The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 Hallelujah! Thank God! And why? Because he's good, because his love lasts.
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Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, For his lovingkindness endures forever.
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 Yahweh, Or fully declare 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 those who keep justice, He who does 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, Yahweh, with the favor that you show to your people. Visit me with your 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 prosperity of your chosen, That I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, That I may glory with your 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 didn't understand your wonders in Egypt. They didn't remember the multitude of your lovingkindnesses, But were rebellious 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 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 a desert.
10 He saved them from a life of oppression, pried them loose from the grip of the enemy.
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He saved them from the hand of him who 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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The waters covered their adversaries. 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 they believed 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 forgot his works. They didn't wait for his counsel,
14 They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert, provoked God with their insistent demands.
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But gave in to craving in the desert, And tested God in the wasteland.
15 He gave them exactly what they asked for - but along with it they got an empty heart.
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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, Yahweh's saint.
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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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 worshiped a molten image.
20 They traded the Glory for a cheap piece of sculpture - a grass-chewing bull!
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Thus they exchanged their glory For an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their very own Savior, who turned things around in Egypt,
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They forgot God, their Savior, Who 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 awesome 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 Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, To turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn't destroy them.
24 They went on to reject the Blessed Land, didn't believe a word of what God promised.
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Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn't believe 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 didn't listen to the voice of Yahweh.
26 Exasperated, God swore that he'd lay them low in the desert,
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Therefore he swore to them That he would overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 Scattering their children hither and yon, strewing them all over the earth.
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That he would overthrow their seed among the nations, And 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 to Baal-peor, 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 deeds. The plague broke in on them.
30 Phinehas stood up and pled their case and the plague was stopped.
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Then Phinehas stood up, and executed judgment, So the plague was stopped.
31 This was counted to his credit; his descendants will never forget it.
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That was credited to him for righteousness, To all generations forevermore.
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 Meribah, So that Moses was troubled for their sakes;
33 Because they defied God yet again, Moses exploded and lost his temper.
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Because they were rebellious against his spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They didn't wipe out those godless cultures as ordered by God;
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They didn't destroy the peoples, As Yahweh commanded them,
35 Instead they intermarried with the heathen, and in time became just like them.
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But mixed themselves with the nations, Learned their works.
36 They worshiped their idols, were caught in the trap of idols.
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They served their idols, Which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters at the altars of demon gods.
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Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
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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They shed innocent blood, Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. 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 works, And prostituted themselves in their deeds.
40 And God was furious - a wildfire anger; he couldn't stand even to look at his people.
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Therefore the wrath of Yahweh was kindled against his people. He abhorred his inheritance.
41 He turned them over to the heathen so that the people who hated them ruled them.
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He gave them into the hand of the nations. Those who 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. 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 he delivered them, But they were rebellious in their counsel, And were brought low in 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 distress, 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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He remembered for them his covenant, And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.
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 By all those who carried them captive.
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, Yahweh, our God, Gather us from among the nations, To give thanks to your holy name, To triumph in your praise!
48 Blessed be God, Israel's God! Bless now, bless always! Oh! Let everyone say Amen! Hallelujah!
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Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting! Let all the people say, "Amen." Praise Yah!