The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed,
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Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
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covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.
3 You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
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He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;
4 You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
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he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
5 You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever.
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He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
6 You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters;
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You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 Then you roared and the water ran away - your thunder crash put it to flight.
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At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
8 Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them.
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The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded.
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You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills.
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You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;
11 All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst.
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they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard.
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Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.
13 You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water.
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From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
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You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth
15 wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty.
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and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.
16 God's trees are well-watered - the Lebanon cedars he planted.
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The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 Birds build their nests in those trees; look - the stork at home in the treetop.
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In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks.
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The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
19 The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day.
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He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
20 When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out.
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You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21 The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper.
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The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens.
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When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.
23 Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening.
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Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.
24 What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
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O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Oh, look - the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon.
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Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
26 Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
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There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
27 All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time.
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These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
28 You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it.
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When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute - Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud;
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When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 Send out your Spirit and they spring to life - the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
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When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
31 The glory of God - let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation!
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May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works,
32 He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
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who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
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I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God.
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May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But clear the ground of sinners - no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God!
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Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!
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.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.