and</i> ruthless men has sought <i>and</i> demanded my life, and they have not set You before them.


text:
But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness and truth.


text:
O turn to me and have mercy <i>and</i> be gracious to me; grant strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) to Your servant and save the son of Your handmaiden.


text:
Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill <i>and</i> favor, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, [will show Your approval of me when You] help and comfort me.


text:
The Lord loves the gates of Zion [through which the crowds of pilgrims enter from all nations] more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).


text:
Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly realize what that means]!


text:
I will make mention of Rahab [the poetic name for Egypt] and Babylon as among those who know [the city of God] — behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia (Cush) — [saying], This man was born there.


text:
Yes, of Zion it shall be said, This man and that man were born in her, for the Most High Himself will establish her.


text:
The Lord shall count, when He registers the peoples, that this man was born there. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you [city of our God].


text:
O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried to You for help by day; at night I am in Your presence. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let my prayer come before You <i>and</i> really enter into Your presence; incline Your ear to my cry!


text:
I am counted among those who go down into the pit (the grave); I am like a man who has no help <i>or</i> strength [a mere shadow],


text:
Cast away among the dead, like the slain that lie in a [nameless] grave, whom You [seriously] remember no more, and they are cut off from Your hand.


text:
Your wrath lies hard upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You have put my [familiar] friends far from me; You have made me an abomination to them. I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.


text:
My eye grows dim because of sorrow <i>and</i> affliction. Lord, I have called daily on You; I have spread forth my hands to You.


text:
Will You show wonders to the dead? Shall the departed arise and praise You? <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Shall Your steadfast love be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in Abaddon (Sheol, as a place of ruin and destruction)?


text:
Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the place of forgetfulness [where the dead forget and are forgotten]?


text:
I was afflicted and close to death from my youth up; while I suffer Your terrors I am distracted [I faint].


text:
I will sing of the mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation.


text:
For I have said, Mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness will You establish in the very heavens [unchangeable and perpetual].


text:
[You have said] I have made a <f>[1]</f>covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant,


text:
Your Seed I will establish forever, and I will build up your throne for all generations. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let heaven (the angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord, Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones (the holy angels).


text:
For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the mighty [heavenly beings] can be likened to the Lord,


text:
A God greatly feared <i>and</i> revered in the council of the holy (angelic) ones, and to be feared <i>and</i> worshipfully revered above all those who are round about Him?


text:
O Lord God of hosts, who is a mighty one like unto You, O Lord? And Your faithfulness is round about You [an essential part of You at all times].


text:
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all that is in it, You have founded them.


text:
The north and the south, You have created them; Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon joyously praise Your name.


text:
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness and truth go before Your face.


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the people who know the joyful sound [who understand and appreciate the spiritual blessings symbolized by the feasts]; they walk, O Lord, in the light <i>and</i> favor of Your countenance!


text:
For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment], and by Your favor our horn is exalted <i>and</i> we walk with uplifted faces!


text:
Once You spoke in a vision to Your devoted ones and said, I have endowed one who is mighty [a hero, giving him the power to help — to be a champion for Israel]; I have exalted one chosen from among the people.


text:
The enemy shall not exact from him <i>or</i> do him violence <i>or</i> outwit him, nor shall the wicked afflict <i>and</i> humble him.


text:
My faithfulness and My mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness shall be with him, and in My name shall his horn be exalted [great power and prosperity shall be conferred upon him].


text:
I will set his hand in control also on the [Mediterranean] Sea, and his right hand on the rivers [Euphrates with its tributaries].


text:
My mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness will I keep for him forevermore, and My covenant shall stand fast <i>and</i> be faithful with him.


text:
His <f>[2]</f>Offspring also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Then will I punish their transgression with the rod [of chastisement], and their iniquity with stripes. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Nevertheless, My loving-kindness will I not break off from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail [to lie and be false to him].


text:
It shall be established forever as the moon, the faithful witness in the heavens. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
But [in apparent contradiction to all this] You [even You the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected; You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.


text:
You have despised <i>and</i> loathed and renounced the covenant with Your servant; You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.


text:
All who pass along the road spoil <i>and</i> rob him; he has become the scorn <i>and</i> reproach of his neighbors.


text:
The days of his youth have You shortened; You have covered him with shame. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
O [earnestly] remember how short my time is <i>and</i> what a mere fleeting life mine is. For what emptiness, falsity, futility, <i>and</i> frailty You have created all men!


text:
What man can live and shall not see death, or can deliver himself from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the place of the dead)? <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly consider that]!


text:
Lord, where are Your former loving-kindnesses [shown in the reigns of David and Solomon], which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?


text:
Remember, Lord, <i>and</i> earnestly imprint [on Your heart] the reproach of Your servants, scorned <i>and</i> insulted, how I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many <i>and</i> mighty peoples,


text:
With which Your enemies have taunted, O Lord, with which they have mocked the footsteps of Your anointed.


text:
Before the mountains were brought forth or ever You had formed <i>and</i> given birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.


text:
You turn man back to dust <i>and</i> corruption, and say, Return, O sons of the earthborn [to the earth]!


text:
For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You carry away [these disobedient people, doomed to die within forty years] as with a flood; they are as a sleep [vague and forgotten as soon as they are gone]. In the morning they are like grass which grows up —


text:
For we [the Israelites in the wilderness] are consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath are we troubled, overwhelmed, <i>and</i> frightened away.


text:
Our iniquities, our secret heart <i>and</i> its sins [which we would so like to conceal even from ourselves], You have set in the [revealing] light of Your countenance.


text:
For all our days [out here in this wilderness, says Moses] pass away in Your wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told [for we adults know we are doomed to die soon, without reaching Canaan]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The days of our years are <f>[1]</f>threescore years and ten (seventy years) — or even, if by reason of strength, fourscore years (eighty years); yet is their pride [in additional years] only labor and sorrow, for it is soon gone, and we fly away.


text:
Who knows the power of Your anger? [Who worthily connects this brevity of life with Your recognition of sin?] And Your wrath, who connects it with the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear that is due You?


text:
Turn, O Lord [from Your fierce anger]! How long — ? Revoke Your sentence <i>and</i> be compassionate <i>and</i> at ease toward Your servants.


text:
O satisfy us with Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness in the morning [now, before we are older], that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.


text:
Make us glad in proportion to the days in which You have afflicted us <i>and</i> to the years in which we have suffered evil.


text:
Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants, and Your [glorious] majesty to their children.


text:
And let the beauty <i>and</i> delightfulness <i>and</i> favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm <i>and</i> establish the work of our hands — yes, the work of our hands, confirm <i>and</i> establish it.


text:
He who <f>[1]</f>dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable <i>and</i> fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].


text:
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean <i>and</i> rely, <i>and</i> in Him I [confidently] trust!


text:
[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust <i>and</i> find refuge; His truth <i>and</i> His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.


text:
You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,


text:
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction <i>and</i> sudden death that surprise <i>and</i> lay waste at noonday.


text:
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.


text:
Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.


text:
For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany <i>and</i> defend <i>and</i> preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].


text:
You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows <i>and</i> understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness — trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].


text:
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.


text:
It is a good <i>and</i> delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment] to Your name, O Most High,


text:
A man in his rude <i>and</i> uncultivated state knows not, neither does a [self-confident] fool understand this:


text:
That though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to be destroyed forever.


text:
For behold, Your adversaries, O Lord, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the evildoers shall be scattered.


text:
But my horn (emblem of excessive strength and stately grace) You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil.


text:
The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].


text:
[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].


text:
[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright <i>and</i> faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is robed, He has girded Himself with strength <i>and</i> power; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.


text:
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up the roaring of their waves.


text:
The Lord on high is mightier <i>and</i> more glorious than the noise of many waters, yes, than the mighty breakers <i>and</i> waves of the sea.


text:
Your testimonies are very sure; holiness [apparent in separation from sin, with simple trust and hearty obedience] is becoming to Your house, O Lord, forever.


text:
Consider <i>and</i> understand, you stupid ones among the people! And you [self-confident] fools, when will you become wise?


text:
He Who disciplines <i>and</i> instructs the nations, shall He not punish, He Who teaches man knowledge?


