New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
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Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
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Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music!
3 Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD .
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Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life!
4 Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
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Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
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Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered -
6 you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants 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 justice is seen throughout the land.
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He's God, our God, in charge of the whole earth.
8 He always stands by his covenant— the commitment he made to 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 This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.
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It's the Covenant he made with Abraham, the same oath he swore to Isaac,
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
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The very statute he established with Jacob, the eternal Covenant with Israel,
11 “I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession.”
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Namely, "I give you the land. Canaan is your hill-country inheritance."
12 He said this when they were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
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When they didn't count for much, a mere handful, and strangers at that,
13 They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
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Wandering from country to country, drifting from pillar to post,
14 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:
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He permitted no one to abuse them. He told kings to keep their hands off:
15 “Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.”
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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 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply.
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Then he called down a famine on the country, he broke every last blade of wheat.
17 Then he sent someone to Egypt 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 They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar.
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They put cruel chains on his ankles, an iron collar around his neck,
19 Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.
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Until God's word came to the Pharaoh, and God confirmed his promise.
20 Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
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God sent the king to release him. The Pharaoh set Joseph free;
21 Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.
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He appointed him master of his palace, put him in charge of all his business
22 He could instruct the king’s aides as he pleased and teach the king’s advisers.
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To personally instruct his princes and train his advisors in wisdom.
23 Then Israel arrived in Egypt; Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
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Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham.
24 And the LORD multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies.
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God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes.
25 Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the LORD ’s servants.
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He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God's servants.
26 But the LORD sent his servant Moses, along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.
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Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose.
27 They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians, and wonders in the land of Ham.
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They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland, miracles in the Land of Ham.
28 The LORD blanketed Egypt in darkness, for they had defied his commands to let his people go.
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He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark - they couldn't see what they were doing.
29 He turned their water into blood, poisoning all the fish.
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He turned all their water to blood so that all their fish died;
30 Then frogs overran the land and even invaded the king’s bedrooms.
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He made frogs swarm through the land, even into the king's bedroom;
31 When the LORD spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians, and gnats swarmed across Egypt.
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He gave the word and flies swarmed, gnats filled the air.
32 He sent them hail instead of rain, and lightning flashed over the land.
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He substituted hail for rain, he stabbed their land with lightning;
33 He ruined their grapevines and fig trees and shattered all the trees.
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He wasted their vines and fig trees, smashed their groves of trees to splinters;
34 He spoke, and hordes of locusts came— young locusts beyond number.
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With a word he brought in locusts, millions of locusts, armies of locusts;
35 They ate up everything green in the land, destroying all the crops in their fields.
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They consumed every blade of grass in the country and picked the ground clean of produce;
36 Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home, the pride and joy of each family.
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He struck down every firstborn in the land, the first fruits of their virile powers.
37 The LORD brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; and not one among the tribes of Israel even 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 were gone, for they feared them greatly.
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Egypt was glad to have them go - they were scared to death of them.
39 The LORD spread a cloud above them as a covering and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.
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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 for meat, and he sent them quail; he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.
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They prayed and he brought quail, filled them with the bread of heaven;
41 He split open a rock, and water gushed out to form a river through the dry wasteland.
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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 sacred promise to his servant Abraham.
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All because he remembered his Covenant, his promise to Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing.
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Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy; his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
44 He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted.
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He made them a gift of the country they entered, helped them seize the wealth of the nations
45 All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the LORD !
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So they could do everything he told them - could follow his instructions to the letter. Hallelujah!
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.