The Message Bible MSG
World English Bible WEB
1 Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising.
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Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.
2 Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano!
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Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Invent your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare.
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Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!
4 For God's Word is solid to the core; everything he makes is sound inside and out.
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For the word of Yahweh is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves it when everything fits, when his world is in plumb-line true. Earth is drenched in God's affectionate satisfaction.
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He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Yahweh.
6 The skies were made by God's command; he breathed the word and the stars popped out.
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By the word of Yahweh were the heavens made, All the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He scooped Sea into his jug, put Ocean in his keg.
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He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Earth-creatures, bow before God; world-dwellers - down on your knees!
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Let all the earth fear Yahweh. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 Here's why: he spoke and there it was, in place the moment he said so.
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For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense, he shoots down the world's power-schemes.
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Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
11 God's plan for the world stands up, all his designs are made to last.
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The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the country with God for God; blessed are the people he's put in his will.
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Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, The people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
13 From high in the skies God looks around, he sees all Adam's brood.
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Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
14 From where he sits he overlooks all us earth-dwellers.
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From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He has shaped each person in turn; now he watches everything we do.
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He who fashions all of their hearts. He considers all of their works.
16 No king succeeds with a big army alone, no warrior wins by brute strength.
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There is no king saved by the multitude of a host. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 Horsepower is not the answer; no one gets by on muscle alone.
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A horse is a vain thing for safety, Neither does he deliver any by his great power.
18 Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love.
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Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear him, On those who hope in his lovingkindness;
19 He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together.
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To deliver their soul from death, To keep them alive in famine.
20 We're depending on God; he's everything we need.
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Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.
21 What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name.
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For our heart shall rejoice in him, Because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Love us, God, with all you've got - that's what we're depending on.
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Let your lovingkindness be on us, Yahweh, Since we have hoped in you.
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 World English Bible is in the public domain.