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline <i>and</i> instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law,


text:
That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.


text:
For justice will return to the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.


text:
Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?


text:
In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer <i>and</i> delight my soul!


text:
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with You — they who frame <i>and</i> hide their unrighteous doings under [the sacred name of] law?


text:
They band themselves together against the life of the [consistently] righteous and condemn the innocent to death.


text:
And He will turn back upon them their own iniquity and will wipe them out by means of their own wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.


text:
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!


text:
In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights <i>and</i> strength of the hills are His also.


text:
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker [in reverent praise and supplication].


text:
For He is our God and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Harden not your hearts as at Meribah and as at Massah in the day of temptation in the wilderness, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Forty years long was I grieved <i>and</i> disgusted with that generation, and I said, It is a people that do err in their hearts, and they do not approve, acknowledge, <i>or</i> regard My ways.


text:
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be reverently feared <i>and</i> worshiped above all [so-called] gods. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before <i>and</i> reverently fear Him, all the earth.


text:
Say among the nations that the Lord reigns; the world also is established, so that it cannot be moved; He shall judge <i>and</i> rule the people righteously <i>and</i> with justice. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all the things which fill it;


text:
Before the Lord, for He comes, for He comes to judge <i>and</i> govern the earth! He shall judge the world with righteousness <i>and</i> justice and the peoples with His faithfulness <i>and</i> truth. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Clouds and darkness are round about Him [as at Sinai]; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.


text:
Let all those be put to shame who serve graven images, who boast in idols. Fall prostrate before Him, all you gods. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced [in relief] because of Your judgments, O Lord.


text:
O you who love the Lord, hate evil; He preserves the lives of His saints (the children of God), He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous <i>and</i> strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].


text:
Rejoice in the Lord, you [consistently] righteous (upright and in right standing with God), and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.


text:
O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have wrought salvation for Him.


text:
The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness has He openly shown in the sight of the nations. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He has [earnestly] remembered His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, His truth <i>and</i> His faithfulness toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge [and rule] the earth; with righteousness will He judge [and rule] the world, and the peoples with equity.


text:
The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble [with reverential fear]! He sits [enthroned] above the cherubim, let the earth quake!


text:
Let them confess <i>and</i> praise Your great name, awesome <i>and</i> reverence inspiring! It is holy, <i>and</i> holy is He! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The strength of the king who loves righteousness <i>and</i> equity You establish in uprightness; You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob (Israel).


text:
Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the Lord, and He answered them.


text:
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statutes that He gave them. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You answered them, O Lord our God; You were a forgiving God to them, although avenging their evildoing <i>and</i> wicked practices.


text:
Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving <i>and</i> a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful <i>and</i> say so to Him, bless <i>and</i> affectionately praise His name!


text:
For the Lord is good; His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness <i>and</i> truth endure to all generations.


text:
I will behave myself wisely <i>and</i> give heed to the blameless way — O when will You come to me? I will walk within my house in integrity <i>and</i> with a blameless heart.


text:
I will set no base <i>or</i> wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them who turn aside [from the right path]; it shall not grasp hold of me.


text:
Whoso privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off [from me]; he who has a haughty look and a proud <i>and</i> arrogant heart I cannot <i>and</i> I will not tolerate.


text:
My eyes shall [look with favor] upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks blamelessly, he shall minister to me.


text:
He who works deceit shall not dwell in my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.


text:
Morning after morning I will root up all the wicked in the land, that I may eliminate all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.


text:
Hide not Your face from me in the day when I am in distress! Incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily.


text:
I am like a melancholy pelican <i>or</i> vulture of the wilderness; I am like a [desolate] owl of the waste places.


text:
My adversaries taunt <i>and</i> reproach me all the day; and they who are angry with me use my name as a curse.


text:
For I have eaten the ashes [in which I sat] as if they were bread and have mingled my drink with weeping


text:
My days are like an evening shadow that stretches out <i>and</i> declines [with the sun]; and I am withered like grass.


text:
You will arise <i>and</i> have mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness for Zion, for it is time to have pity <i>and</i> compassion for her; yes, the set time has come [the moment designated]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For Your servants take [melancholy] pleasure in the stones [of her ruins] and show pity for her dust.


text:
So the nations shall fear <i>and</i> worshipfully revere the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Let this be recorded for the generation yet unborn, that a people yet to be created shall praise the Lord.


text:
He has afflicted <i>and</i> weakened my strength, humbling <i>and</i> bringing me low [with sorrow] in the way; He has shortened my days [aging me prematurely].


text:
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, You Whose years continue throughout all generations.


text:
At the beginning You existed <i>and</i> laid the foundations of the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands.


text:
They shall perish, but You shall remain <i>and</i> endure; yes, all of them shall wear out <i>and</i> become old like a garment. Like clothing You shall change them, and they shall be changed <i>and</i> pass away.


text:
The children of Your servants shall dwell safely <i>and</i> continue, and their descendants shall be established before You.


text:
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!


text:
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits —


text:
Who redeems your life from the pit <i>and</i> corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, <i>and</i> crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;


text:
Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord executes righteousness <i>and</i> justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed.


text:
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He will not always chide <i>or</i> be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever <i>or</i> hold a grudge.


text:
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness toward those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him.


text:
As a father loves <i>and</i> pities his children, so the Lord loves <i>and</i> pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].


text:
For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers <i>and</i> imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.


text:
But the mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children’s children — <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].


text:
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word.


text:
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure.


text:
Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!


text:
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty —


text:
[You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain <i>or</i> a tent,


text:
Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,


text:
You have set a boundary [for the waters] which they may not pass over, that they turn not again to deluge the earth.


text:
He waters the mountains from His upper rooms; the earth is satisfied <i>and</i> abounds with the fruit of His works.


text:
He causes vegetation to grow for the cattle, and all that the earth produces for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth —


text:
And wine that gladdens the heart of man, to make his face shine more than oil, and bread to support, refresh, <i>and</i> strengthen man’s heart.


text:
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly <i>and</i> are filled with sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He has planted,


text:
The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the conies <i>and</i> badgers.


text:
You [O Lord] make darkness and it becomes night, in which creeps forth every wild beast of the forest.


