New International Version
8 The young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet
9 The chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands
10 The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me
12 Because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them.
13 Those who were dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.
18 "I thought, 'I will die in my own house, my days as numerous as the grains of sand."
19 My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches.
20 My glory will remain fresh in me, the bow ever new in my hand.'
21 "People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel."
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more; my words fell gently on their ears.
Amplified Bible
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves; the aged rose up and stood
9 The princes refrained from talking and laid their hands on their mouths;
10 The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouths.
11 For when the ear heard, it called me happy and blessed me; and when the eye saw, it testified for me [approvingly]
12 Because I delivered the poor who cried, the fatherless and him who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me or clothed itself with me; my justice was like a robe and a turban or a diadem or a crown!
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor and needy; the cause of him I did not know I searched out.
17 And I broke the jaws or the big teeth of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in or beside my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root is spread out and open to the waters, and the dew lies all night upon my branch.
20 My glory and honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed], and my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.
21 Men listened to me and waited and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke, they did not speak again, and my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower].
King James Version
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
Becoming a Christian
Would you like to experience forgiveness and new life from the God of the Bible, who calls every person to believe that he sent his son Jesus Christ to make this possible?
The Bible explains why everyone needs to receive forgiveness and is called to serve Jesus Christ. The consistency of the Bible story, which was authored by people living thousands of years apart from diverse cultures and even different languages, is often cited as evidence of divine inspiration. Wikipedia has a list of many Biblical prophesies which have come true.
The story of God's plan to restore his relationship with us can be summarised in eight famous Bible verses below.
- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
- God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
- Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
- If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8
- Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
The truth in these verses is simple, yet to embrace it means letting go of all our personal hopes and dreams and embracing God's greater purpose for our lives instead, a purpose far above anything we could dream or imagine.
This is the most important decision you will ever make, because it affects not just the rest of your life here on earth, but what comes after as well. Don't put it off until too late. If you died tonight make the decision to spend eternity with your loving Father in Heaven.
If you're wondering what to do next as a new Christian, check out these helpful suggestions from Mary Fairchild on About.com: