The Message Bible MSG
King James Version KJV
1 Hallelujah! Thank God! And why? Because he's good, because his love lasts.
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Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 But who on earth can do it - declaim God's mighty acts, broadcast all his praises?
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Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?
3 You're one happy man when you do what's right, one happy woman when you form the habit of justice.
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Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, God, when you enjoy your people; include me when you save them;
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Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
5 I want to see your chosen succeed, celebrate with your celebrating nation, join the Hallelujahs of your pride and joy!
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That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.
6 We've sinned a lot, both we and our parents; We've fallen short, hurt a lot of people.
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We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
7 After our parents left Egypt, they took your wonders for granted, forgot your great and wonderful love. They were barely beyond the Red Sea when they defied the High God
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Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.
8 - the very place he saved them! - the place he revealed his amazing power!
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Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea so that it dried up on the spot - he paraded them right through! - no one so much as got wet feet!
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He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 He saved them from a life of oppression, pried them loose from the grip of the enemy.
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And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 Then the waters flowed back on their oppressors; there wasn't a single survivor.
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And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
12 Then they believed his words were true and broke out in songs of praise.
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Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
13 But it wasn't long before they forgot the whole thing, wouldn't wait to be told what to do.
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They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
14 They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert, provoked God with their insistent demands.
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But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.
15 He gave them exactly what they asked for - but along with it they got an empty heart.
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And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
16 One day in camp some grew jealous of Moses, also of Aaron, holy priest of God.
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They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.
17 The ground opened and swallowed Dathan, then buried Abiram's gang.
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The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire flared against that rebel crew and torched them to a cinder.
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And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They cast in metal a bull calf at Horeb and worshiped the statue they'd made.
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They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
20 They traded the Glory for a cheap piece of sculpture - a grass-chewing bull!
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Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.
21 They forgot God, their very own Savior, who turned things around in Egypt,
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They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
22 Who created a world of wonders in the Land of Ham, who gave that stunning performance at the Red Sea.
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Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.
23 Fed up, God decided to get rid of them - and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly.
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Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24 They went on to reject the Blessed Land, didn't believe a word of what God promised.
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Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:
25 They found fault with the life they had and turned a deaf ear to God's voice.
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But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.
26 Exasperated, God swore that he'd lay them low in the desert,
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Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:
27 Scattering their children hither and yon, strewing them all over the earth.
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To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.
28 Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food.
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They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
29 That made God so angry that a plague spread through their ranks;
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Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.
30 Phinehas stood up and pled their case and the plague was stopped.
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Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.
31 This was counted to his credit; his descendants will never forget it.
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And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.
32 They angered God again at Meribah Springs; this time Moses got mixed up in their evil;
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They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
33 Because they defied God yet again, Moses exploded and lost his temper.
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Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
34 They didn't wipe out those godless cultures as ordered by God;
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They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:
35 Instead they intermarried with the heathen, and in time became just like them.
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But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
36 They worshiped their idols, were caught in the trap of idols.
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And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters at the altars of demon gods.
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Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
38 They slit the throats of their babies, murdered their infant girls and boys. They offered their babies to Canaan's gods; the blood of their babies stained the land.
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And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Their way of life stank to high heaven; they lived like whores.
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Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.
40 And God was furious - a wildfire anger; he couldn't stand even to look at his people.
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Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
41 He turned them over to the heathen so that the people who hated them ruled them.
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And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies made life hard for them; they were tyrannized under that rule.
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Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43 Over and over God rescued them, but they never learned - until finally their sins destroyed them.
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Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
44 Still, when God saw the trouble they were in and heard their cries for help,
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Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45 He remembered his Covenant with them, and, immense with love, took them by the hand.
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And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
46 He poured out his mercy on them while their captors looked on, amazed.
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He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
47 Save us, God, our God! Gather us back out of exile So we can give thanks to your holy name and join in the glory when you are praised!
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Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
48 Blessed be God, Israel's God! Bless now, bless always! Oh! Let everyone say Amen! Hallelujah!
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Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye 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 King James Version is in the public domain.