text:
O Lord, how many <i>and</i> varied are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your riches <i>and</i> Your creatures.


text:
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, in which are swarms of innumerable creeping things, creatures both small and great.


text:
There go the ships of the sea, and Leviathan (the sea monster), which You have formed to sport in it.


text:
When You give it to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, and they are filled with good things.


text:
When You hide Your face, they are troubled <i>and</i> dismayed; when You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.


text:
When You send forth Your Spirit <i>and</i> give them breath, they are created, and You replenish the face of the ground.


text:
Who looks on the earth, and it quakes <i>and</i> trembles, Who touches the mountains, and they smoke!


text:
Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on <i>and</i> talk of all His marvelous deeds <i>and</i> devoutly praise them.


text:
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek <i>and</i> require the Lord [as their indispensable necessity].


text:
Seek, inquire of <i>and</i> for the Lord, <i>and</i> crave Him and His strength (His might and inflexibility to temptation); seek <i>and</i> require His face <i>and</i> His presence [continually] evermore.


text:
[Earnestly] remember the marvelous deeds that He has done, His miracles <i>and</i> wonders, the judgments <i>and</i> sentences which He pronounced [upon His enemies, as in Egypt]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He is [earnestly] mindful of His covenant <i>and</i> forever it is imprinted on His heart, the word which He commanded <i>and</i> established to a thousand generations,


text:
Saying, Unto you will I give the land of Canaan as your measured portion, possession, <i>and</i> inheritance.


text:
When they were but a few men in number, in fact, very few, and were temporary residents <i>and</i> strangers in it,


text:
Moreover, He called for a famine upon the land [of Egypt]; He cut off every source of bread. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron <i>and</i> his soul entered into the iron,


text:
Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true, until the word of the Lord tried <i>and</i> tested him.


text:
He sent [thick] darkness and made the land dark, and they [God’s two servants] rebelled not against His word. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
He spoke, and there came swarms of beetles <i>and</i> flies and mosquitoes <i>and</i> lice in all their borders. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
He smote their vines also and their fig trees and broke the [ice-laden] trees of their borders. <f>ⓝ</f>


text:
He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the beginning <i>and</i> chief substance of all their strength. <f>ⓟ</f>


text:
He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes. <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
And gave them the lands of the nations [of Canaan], and they reaped the fruits of those peoples’ labor, <f>ⓦ</f>


text:
That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Who can put into words <i>and</i> tell the mighty deeds of the Lord? <i>Or</i> who can show forth all the praise [that is due Him]?


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who observe justice [treating others fairly] <i>and</i> who do right <i>and</i> are in right standing with God at all times.


text:
[Earnestly] remember me, O Lord, when You favor Your people! O visit me also when You deliver them, <i>and</i> grant me Your salvation! —


text:
That I may see <i>and</i> share the welfare of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your heritage.


text:
We have sinned, as did also our fathers; we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Our fathers in Egypt understood not nor appreciated Your miracles; they did not [earnestly] remember the multitude of Your mercies nor imprint Your loving-kindness [on their hearts], but they were rebellious <i>and</i> provoked the Lord at the sea, even at the Red Sea. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake [to prove the righteousness of the divine character], that He might make His mighty power known.


text:
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths as through a pastureland. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the [Egyptian] enemy. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them,


text:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted <i>and</i> tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls <i>and</i> [thinned their numbers by] disease and death. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Thus they exchanged Him Who was their Glory for the image of an ox that eats grass [they traded their Honor for the image of a calf]!


text:
Therefore He said He would destroy them. [And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the breach before Him to turn away His threatening wrath. <f>ⓜ</f>


text:
Then they spurned <i>and</i> despised the pleasant <i>and</i> desirable land [Canaan]; they believed not His word [neither trusting in, relying on, nor holding to it];


text:
Therefore He lifted up His hand [as if taking an oath] against them, that He would cause them to fall in the wilderness,


text:
They joined themselves also to the [idol] Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices [offered] to the lifeless [gods].


text:
And that was credited to him for righteousness (right doing and right standing with God) to all generations forever.


text:
They angered the Lord also at the waters of Meribah, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes; <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with their blood.


text:
Thus were they defiled by their own works, and they played the harlot <i>and</i> practiced idolatry with their own deeds [of idolatrous rites].


text:
Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against His people, insomuch that He abhorred <i>and</i> rejected His own heritage. <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under the hand of their foes.


text:
Many times did [God] deliver them, but they were rebellious in their counsel and sank low through their iniquity.


text:
And He [earnestly] remembered for their sake His covenant and relented their sentence of evil [comforting and easing Himself] according to the abundance of His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness [when they cried out to Him].


text:
Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name <i>and</i> glory in praising You.


text:
Blessed (affectionately and gratefully praised) be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, Amen! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) <f>ⓡ</f>


text:
And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the [Red] Sea in the south.


text:
He led them forth by the straight <i>and</i> right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes.


text:
Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness <i>and</i> loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!


text:
Therefore He bowed down their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled <i>and</i> fell down, and there was none to help.


text:
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke apart the bonds that held them. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Some are fools [made ill] because of the way of their transgressions and are afflicted because of their iniquities.


text:
He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit <i>and</i> destruction. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness <i>and</i> loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and rehearse His deeds with shouts of joy <i>and</i> singing!


text:
[Those aboard] mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the deeps; their courage melts away because of their plight.


text:
They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits’ end [all their wisdom has come to nothing].


text:
He hushes the storm to a calm <i>and</i> to a gentle whisper, so that the waves of the sea are still. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the company of the elders.


text:
A fruitful land into a barren, salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Whoso is wise [if there be any truly wise] will observe <i>and</i> heed these things; and they will diligently consider the mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness of the Lord.


text:
O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast, in the confidence of faith); I will sing, yes, I will sing praises, even with my glory [all the faculties and powers of one created in Your image]!


text:
I will praise <i>and</i> give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; and I will sing praises unto You among the nations.


text:
For Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness are great <i>and</i> high as the heavens! Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness reach to the skies! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
God has promised in His holiness [regarding the establishment of David’s dynasty]: I will rejoice, I will distribute [Canaan among My people], dividing Shechem and [the western region and allotting the eastern region which contains] the Valley of Succoth.


text:
Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is My stronghold <i>and</i> the defense of My head; Judah is My scepter <i>and</i> lawgiver. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom [My slave] My shoe I cast [to be cleaned]; over Philistia I shout [in triumph].


text:
Through <i>and</i> with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For the mouths of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they have spoken to me <i>and</i> against me with lying tongues.


text:
When [the wicked] is judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer [for leniency] be turned into a sin.


text:
Let his children be continual vagabonds [as was Cain] and beg; let them seek their bread <i>and</i> be driven far from their ruined homes. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Let the creditor <i>and</i> extortioner seize all that he has; and let strangers (barbarians and foreigners) plunder the fruits of his labor.


text:
Let there be none to extend <i>or</i> continue mercy <i>and</i> kindness to him, neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.


text:
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.


text:
Because the man did not [earnestly] remember to show mercy, but pursued <i>and</i> persecuted the poor and needy man, and the broken in heart [he was ready] to slay.


text:
Yes, he loved cursing, and it came [back] upon him; he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.


text:
He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, and it seeped into his inward [life] like water, and like oil into his bones.


text:
Let it be to him as the raiment with which he covers himself and as the girdle with which he is girded continually.


text:
Let this be the reward of my adversaries from the Lord, and of those who speak evil against my life.


text:
But You deal with me <i>and</i> act for me, O God the Lord, for Your name’s sake; because Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness are good, O deliver me.


text:
I am gone like the shadow when it lengthens <i>and</i> declines; I toss up and down <i>and</i> am shaken off as the locust.


text:
I have become also a reproach <i>and</i> a taunt to others; when they see me, they shake their heads. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Let them curse, but do You bless. When adversaries arise, let them be put to shame, but let Your servant rejoice.


text:
Let my adversaries be clothed with shame <i>and</i> dishonor, and let them cover themselves with their own disgrace <i>and</i> confusion as with a robe.


text:
I will give great praise <i>and</i> thanks to the Lord with my mouth; yes, <i>and</i> I will praise Him among the multitude.


text:
For He will stand at the right hand of the poor <i>and</i> needy, to save him from those who condemn his life.


text:
The Lord (God) says to my Lord (the Messiah), Sit at My right hand, until I make Your adversaries Your footstool. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The Lord will send forth from Zion the scepter of Your strength; rule, then, in the midst of Your foes. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness <i>and</i> in holy array out of the womb of the morning; to You [will spring forth] Your young men, who are as the dew.


text:
The Lord has sworn and will not revoke <i>or</i> change it: You are a priest forever, after the manner <i>and</i> order of Melchizedek. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He will execute judgment [in overwhelming punishment] upon the nations; He will fill the valleys with the dead bodies, He will crush the [chief] heads over lands many <i>and</i> far extended. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) I will praise <i>and</i> give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the council of the upright and in the congregation.


text:
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious, merciful, <i>and</i> full of loving compassion.


text:
He has given food <i>and</i> provision to those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever <i>and</i> imprint it [on His mind]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He has declared <i>and</i> shown to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations [of Canaan].


text:
The works of His hands are [absolute] truth and justice [faithful and right]; and all His decrees <i>and</i> precepts are sure (fixed, established, and trustworthy).


text:
They stand fast <i>and</i> are established forever and ever and are done in [absolute] truth and uprightness.


text:
He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant to be forever; holy is His name, inspiring awe, reverence, <i>and</i> godly fear.


text:
The reverent fear <i>and</i> worship of the Lord is the beginning of <f>[1]</f>Wisdom <i>and</i> skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, <i>and</i> meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
His [spiritual] offspring shall be mighty upon earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.


text:
Light arises in the darkness for the upright, gracious, compassionate, <i>and</i> just [who are in right standing with God].


text:
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He will not be moved forever; the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall be in everlasting remembrance. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.


text:
His heart is established <i>and</i> steady, he will not be afraid while he waits to see his desire established upon his adversaries.


text:
He has distributed freely [he has given to the poor and needy]; his righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) endures forever; his horn shall be exalted in honor. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The wicked man will see it and be grieved <i>and</i> angered, he will gnash his teeth and disappear [in despair]; the desire of the wicked shall perish <i>and</i> come to nothing.


text:
From the rising of the sun to the going down of it <i>and</i> from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!


text:
[The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust <i>and</i> lifts the needy from the ash heap <i>and</i> the dung hill,


text:
He makes the barren woman to be a homemaker <i>and</i> a joyful mother of [spiritual] children. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
Judah became [God’s] sanctuary (the Holy Place of His habitation), and Israel His dominion. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness and for the sake of Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness!


text:
They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither can they make a sound with their throats.


text:
O Israel, trust <i>and</i> take refuge in the Lord! [Lean on, rely on, and be confident in Him!] He is their Help and their Shield.


text:
O house of Aaron [the priesthood], trust in <i>and</i> lean on the Lord! He is their Help and their Shield.


text:
You who [reverently] fear the Lord, trust in <i>and</i> lean on the Lord! He is their Help and their Shield.


text:
The Lord has been mindful of us, He will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron [the priesthood],


text:
He will bless those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear the Lord, both small and great. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But we will bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
The cords <i>and</i> sorrows of death were around me, and the terrors of Sheol (the place of the dead) had laid hold of me; I suffered anguish and grief (trouble and sorrow).


text:
For You have delivered my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling <i>and</i> falling.


text:
I believed (trusted in, relied on, and clung to my God), and therefore have I spoken [even when I said], I am greatly afflicted. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for all His bountiful dealings?]


text:
Precious (important and no light matter) in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (His loving ones).


text:
O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid; You have loosed my bonds.


text:
In the courts of the Lord’s house — in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
For His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth <i>and</i> faithfulness of the Lord endure forever. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
Let the house of Aaron [the priesthood] now say that His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever.


text:
Let those now who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear the Lord say that His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever.


text:
Out of my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free <i>and</i> in a large place.


text:
The Lord is on my side <i>and</i> takes my part, He is among those who help me; therefore shall I see my desire established upon those who hate me.


text:
All nations (the surrounding tribes) compassed me about, but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!


text:
They compassed me about, yes, they surrounded me on every side; but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!


text:
They swarmed about me like bees, they blaze up <i>and</i> are extinguished like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I will cut them off! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents <i>and</i> private dwellings of the [uncompromisingly] righteous: the right hand of the Lord does valiantly <i>and</i> achieves strength!


text:
The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly <i>and</i> achieves strength!


text:
I shall not die but live, and shall declare the works <i>and</i> recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.


text:
Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness; I will enter through them, and I will confess <i>and</i> praise the Lord.


text:
I will confess, praise, <i>and</i> give thanks to You, for You have heard <i>and</i> answered me; and You have become my Salvation <i>and</i> Deliverer.


text:
Save now, we beseech You, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, <i>and</i> give to us success!


text:
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
The Lord is God, Who has shown <i>and</i> given us light [He has illuminated us with grace, freedom, and joy]. Decorate the festival with leafy boughs <i>and</i> bind the sacrifices to be offered with thick cords [all over the priest’s court, right up] to the horns of the altar.


text:
You are my God, and I will confess, praise, <i>and</i> give thanks to You; You are my God, I will extol You.


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of the revealed will of God], who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord (the whole of God’s revealed will).


