« | Psalm 65 | » |
1 For the leader. A psalm of David. A song.
2 To you we owe our hymn of praise, O God on Zion; To you our vows must be fulfilled,
3 you who hear our prayers. To you all flesh must come
4 with its burden of wicked deeds. We are overcome by our sins; only you can pardon them.
5 Happy the chosen ones you bring to dwell in your courts. May we be filled with the good things of your house, the blessings of your holy temple!
6 You answer us with awesome deeds of justice, O God our savior, The hope of all the ends of the earth and of far distant islands.
7 You are robed in power, you set up the mountains by your might.
8 You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
9 Distant peoples stand in awe of your marvels; east and west you make resound with joy.
10 You visit the earth and water it, make it abundantly fertile. God's stream is filled with water; with it you supply the world with grain. Thus do you prepare the earth:
11 you drench plowed furrows, and level their ridges. With showers you keep the ground soft, blessing its young sprouts.
12 You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain.
13 The untilled meadows also drip; the hills are robed with joy.
14 The pastures are clothed with flocks, the valleys blanketed with grain; they cheer and sing for joy.
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU)
The New American Standard Updated Version (NASU) is a highly respected English translation of the Bible known for its rigorous adherence to the original languages of Scripture. First published in 1995 by the Lockman Foundation, the NASU is an update of the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which was originally completed in 1971. The NASU seeks to improve upon the NASB by enhancing readability and modernizing the language while maintaining the translation’s reputation for being one of the most literal translations available. This makes the NASU a preferred choice for serious Bible study, preaching, and teaching.
A key feature of the NASU is its commitment to formal equivalence, or a word-for-word translation philosophy. The translators aimed to produce a text that is as close as possible to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. This approach ensures that the NASU captures the precise meaning and structure of the original texts, providing readers with a highly accurate and reliable representation of the Scriptures. The use of formal equivalence makes the NASU particularly valuable for those who desire a deep and detailed understanding of the Bible, including scholars, theologians, and students of the Word.
In updating the NASB, the NASU made several important changes to improve clarity and readability. While maintaining the accuracy and literalness of the translation, the NASU incorporates modern English expressions and smoother sentence structures. This makes the text more accessible to contemporary readers without compromising the precision that the NASB is known for. The NASU also includes updated cross-references and footnotes, which provide additional context and insights, further aiding in the study and understanding of the biblical text.
Despite its many strengths, the NASU has faced some criticism. Some readers and scholars argue that the translation’s emphasis on literalness can sometimes result in a text that feels stiff or less fluid than more dynamic translations. Additionally, while the NASU’s updated language makes it more accessible, some feel that it could go further in adapting to contemporary usage without losing its accuracy. Nevertheless, the New American Standard Updated Version remains a highly esteemed translation, valued for its fidelity to the original texts and its usefulness for in-depth study and precise interpretation of the Bible.