The Living Bible (179 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
Sin lurks deep in the hearts of the wicked, forever urging them on to evil deeds. They have no fear of God to hold them back.
2
Instead, in their conceit, they think they can hide their evil deeds and not get caught.
3
Everything they say is crooked and deceitful; they are no longer wise and good.
4
They lie awake at night to hatch their evil plots instead of planning how to keep away from wrong.
5
Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
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Your justice is as solid as God’s mountains. Your decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are concerned
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for men and animals alike.
7
How precious is your constant love, O God! All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8
You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.
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For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from your light.
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Pour out your unfailing love on those who know you! Never stop giving your blessings
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to those who long to do your will.
11
Don’t let these proud men trample me. Don’t let their wicked hands push me around.
12
Look! They have fallen. They are thrown down and will not rise again.
Never envy the wicked!
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Soon they fade away like grass and disappear.
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Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety.
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Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires.
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Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will.
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Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.
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Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper.
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Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.
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For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing.
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Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain.
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But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.
12-13
The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming.
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Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right.
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But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.
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It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man’s wealth;
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for the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.
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18
Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men,
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and gives them eternal rewards.
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He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough.
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But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will wither like grass and disappear like smoke.
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Evil men borrow and “cannot pay it back”! But the good man returns what he owes with some extra besides.
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Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by him shall die.
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The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take.
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If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.
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I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry.
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Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.
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So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, low-down ways and live good lives.
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For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.
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The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and live there forever.
30-31
The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong.
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Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to accuse them and then demanding their death.
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But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.
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Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing,
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and you will see the wicked destroyed.
35-36
I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was gone! I searched but could not find him!
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But the good man—what a different story! For the good man—the blameless, the upright, the man of peace—he has a wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending.
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But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity shall be cut off.
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The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and their refuge when trouble comes.
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Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers them from the plots of evil men.
O Lord, don’t punish me while you are angry!
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Your arrows have struck deep; your blows are crushing me.
3-4
Because of your anger, my body is sick, my health is broken beneath my sins. They are like a flood, higher than my head; they are a burden too heavy to bear.
5-6
My wounds are festering and full of pus. Because of my sins, I am bent and racked with pain. My days are filled with anguish.
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My loins burn with inflammation,
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and my whole body is diseased.
8
I am exhausted and crushed; I groan in despair.
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9
Lord, you know how I long for my health once more. You hear my every sigh.
10
My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind.
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My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.
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Meanwhile my enemies are trying to kill me. They plot my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery.
13-14
But I am deaf to all their threats; I am silent before them as a man who cannot speak. I have nothing to say.
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For I am waiting for you, O Lord my God. Come and protect me.
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Put an end to their arrogance, these who gloat when I am cast down!
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How constantly I find myself upon the verge of sin;
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this source of sorrow always stares me in the face.
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I confess my sins; I am sorry for what I have done.
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But my enemies persecute with vigor and continue to hate me—though I have done nothing against them to deserve it.
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They repay me evil for good and hate me for standing for the right.
21
Don’t leave me, Lord; don’t go away!
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Come quickly! Help me, O my Savior.
I said to myself, I’m going to quit complaining! I’ll keep quiet, especially when the ungodly are around me.
2-3
But as I stood there silently the turmoil within me grew to the bursting point. The more I mused, the hotter the fires inside. Then at last I spoke and pled with God:
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Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.
5-6
My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend.
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And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.
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Save me from being overpowered by my sins, for even fools will mock me then.
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Lord, I am speechless before you. I will not open my mouth to speak one word of complaint, for my punishment is from you.
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10
Lord, don’t hit me anymore—I am exhausted beneath your hand.
11
When you punish a man for his sins, he is destroyed, for he is as fragile as a moth-infested cloth; yes, man is frail as breath.
12
Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry! Don’t sit back, unmindful of my tears. For I am your guest. I am a traveler passing through the earth, as all my fathers were.
13
Spare me, Lord! Let me recover and be filled with happiness again before my death.