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek, inquire for <i>and</i> of Him <i>and</i> crave Him with the whole heart.


text:
Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]; they walk in His ways. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Oh, that my ways were directed <i>and</i> established to observe Your statutes [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!


text:
Then shall I not be put to shame [by failing to inherit Your promises] when I have respect to all Your commandments.


text:
I will praise <i>and</i> give thanks to You with uprightness of heart when I learn [by sanctified experiences] Your righteous judgments [Your decisions against and punishments for particular lines of thought and conduct].


text:
How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed <i>and</i> keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it].


text:
With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for <i>and</i> of You <i>and</i> yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander <i>or</i> step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways [the paths of life marked out by Your law]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live; and I will observe Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I am a stranger <i>and</i> a temporary resident on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
My heart is breaking with the longing that it has for Your ordinances <i>and</i> judgments at all times.


text:
You rebuke the proud <i>and</i> arrogant, the accursed ones, who err <i>and</i> wander from Your commandments.


text:
My earthly life cleaves to the dust; revive <i>and</i> stimulate me according to Your word! <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
I have declared my ways <i>and</i> opened my griefs to You, and You listened to me; teach me Your statutes.


text:
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on <i>and</i> talk of Your wondrous works. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
My life dissolves <i>and</i> weeps itself away for heaviness; raise me up <i>and</i> strengthen me according to [the promises of] Your word.


text:
Remove from me the way of falsehood <i>and</i> unfaithfulness [to You], and graciously impart Your law to me.


text:
I will [not merely walk, but] run the way of Your commandments, when You give me a heart that is willing.


text:
Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; yes, I will observe it with my whole heart. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetousness (robbery, sensuality, unworthy riches). <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity (idols and idolatry); and restore me to vigorous life <i>and</i> health in Your ways.


text:
Establish Your word <i>and</i> confirm Your promise to Your servant, which is for those who reverently fear <i>and</i> devotedly worship You. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Let Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness come also to me, O Lord, even Your salvation according to Your promise;


text:
Then shall I have an answer for those who taunt <i>and</i> reproach me, for I lean on, rely on, <i>and</i> trust in Your word.


text:
And I will walk at liberty <i>and</i> at ease, for I have sought and inquired for [and desperately required] Your precepts.


text:
My hands also will I lift up [in fervent supplication] to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.


text:
Remember [fervently] the word <i>and</i> promise to Your servant, in which You have caused me to hope.


text:
This is my comfort <i>and</i> consolation in my affliction: that Your word has revived me <i>and</i> given me life. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
The proud have had me greatly in derision, yet have I not declined in my interest in <i>or</i> turned aside from Your law.


text:
Burning indignation, terror, <i>and</i> sadness seize upon me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.


text:
This I have had [as the gift of Your grace and as my reward]: that I have kept Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].


text:
I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful <i>and</i> gracious to me according to Your promise.


text:
I am a companion of all those who fear, revere, <i>and</i> worship You, and of those who observe <i>and</i> give heed to Your precepts.


text:
Teach me good judgment, wise <i>and</i> right discernment, and knowledge, for I have believed (trusted, relied on, and clung to) Your commandments.


text:
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].


text:
The arrogant <i>and</i> godless have put together a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.


text:
Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned <i>and</i> established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.


text:
Those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear You will see me and be glad, because I have hoped in Your word <i>and</i> tarried for it.


text:
I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right <i>and</i> righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. <f>ⓜ</f>


text:
Let, I pray You, Your merciful kindness <i>and</i> steadfast love be for my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant.


text:
Let Your tender mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness come to me that I may live, for Your law is my delight!


text:
Let the proud be put to shame, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause; but I will meditate on Your precepts.


text:
Let those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear You turn to me, and those who have known Your testimonies.


text:
Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted and blameless) in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.


text:
For I have become like a bottle [a wineskin blackened and shriveled] in the smoke [in which it hangs], yet do I not forget Your statutes.


text:
How many are the days of Your servant [which he must endure]? When will You judge those who pursue and persecute me? <f>ⓝ</f>


text:
All Your commandments are faithful <i>and</i> sure. [The godless] pursue <i>and</i> persecute me with falsehood; help me [Lord]!


text:
According to Your steadfast love give life to me; then I will keep the testimony of Your mouth [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it].


text:
Your faithfulness is from generation to generation; You have established the earth, and it stands fast.


text:
All [the whole universe] are Your servants; therefore they continue this day according to Your ordinances. <f>ⓟ</f>


text:
I will never forget Your precepts, [how can I?] for it is by them You have quickened me (granted me life).


text:
I am Yours, therefore save me [Your own]; for I have sought (inquired of and for) Your precepts <i>and</i> required them [as my urgent need]. <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
I have seen that everything [human] has its limits <i>and</i> end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad <i>and</i> extends without limits [into eternity]. <f>ⓡ</f>


text:
I have better understanding <i>and</i> deeper insight than all my teachers, because Your testimonies are my meditation. <f>ⓣ</f>


text:
I understand more than the aged, because I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].


text:
I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Your word [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]. <f>ⓤ</f>


text:
I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. <f>ⓧ</f>


text:
Accept, I beseech You, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your ordinances. <f>ⓨ</f>


text:
Your testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. <f>ⓩ</f>


text:
Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Uphold me according to Your promise, that I may live; and let me not be put to shame in my hope! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
You spurn <i>and</i> set at nought all those who stray from Your statutes, for their own lying deceives them <i>and</i> their tricks are in vain.


text:
You put away <i>and</i> count as dross all the wicked of the earth [for there is no true metal in them]; therefore I love Your testimonies.


text:
My flesh trembles <i>and</i> shudders for fear <i>and</i> reverential, worshipful awe of You, and I am afraid <i>and</i> in dread of Your judgments.


text:
Be surety for Your servant for good [as Judah was surety for the safety of Benjamin]; let not the proud oppress me. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, and teach me Your statutes.


text:
I am Your servant; give me understanding (discernment and comprehension), that I may know (discern and be familiar with the character of) Your testimonies.


text:
Therefore I love Your commandments more than [resplendent] gold, yes, more than [perfectly] refined gold.


text:
Your testimonies are wonderful [far exceeding anything conceived by man]; therefore my [penitent] self keeps them [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].


text:
The entrance <i>and</i> unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.


text:
Look upon me, be merciful unto me, <i>and</i> show me favor, as is Your way to those who love Your name.


text:
Establish my steps <i>and</i> direct them by [means of] Your word; let not any iniquity have dominion over me.


text:
Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Streams of water run down my eyes, because men do not keep Your law [they hear it not, nor receive it, love it, or obey it].


text:
[Rigidly] righteous are You, O Lord, and upright are Your judgments <i>and</i> all expressions of Your will.


text:
You have commanded <i>and</i> appointed Your testimonies in righteousness and in great faithfulness.


text:
Your righteous testimonies are everlasting <i>and</i> Your decrees are binding to eternity; give me understanding and I shall live [give me discernment and comprehension and I shall not die].


text:
I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord; I will keep Your statutes [I will hear, receive, love, and obey them].


text:
I cried to You; save me, that I may keep Your testimonies [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].


text:
My eyes anticipate the night watches <i>and</i> I am awake before the cry of the watchman, that I may meditate on Your word.


text:
Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love; O Lord, quicken me <i>and</i> give me life according to Your [righteous] decrees.


text:
They draw near who follow after wrong thinking <i>and</i> persecute me with wickedness; they are far from Your law.


text:
Of old have I known Your testimonies, <i>and</i> for a long time, [therefore it is a thoroughly established conviction] that You have founded them forever. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Great are Your tender mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, O Lord; give me life according to Your ordinances.


text:
I behold the treacherous and am grieved <i>and</i> loathe them, because they do not respect Your law [neither hearing, receiving, loving, nor obeying it].


text:
Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me <i>and</i> give life to me, O Lord, according to Your loving-kindness!


text:
The sum of Your word is truth [the total of the full meaning of all Your individual precepts]; and every one of Your righteous decrees endures forever.


text:
Princes pursue <i>and</i> persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words [dreading violation of them far more than the force of prince or potentate]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them <i>or</i> make them stumble. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
I am hoping <i>and</i> waiting [eagerly] for Your salvation, O Lord, and I do Your commandments. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
Your testimonies have I kept [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]; I love them exceedingly!


