Featured The Common English Bible

Doesn't roll out, from the corners of the mind, like the KJV.

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I agree that it is not beautiful. It doesn't have a good lyrical quality.

The REB for Psalm 23 is much, much better:

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack for nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me to water where I may rest;
he revives my spirit; for his name's sake
he guides me in the right paths.
Even were I to walk through a valley of
deepest darkness I should feel no harm,
for you are with me; your shepherd's staff
and crook afford me comfort.
You spread a table for me in the presence
of my enemies; you have richly anointed
my head with oil, and my cup brims over.
Goodness and love unfailing will follow me
all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in
the house of the Lord throughout the years to come.
​

 

Back to the CEB.
Psalm 28

I cry out to you, Lord.
You are my rock; don't refuse to hear me.
If you won't talk to me,
I'll be just like those going down to the pit.
Listen to my request for mercy
when I cry out to you,
when I lift up my hands
to your holy inner sanctuary.
Don't drag me off with the wicked
and those who do evil;
the type who talk nice to their friends
while evil thoughts are in their hearts!
Pay them back for what they've done!
Pay them back for their evil deeds!
Pay them back for their handiwork!
Give back to them exactly what they deserve!
Because they have no regard
for what the Lord has done,
no regard for his handiwork,
God will tear them down and never rebuild!
Bless the Lord
because he has listened
to my request for mercy!
The Lord is my strength and shield.
My heart trusts him.
I was helped, my heart rejoiced,
and I thank him with my song.
The Lord is his people's strength;
he is a fortress of protection
for his anointed one.
Save your people, God!
Bless your possession!
Shepherd them
and carry them for all time!

 

Psalm 43

CEB :
Establish justice for me, God!
Argue my case against ungodly people!
Rescue me from the dishonest and unjust!
Because you are my God,
my protective fortress!
Why have you rejected me?
Why do I have to walk around,
sad, oppressed by enemies?
Send your light and truth ---
those will guide me!
Let them bring me
to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
Let me come to God's altar ----
let me come to God, my joy, my delight ---
then I will give you thanks with the lyre,
God, my God!
Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
Because I will again give him thanks,
my saving presence and my God.

 

Psalm 43

NLT :
Declare me innocent, O God!
Defend me against these ungodly people.
Rescue me from these unjust liars.
For you are my God, my only safe haven.
Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?
Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
There I will go to the altar of God,
to God --- the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again--
my Savior and my God!

 

Compared to the CEB as it at least pertains to the Psalms, the NLT is better on several fronts. It reads better. It sounds better orally. It has more of the feel of those translations on the left side of those translation charts. The CEB is too choppy. It doesn't have an English stylist's touch. It does bring out the essence of biblical truths, but it is inferior to its contemporaries. Am I advocating yet another translation revision? Let's not get into that can of worms.

 

Psalm 47 CEB

Clap your hands, all you people!
Shout joyfully to God
with a joyous shout!
Because the Lord Most High is awesome,
he is the great king of the whole world.
He subdues the nations under us,
subdues all people beneath our feet.
He chooses our inheritance for us:
the heights of Jacob, which he loves.
God has gone up with a joyous shout ----
the Lord with the blast of the ram's horn.
Sing praises to God! Sing praises!
Sing praises to our king! Sing praises
because God is king of the whole world!
Sing praises with a song of instruction!
God is king over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
The leaders of all people are gathered
with the people of Abraham's God
because the earth's guardians
belong to God;
God is exalted beyond all.

 

Psalm 47 NLT

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
For the Lord most High is awesome.
He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.
He chose the Promised Land
as our inheritance,the proud possession
of Jacob's descendants, whom he loves.
God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets
blaring.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.
God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.
The rulers of the world have
gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

 

Ribbon2,

I like the passages you are selecting to post in the CEB. I hope you continue to make these posts.

