English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
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Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
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Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music!
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
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Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life!
4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
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Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
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Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered -
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
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O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen.
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
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He's God, our God, in charge of the whole earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
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And he remembers, remembers his Covenant - for a thousand generations he's been as good as his word.
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
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It's the Covenant he made with Abraham, the same oath he swore to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
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The very statute he established with Jacob, the eternal Covenant with Israel,
11 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance."
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Namely, "I give you the land. Canaan is your hill-country inheritance."
12 When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in it,
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When they didn't count for much, a mere handful, and strangers at that,
13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
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Wandering from country to country, drifting from pillar to post,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
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He permitted no one to abuse them. He told kings to keep their hands off:
15 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!"
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"Don't you dare lay a hand on my anointed, don't hurt a hair on the heads of my prophets."
16 When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
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Then he called down a famine on the country, he broke every last blade of wheat.
17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
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But he sent a man on ahead: Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
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They put cruel chains on his ankles, an iron collar around his neck,
19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.
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Until God's word came to the Pharaoh, and God confirmed his promise.
20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free;
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God sent the king to release him. The Pharaoh set Joseph free;
21 he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,
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He appointed him master of his palace, put him in charge of all his business
22 to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.
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To personally instruct his princes and train his advisors in wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
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Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes.
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God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes.
25 He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
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He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God's servants.
26 He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
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Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose.
27 They performed his signs among them and miracles in the land of Ham.
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They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland, miracles in the Land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they did not rebel against his words.
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He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark - they couldn't see what they were doing.
29 He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.
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He turned all their water to blood so that all their fish died;
30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
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He made frogs swarm through the land, even into the king's bedroom;
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
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He gave the word and flies swarmed, gnats filled the air.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
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He substituted hail for rain, he stabbed their land with lightning;
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
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He wasted their vines and fig trees, smashed their groves of trees to splinters;
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number,
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With a word he brought in locusts, millions of locusts, armies of locusts;
35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground.
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They consumed every blade of grass in the country and picked the ground clean of produce;
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.
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He struck down every firstborn in the land, the first fruits of their virile powers.
37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
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He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot, and not one among his tribes even stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
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Egypt was glad to have them go - they were scared to death of them.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
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God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day and a fire to light their way through the night;
40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
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They prayed and he brought quail, filled them with the bread of heaven;
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
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He opened the rock and water poured out; it flowed like a river through that desert -
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
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All because he remembered his Covenant, his promise to Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
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Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
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He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the wealth of the nations
45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD!
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So they could do everything he told them - could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah!
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.