text:
I have observed Your precepts <i>and</i> Your testimonies, for all my ways are [fully known] before You.


text:
Let my mournful cry <i>and</i> supplication come [near] before You, O Lord; give me understanding (discernment and comprehension) according to Your word [of assurance and promise].


text:
My lips shall pour forth praise [with thanksgiving and renewed trust] when You teach me Your statutes.


text:
My tongue shall sing [praise for the fulfillment] of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous.


text:
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> demand Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
Woe is me that I sojourn with Meshech, that I dwell beside the tents of Kedar [as if among notoriously barbarous people]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
 I will lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah] — From whence shall my help come? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He will not allow your foot to slip <i>or</i> to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed <i>and</i> as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.


text:
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> require your good.


text:
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness for us.


text:
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on <i>and</i> loving-kindness for us, for we are exceedingly satiated with contempt.


text:
Our life is exceedingly filled with the scorning <i>and</i> scoffing of those who are at ease and with the contempt of the proud (irresponsible tyrants who disregard God’s law).


text:
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us <i>and</i> swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;


text:
 Those who trust in, lean on, <i>and</i> confidently hope in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides <i>and</i> stands fast forever.


text:
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from this time forth and forever.


text:
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the [uncompromisingly] righteous, lest the righteous (God’s people) stretch forth their hands to iniquity <i>and</i> apostasy.


text:
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are right [with You and all people] in their hearts.


text:
As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways [of indifference to God], the Lord will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!


text:
 When the Lord brought back the captives [who returned] to Zion, we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Then were our mouths filled with laughter, and our tongues with singing. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them.


text:
Turn to freedom our captivity <i>and</i> restore our fortunes, O Lord, as the streams in the South (the Negeb) [are restored by the torrents].


text:
He who goes forth bearing seed and weeping [at needing his precious supply of grain for sowing] shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.


text:
 Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; except the Lord keeps the city, the watchman wakes but in vain. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil — for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.


text:
Happy, blessed, <i>and</i> fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them! They will not be put to shame when they speak with their adversaries [in gatherings] at the [city’s] gate.


text:
 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who fears, reveres, <i>and</i> worships the Lord, who walks in His ways <i>and</i> lives according to His commandments. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labor of your hands; happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you.


text:
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of your house; your children shall be like olive plants round about your table.


text:
May the Lord bless you out of Zion [His sanctuary], and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;


text:
Many a time <i>and</i> much have they afflicted me from my youth up, yet they have not prevailed against me.


text:
The Lord is [uncompromisingly] righteous; He has cut asunder the thick cords by which the wicked [enslaved us].


text:
While those who go by do not say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!


text:
If You, Lord, should keep account of <i>and</i> treat [us according to our] sins, O Lord, who could stand? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared <i>and</i> worshiped. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I am looking <i>and</i> waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning.


text:
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, and with Him is plenteous redemption.


text:
 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too wonderful for me.


text:
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].


text:
 Lord, [earnestly] remember to David’s credit all his humiliations <i>and</i> hardships <i>and</i> endurance —


text:
Behold, at Ephratah we [first] heard of [the discovered ark]; we found it in the fields of the wood [at Kiriath-jearim]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (right living and right standing with God); and let Your saints shout for joy!


text:
For Your servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of Your anointed <i>and</i> reject not Your own king.


text:
The Lord swore to David in truth; He will not turn back from it: One of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
If your children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon your throne forever.


text:
There will I make a horn spring forth <i>and</i> bud for David; I have ordained <i>and</i> prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises of old]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar <i>and</i> skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly].


text:
 Behold, bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, [singers] who by night stand in the house of the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Lift up your hands in holiness <i>and</i> to the sanctuary and bless the Lord [affectionately and gratefully praise Him]!


text:
Praise the Lord! For the Lord is good; sing praises to His name, for He is gracious <i>and</i> lovely!


text:
For the Lord has chosen [the descendants of] Jacob for Himself, Israel for His peculiar possession <i>and</i> treasure. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Whatever the Lord pleases, that has He done in the heavens and on earth, in the seas and all deeps —


text:
Who causes the vapors to arise from the ends of the earth, Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings the wind out of His storehouses;


text:
For the Lord will judge <i>and</i> vindicate His people, and He will delay His judgments [manifesting His righteousness and mercy] <i>and</i> take into favor His servants [those who meet His terms of separation unto Him]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Those who make [idols] are like them; so is everyone who trusts in <i>and</i> relies on them. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) the Lord, O house of Israel; bless the Lord, O house of Aaron [God’s ministers].


text:
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi [the dedicated tribe]; you who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear the Lord, bless the Lord [affectionately and gratefully praise Him]! <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
To Him Who by wisdom <i>and</i> understanding made the heavens, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
To Him Who stretched out the earth upon the waters, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
To Him Who smote Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever; <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
To Him Who divided the Red Sea into parts, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever; <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
But shook off <i>and</i> overthrew Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
To Him Who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
Even a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever; <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
To Him Who [earnestly] remembered us in our low estate <i>and</i> imprinted us [on His heart], for His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness endure forever;


text:
By the rivers of Babylon, there we [captives] sat down, yes, we wept when we [earnestly] remembered Zion [the city of our God imprinted on our hearts].


text:
For there they who led us captive required of us a song with words, and our tormentors <i>and</i> they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.


text:
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I remember you not, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites, that they said in the day of Jerusalem’s fall, Down, down to the ground with her!


text:
O Daughter of Babylon [you devastator, you!], who [ought to be and] shall be destroyed, happy <i>and</i> blessed shall he be who requites you as you have served us. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I will confess <i>and</i> praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises to You.


text:
I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth <i>and</i> faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word <i>and</i> You have magnified Your word above all Your name!


text:
In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self.


text:
All the kings of the land shall give You credit <i>and</i> praise You, O Lord, for they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled].


text:
Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord <i>and</i> joyfully celebrate His mighty acts, for great is the glory of the Lord.


text:
For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but the proud <i>and</i> haughty He knows <i>and</i> recognizes [only] at a distance. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever — forsake not the works of Your own hands. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I will confess <i>and</i> praise You <i>for You are fearful and wonderful and</i> for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.


text:
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately <i>and</i> curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].


text:
Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.


text:
How precious <i>and</i> weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.


text:
Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And am I not grieved <i>and</i> do I not loathe those who rise up against You?


text:
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s; adders’ poison is under their lips. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent men who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.


text:
The proud have hidden a snare for me; they have spread cords as a net by the wayside, they have set traps for me. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; further not their wicked plot <i>and</i> device, lest they exalt themselves. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Those who are fencing me in raise their heads; may the mischief of their own lips <i>and</i> the very things they desire for me come upon them.


text:
Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into floods of water <i>or</i> deep water pits, from which they shall not rise.


text:
Let not a man of slanderous tongue be established in the earth; let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him [let calamity follow his evildoings].


text:
I know <i>and</i> rest in confidence upon it that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will secure justice for the poor <i>and</i> needy [of His believing children].


text:
Surely the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence (before Your very face).


