The Living Bible (184 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
Written by David at the time he was at war with Syria, with the outcome still uncertain; this was when Joab, captain of his forces, slaughtered twelve thousand men of Edom in Salt Valley.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses; you have become angry and deserted us. Lord, restore us again to your favor.
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You have caused this nation to tremble in fear; you have torn it apart. Lord, heal it now, for it is shaken to its depths.
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You have been very hard on us and made us reel beneath your blows.
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But you have given us a banner to rally to; all who love truth will rally to it;
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then you can deliver your beloved people. Use your strong right arm to rescue us.
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God has promised to help us. He has vowed it by his holiness! No wonder I exult! “Shechem, Succoth, Gilead, Manasseh—still are mine!” he says. “Judah shall continue to produce kings, and Ephraim great warriors.
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Moab shall become my lowly servant, and Edom my slave. And I will shout in triumph over the Philistines.”
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Who will bring me in triumph into Edom’s strong cities? God will! He who cast us off! He who abandoned us to our foes!
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Yes, Lord, help us against our enemies, for man’s help is useless.
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With God’s help we shall do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.
O God, listen to me! Hear my prayer!
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For wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help. When my heart is faint and overwhelmed, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety.
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For you are my refuge, a high tower where my enemies can never reach me.
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I shall live forever in your tabernacle; oh, to be safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
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For you have heard my vows, O God, to praise
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you every day, and you have given me the blessings you reserve for those who reverence your name.
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You will give me
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added years of life, as rich and full as those of many generations, all packed into one.
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And I shall live before the Lord forever. Oh, send your loving-kindness and truth to guard and watch over me,
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and I will praise your name continually, fulfilling my vow of praising you each day.
I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone.
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Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?
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But what is this? They pick on me at a time when my throne
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is tottering; they plot my death and use lies and deceit to try to force me from the throne. They are so friendly to my face while cursing in their hearts!
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But I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone.
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Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense, and fortress—why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?
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My protection and success
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come from God alone. He is my refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me.
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O my people, trust him all the time. Pour out your longings before him, for he can help!
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The greatest of men or the lowest—both alike are nothing in his sight. They weigh less than air on scales.
10
Don’t become rich by extortion and robbery; if your riches increase, don’t be proud.
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God has said it many times, that power belongs to him (and also, O Lord, steadfast love belongs to you). He rewards each one of us according to what our works deserve.
A psalm of David when he was hiding in the wilderness of Judea.
O God, my God! How I search for you! How I thirst for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. How I long to find you!
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How I wish I could go into your sanctuary to see your strength and glory,
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for your love and kindness are better to me than life itself. How I praise you!
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I will bless you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
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At last I shall be fully satisfied; I will praise you with great joy.
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I lie awake at night thinking of you—
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of how much you have helped me—and how I rejoice through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings.
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I follow close behind you, protected by your strong right arm.
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But those plotting to destroy me shall go down to the depths of hell.
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They are doomed to die by the sword, to become the food of jackals.
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But I
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will rejoice in God. All who trust in him exult, while liars shall be silenced.
Lord, listen to my complaint: Oh, preserve my life from the conspiracy of these wicked men, these gangs of criminals.
3
They cut me down with sharpened tongues; they aim their bitter words like arrows straight at my heart.
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They shoot from ambush at the innocent. Suddenly the deed is done, yet they are not afraid.
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They encourage each other to do evil. They meet in secret to set their traps. “He will never notice them here,” they say.
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They keep a sharp lookout for opportunities of crime. They spend long hours with all their endless evil thoughts and plans.
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But God himself will shoot them down. Suddenly his arrow will pierce them.
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They will stagger backward, destroyed by those they spoke against. All who see it happening will scoff at them.
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Then everyone shall stand in awe and confess the greatness of the miracles of God; at last they will realize what amazing things he does.
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And the godly shall rejoice in the Lord, and trust and praise him.
O God in Zion, we wait before you in silent praise, and thus fulfill our vow. And because you answer prayer, all mankind will come to you with their requests.
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Though sins fill our hearts, you forgive them all.
4
How greatly to be envied are those you have chosen to come and live with you within the holy tabernacle courts! What joys await us among all the good things there.
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With dread deeds and awesome power you will defend us from our enemies,
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O God who saves us. You are the only hope of all mankind throughout the world and far away upon the sea.
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He formed the mountains by his mighty strength.
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He quiets the raging oceans and all the world’s clamor.
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In the farthest corners of the earth the glorious acts of God shall startle everyone. The dawn and sunset shout for joy!
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He waters the earth to make it fertile. The rivers of God will not run dry! He prepares the earth for his people and sends them rich harvests of grain.
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He waters the furrows with abundant rain. Showers soften the earth, melting the clods and causing seeds to sprout across the land.
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Then he crowns it all with green, lush pastures in the wilderness; hillsides blossom with joy.
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The pastures are filled with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. All the world shouts with joy and sings.