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