text:
Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Incline my heart not to submit <i>or</i> consent to any evil thing or to be occupied in deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.


text:
Let the righteous man smite and correct me — it is a kindness. Oil so choice let not my head refuse <i>or</i> discourage; for even in their evils <i>or</i> calamities shall my prayer continue. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
When their rulers are overthrown in stony places, [their followers] shall hear my words, that they are sweet (pleasant, mild, and just).


text:
The unburied bones [of slaughtered rulers] shall lie scattered at the mouth of Sheol, [as unregarded] as the lumps of soil behind the plowman when he breaks open the ground. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But my eyes are toward You, O God the Lord; in You do I trust <i>and</i> take refuge; pour not out my life <i>nor</i> leave it destitute <i>and</i> bare.


text:
When my spirit was overwhelmed <i>and</i> fainted [throwing all its weight] upon me, then You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.


text:
Look on the right hand [the point of attack] and see; for there is no man who knows me [to appear for me]. Refuge has failed me <i>and</i> I have no way to flee; no man cares for my life <i>or</i> my welfare.


text:
Attend to my loud cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.


text:
Bring my life out of prison, that I may confess, praise, <i>and</i> give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me <i>and</i> crown themselves because of me, for You will deal bountifully with me.


text:
Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.


text:
And enter not into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is [in himself] righteous <i>or</i> justified. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the enemy has pursued <i>and</i> persecuted my soul, he has crushed my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in dark places as those who have been long dead.


text:
Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed <i>and</i> faints within me [wrapped in gloom]; my heart within my bosom grows numb.


text:
I spread forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts after You like a thirsty land [for water]. <i>Selah</i> [pause, and calmly think of that]!


text:
Answer me speedily, O Lord, for my spirit fails; hide not Your face from me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit (the grave).


text:
Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean <i>and</i> in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.


text:
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me into a level country <i>and</i> into the land of uprightness.


text:
Save my life, O Lord, for Your name’s sake; in Your righteousness, bring my life out of trouble <i>and</i> free me from distress.


text:
And in your mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness, cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my inner self, for I am Your servant.


text:
Blessed be the Lord, my Rock <i>and</i> my keen <i>and</i> firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight —


text:
My Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust <i>and</i> take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.


text:
Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Cast forth lightning and scatter [my enemies]; send out Your arrows and embarrass <i>and</i> frustrate them.


text:
Stretch forth Your hand from above; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, from the hands of hostile aliens (tribes around us)


text:
Whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands [raised in taking] fraudulent oaths.


text:
I will sing a new song to You, O God; upon a harp, an instrument of ten strings, will I offer praises to You.


text:
You are He Who gives salvation to kings, Who rescues David His servant from the hurtful sword [of evil].


text:
Rescue me and deliver me out of the power of [hostile] alien [tribes] whose mouths speak deceit and whose right hands are right hands [raised in taking] fraudulent oaths.


text:
When our sons shall be as plants grown large in their youth <i>and</i> our daughters as sculptured corner pillars hewn like those of a palace;


text:
When our garners are full, affording all manner of store, and our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our pastures;


text:
When our oxen are well loaded; when there is no invasion [of hostile armies] and no going forth [against besiegers — when there is no murder or manslaughter] and no outcry in our streets;


text:
Happy <i>and</i> blessed are the people who are in such a case; yes, happy (blessed, fortunate, prosperous, to be envied) are the people whose God is the Lord!


text:
I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever [with grateful, affectionate praise].


text:
Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless You [affectionately and gratefully praise You]; yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever.


text:
Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Men shall speak of the might of Your tremendous <i>and</i> terrible acts, and I will declare Your greatness.


text:
They shall pour forth [like a fountain] the fame of Your great <i>and</i> abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your rightness <i>and</i> justice.


text:
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness.


text:
The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].


text:
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]!


text:
The eyes of all wait for You [looking, watching, and expecting] and You give them their food in due season.


text:
He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.


text:
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless (affectionately and gratefully praise) His holy name forever and ever.


text:
When his breath leaves him, he returns to his earth; in that very day his [previous] thoughts, plans, <i>and</i> purposes perish. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is he who has the God of [special revelation to] Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps truth <i>and</i> is faithful forever,


text:
Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets free the prisoners,


text:
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright in heart and in right standing with Him). <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The Lord protects <i>and</i> preserves the strangers <i>and</i> temporary residents, He upholds the fatherless and the widow <i>and</i> sets them upright, but the way of the wicked He makes crooked (turns upside down and brings to ruin).


text:
The Lord shall reign forever, even Your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God, for He is gracious <i>and</i> lovely; praise is becoming <i>and</i> appropriate.


text:
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.


text:
The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you.


text:
He has not dealt so with any [other] nation; they have not known (understood, appreciated, given heed to, and cherished) His ordinances. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away [He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed over].


text:
Let them praise <i>and</i> exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted <i>and</i> supreme! His glory <i>and</i> majesty are above earth and heaven!


text:
He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them power, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence], a song of praise for all His godly ones, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let Israel rejoice in Him, their Maker; let Zion’s children triumph <i>and</i> be joyful in their King! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Let them praise His name in chorus <i>and</i> choir <i>and</i> with the [single or group] dance; let them sing praises to Him with the tambourine and lyre!


text:
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation <i>and</i> adorn the wretched with victory.


text:
Let the saints be joyful in the glory <i>and</i> beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds.


text:
To execute upon them the judgment written. He [the Lord] is the honor of all His saints. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments <i>or</i> flutes!


text:
Let everything that has breath <i>and</i> every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)


text:
The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:


text:
<f>[1]</f>That people may know skillful <i>and</i> godly <f>[2]</f>Wisdom and instruction, discern <i>and</i> comprehend the words of understanding <i>and</i> insight,


text:
Receive instruction in wise dealing <i>and</i> the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity,


text:
That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, <i>and</i> discernment to the youth —


text:
The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill <i>and</i> attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly] — <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech <i>or</i> an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings <i>or</i> riddles.


text:
The reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning <i>and</i> the principal <i>and</i> choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, instruction, <i>and</i> discipline. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not <i>nor</i> forsake the teaching of your mother.


text:
For they are a [victor’s] chaplet (garland) of grace upon your head and chains <i>and</i> pendants [of gold worn by kings] for your neck.


text:
If they say, Come with us; let us lie in wait [to shed] blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause [and show that his piety is in vain];


text:
Let us swallow them up alive as does Sheol (the place of the dead), and whole, as those who go down into the pit [of the dead];


text:
We shall find <i>and</i> take all kinds of precious goods [when our victims are put out of the way], we shall fill our houses with plunder;


text:
Throw in your lot with us [they insist] <i>and</i> be a sworn brother <i>and</i> comrade; let us all have one purse in common —


text:
But [when these men set a trap for others] they are lying in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.


text:
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy of gain; such [greed for plunder] takes away the lives of its possessors. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
She cries at the head of the noisy intersections [in the chief gathering places]; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:


text:
How long, O simple ones [open to evil], will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing and [self-confident] fools hate knowledge?