 

Psalm 47 REB

1. Clap your hands, all you nations,
   acclaim God with shouts of joy.
2. How awesome is the Lord Most High,
   great King over all the earth!
3. He subdues nations under us,
   peoples under our feet;
4. he chooses for us our heritage,
   the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah]
5. To the shout of triumph God has gone up,
   the Lord has gone up at the sound of the horn.
6. Praise God, praise him with psalms;
   praise our King, praise him with psalms,
7. for God is King of all the earth,
   sing psalms with all your skill.
8. Seated on his holy throne,
   God reigns over the nations.
9. The princes of the nations assemble
   with the people of the God of Abraham;
   for the mighty ones of earth belong to God,
   and he is exalted on high.

Notes from REB: Oxford Study Bible edition.
Ps. 47: God is King of all the earth.
An Enthronement Hymn, celebrating the rule of God. Enthronement Hymns are believed to have been sung during a festival, probably Booths. Other such hymns are Pss. 93, 95-99.
5-9: The passage has a liturgical ring. 5-7: The Ark of the Covenant was carried in liturgical procession with shouts, psalms, clapping of hands (v.1) and fanfare of trumpets; see 2 Sam. 6:12-19. 9: God is the true King and hence the King of kings.

 

Notes from CEB Study Bible edition.
47:1-9 Psalm 47 is an enthronement psalm, a song of praise that affirms God's rule (see Pss 29; 93; 95-99). Verses 1-4 and 6-9 demonstrate the typical form of a song of praise: invitations to praise (47:2-4, 7-9) that begin in both cases by proclaiming God as king of the whole world (47:2, 7). Verse 5 occupies the center of the psalm between the two sections of praise. The placement of Psalm 47 between two Songs of Zion is significant (see sidebar, "Psalms 46-48: Jerusalem and God's Kingship" at Ps 48).
47:1 clap: The whole creation joins in praising God. Shout joyfully: The appropriate greeting for a king.
47:3-4 He subdues . . . our inheritance: God's universal rule is illustrated by the gift of land for the people, their inheritance.
47:5 God has gone up: In the original use of the psalm, verse 5 could have accompanied the symbolic act of God's enthronement, perhaps at the conclusion of a festal procession (see Ps 24:7-10). The Hebrew root translated "gone up" occurs again as "exalted" in verse 9, linking the center and end of the psalm. blast . . . ram's horn: The blast of a ram's horn accompanies Solomon's enthronement (1 Kgs 1:34, 39).
47:7 song of instruction! Translation note: or Sing praises with understanding or wisely (cf LXX, Vulgate); Heb maskil; see the note at Ps 32.
47:8-9 Because God is "king of the whole world," the gathering of God's people must include all world leaders, along with the Israelites. This worldwide point of view, along with the mention of Abraham, recalls Genesis 12:3, where Abraham is promised that "all the families of earth will be blessed because of you."

 

alexander284,

Psalm 47 is an important Psalm. Perhaps you can post some of the study notes for Psalm 47 from either the NLT Study Bible or NLT Life Application Study Bible.

 

Thanks. I prefer to do block citations of the chapters without verse divisions.

 

Psalm 53 CEB

Fools say in their hearts, There's no God.
They are corrupt and do horrible deeds;
not one of them does anything good.
God looks down from heaven on humans
to see if anyone is wise,
to see if anyone seeks God.
But all have turned away.
Everyone is corrupt.
No one does good ----
not even one person!
Are they dumb ---these evildoers ---
devouring my people
like they are eating bread
but never calling on God?
There, where there was nothing to fear,
they will be in utter panic
because God will scatter the bones
of those who attacked you.
You will put them to shame
because God has rejected them.
Let Israel's salvation come out of Zion!
When God changes
his people's circumstances
for the better,
Jacob will rejoice;
Israel will celebrate!

 

Psalm 53 NLT

Only fools say in their hearts,
'There is no God.'
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!
God looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one!
Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn't think of praying to God.
Terror will grip them,
terror like they have never known before.
God will scatter the bones of your enemies.
You will put them to shame, for God has
rejected them.
Who will come from Mount Zion to
rescue Israel?
When God restores Israel?
When God restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel
will rejoice.