English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
1
A song to our strong God! a shout to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
2
Anthems from the choir, music from the band, sweet sounds from lute and harp,
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
3
Trumpets and trombones and horns: it's festival day, a feast to God!
4 For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob.
4
A day decreed by God, solemnly ordered by the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known:
5
He commanded Joseph to keep this day so we'd never forget what he did in Egypt. I hear this most gentle whisper from One I never guessed would speak to me:
6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
6
"I took the world off your shoulders, freed you from a life of hard labor.
7 In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
7
You called to me in your pain; I got you out of a bad place. I answered you from where the thunder hides, I proved you at Meribah Fountain.
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
8
"Listen, dear ones - get this straight; O Israel, don't take this lightly.
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
9
Don't take up with strange gods, don't worship the latest in gods.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
10
I'm God, your God, the very God who rescued you from doom in Egypt, Then fed you all you could eat, filled your hungry stomachs.
11 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
11
"But my people didn't listen, Israel paid no attention;
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
12
So I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run! Do it your own way!'
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
13
"Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now? Israel, will you follow my map?
14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.
14
I'll make short work of your enemies, give your foes the back of my hand.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.
15
I'll send the God-haters cringing like dogs, never to be heard from again.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
16
You'll feast on my fresh-baked bread spread with butter and rock-pure honey."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.