text:
If you will turn (repent) <i>and</i> give heed to my reproof, behold, I [<f>[4]</f>Wisdom] will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Because I have called and you have refused [to answer], have stretched out my hand and no man has heeded it, <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror <i>and</i> panic —


text:
When your panic comes as a storm <i>and</i> desolation and your calamity comes on as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.


text:
Then will they call upon me [Wisdom] but I will not answer; they will seek me early <i>and</i> diligently but they will not find me. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord, <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, and the careless ease of [self-confident] fools shall destroy them. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely <i>and</i> in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear <i>or</i> dread of evil.


text:
Making your ear attentive to skillful <i>and</i> godly <f>[1]</f>Wisdom <i>and</i> inclining and directing your heart <i>and</i> mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it];


text:
If you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures,


text:
Then you will understand the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the Lord gives skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.


text:
He hides away sound <i>and</i> godly Wisdom <i>and</i> stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightly <i>and</i> in integrity,


text:
Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing [in every area and relation]; yes, you will understand every good path.


text:
For skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you.


text:
To deliver you from the way of evil <i>and</i> the evil men, from men who speak perverse things <i>and</i> are liars,


text:
[Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you] to deliver you from the alien woman, from the outsider with her flattering words, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So may you walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God).


text:
For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the men of integrity, blameless <i>and</i> complete [in God’s sight], shall remain in it;


text:
For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.


text:
Let not mercy and kindness [shutting out all hatred and selfishness] and truth [shutting out all deliberate hypocrisy or falsehood] forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them upon the tablet of your heart. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
So shall you find favor, good understanding, <i>and</i> high esteem in the sight [or judgment] of God and man. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Lean on, trust in, <i>and</i> be confident in the Lord with all your heart <i>and</i> mind and do not rely on your own insight <i>or</i> understanding.


text:
In all your ways know, recognize, <i>and</i> acknowledge Him, and He will direct <i>and</i> make straight <i>and</i> plain your paths.


text:
Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear <i>and</i> worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
It shall be health to your nerves <i>and</i> sinews, and marrow <i>and</i> moistening to your bones.


text:
Honor the Lord with your capital <i>and</i> sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income; <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
My son, do not despise <i>or</i> shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of <i>or</i> impatient about <i>or</i> loathe <i>or</i> abhor His reproof, <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences],


text:
For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than fine gold.


text:
Skillful <i>and</i> godly <f>[1]</f>Wisdom is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for is to be compared to her. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast.


text:
The Lord by skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Then you will walk in your way securely <i>and</i> in confident trust, and you shall not dash your foot <i>or</i> stumble. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Be not afraid of sudden terror <i>and</i> panic, nor of the stormy blast <i>or</i> the storm and ruin of the wicked when it comes [for you will be guiltless],


text:
For the Lord shall be your confidence, firm <i>and</i> strong, and shall keep your foot from being caught [in a trap or some hidden danger].


text:
Withhold not good from those to whom it is due [its rightful owners], when it is in the power of your hand to do it. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again; and tomorrow I will give it — when you have it with you. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
Do not contrive <i>or</i> dig up <i>or</i> cultivate evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly <i>and</i> confidently beside you.


text:
Do not resentfully envy <i>and</i> be jealous of an unscrupulous, grasping man, and choose none of his ways. <f>ⓝ</f>


text:
For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but His confidential communion <i>and</i> secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him). <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
The curse of the Lord is in <i>and</i> on the house of the wicked, but He declares blessed (joyful and favored with blessings) the home of the just <i>and</i> consistently righteous. <f>ⓟ</f>


text:
Though He scoffs at the scoffers <i>and</i> scorns the scorners, yet He gives His undeserved favor to the low [in rank], the humble, <i>and</i> the afflicted. <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
The wise shall inherit glory (all honor and good) but shame is the highest rank conferred on [self-confident] fools. <f>ⓡ</f>


text:
Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, and pay attention in order to gain <i>and</i> to know intelligent discernment, comprehension, <i>and</i> interpretation [of spiritual matters].


text:
When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba],


text:
He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Get skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth.


text:
Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, <i>and</i> protect you; love her, and she will guard you.


text:
The beginning of Wisdom is: get Wisdom (skillful and godly Wisdom)! [For skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom is the principal thing.] And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation). <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Prize Wisdom highly <i>and</i> exalt her, and she will exalt <i>and</i> promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her.


text:
She shall give to your head a wreath of gracefulness; a crown of beauty <i>and</i> glory will she deliver to you.


text:
I have taught you in the way of skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]; I have led you in paths of uprightness.


text:
When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble.


text:
For they cannot sleep unless they have caused trouble <i>or</i> vexation; their sleep is taken away unless they have caused someone to fall.


text:
But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just <i>and</i> righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Keep <i>and</i> guard your heart with all vigilance <i>and</i> above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.


text:
Put away from you false <i>and</i> dishonest speech, and willful <i>and</i> contrary talk put far from you.


text:
Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established <i>and</i> ordered aright.


text:
My son, be attentive to my Wisdom [godly Wisdom learned by actual and costly experience], and incline your ear to my understanding [of what is becoming and prudent for you],


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That you may exercise proper discrimination <i>and</i> discretion and your lips may guard <i>and</i> keep knowledge <i>and</i> the wise answer [to temptation].


text:
For the lips of a loose woman drip honey as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
She loses sight of <i>and</i> walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them.


text:
Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Lest strangers [and false teachings] take their fill of your strength <i>and</i> wealth and your labors go to the house of an alien [from God] —


text:
I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor submitted <i>and</i> consented to those who instructed me.


text:
[The extent and boldness of] my sin involved almost all evil [in the estimation] of the congregation <i>and</i> the community.


text:
<f>[1]</f>Drink waters out of your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship], and fresh running waters out of your own well.


text:
[Confine yourself to your own wife] let your children be for you alone, and not the children of strangers with you.


text:
Let your fountain [of human life] be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], and rejoice in the wife of your youth.


text:
Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant doe [tender, gentle, attractive] — let her bosom satisfy you at all times, and always be transported with delight in her love.


text:
Why should you, my son, be infatuated with a loose woman, embrace the bosom of an outsider, <i>and</i> go astray?


text:
For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, and He [Who would have us live soberly, chastely, and godly] carefully weighs all man’s goings. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He will die for lack of discipline <i>and</i> instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray <i>and</i> be lost.


text:
My son, if you have become security for your neighbor, if you have given your pledge for a stranger <i>or</i> another,


text:
Do this now [at once and earnestly], my son, and deliver yourself when you have put yourself into the <f>[1]</f>power of your neighbor; go, bestir <i>and</i> humble yourself, and beg your neighbor [to pay his debt and thereby release you].


text:
Deliver yourself, as a roe <i>or</i> gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.


text:
So will your poverty come like a robber <i>or</i> one who travels [with slowly but surely approaching steps] and your want like an armed man [making you helpless]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He winks with his eyes, he speaks by shuffling <i>or</i> tapping with his feet, he makes signs [to mislead and deceive] <i>and</i> teaches with his fingers.


text:
Willful <i>and</i> contrary in his heart, he devises trouble, vexation, <i>and</i> evil continually; he lets loose discord <i>and</i> sows it.


text:
Therefore upon him shall the crushing weight of calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken, and that without remedy.


text:
A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, <f>ⓓ</f>


