Psalm 29-30

Easy-to-Read Version

A song of David.

29 Praise the Lord, you heavenly angels^[a]!
    Praise the Lord’s glory and power.
²Praise the Lord and honor his name!
    Worship the Lord in all his holy beauty.
³The Lord’s voice can be heard over the sea.
    The voice of our glorious Lord God is like thunder over the great ocean.
⁴The Lord’s voice is powerful.
    It shows the Lord’s glory.
⁵The Lord’s voice shatters great cedar trees.
    The Lord breaks the great cedars of Lebanon.
⁶He makes Lebanon shake like a young calf dancing.
    Sirion^[b] trembles like a young bull jumping up and down.
⁷The Lord’s voice cuts the air with flashes of lightning.
⁸The Lord’s voice shakes the desert.
    The desert of Kadesh^[c] trembles at the Lord’s voice.
⁹The Lord’s voice frightens the deer.^[d]
    He destroys the forests.
In his temple everyone shouts, “Glory to God!”

¹⁰The Lord ruled as king at the time of the flood,
and the Lord will rule as king forever.
¹¹May the Lord make his people strong.
May the Lord bless his people with peace.

A song of David for the dedication of the Temple.^[e]

30 Lord, you lifted me out of my troubles.
    You did not give my enemies a reason to laugh,
    so I will praise you.
²Lord my God, I prayed to you,
    and you healed me.
³Lord, you lifted me out of the grave.
    I was falling into the place of death, but you saved my life.

⁴Praise the Lord, you who are loyal to him!
    Praise his holy name^[f]!
⁵His anger lasts for a little while,
    but then his kindness brings life.
The night may be filled with tears,
    but in the morning we can sing for joy!

⁶When I was safe and secure,
    I thought nothing could hurt me.
⁷Yes, Lord, while you were kind to me,
    I felt that nothing could defeat me.^[g]
But when you turned away from me,
    I was filled with fear.
⁸So, Lord, I turned and prayed to you.
    I asked you, Lord, to show me mercy.
⁹I said, “What good is it if I die
    and go down to the grave?
The dead just lie in the dirt.
    They cannot praise you.
    They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are.
¹⁰Lord, hear my prayer, and be kind to me.
    Lord, help me!”

¹¹You have changed my sorrow into dancing.
    You have taken away my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy.
¹²You wanted me to praise you and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever!

Footnotes

Psalm 29:1 heavenly angels Literally, “sons of gods.” This probably means God’s angels who are pictured here as priests worshiping him in heaven.
Psalm 29:6 Sirion Or “Mount Hermon.”
Psalm 29:8 desert of Kadesh A desert in Syria. This might also mean “the holy desert.”
Psalm 29:9 deer Or “oak trees.”
Psalm 30:1 Psalm 30 A song … Temple Or “A psalm. The song for the dedication of the house. Dedicated to David.”
Psalm 30:4 name Literally, “memory” or “memorial.”
Psalm 30:7 I felt … defeat me Literally, “You placed me on the strong mountains.”