Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 LORD, argue with those who argue with me; fight with those who fight against me!
1
Harass these hecklers, God, punch these bullies in the nose.
2 Grab a shield and armor; stand up and help me!
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Grab a weapon, anything at hand; stand up for me!
3 Use your spear and ax against those who are out to get me! Say to me:"I'm your salvation!"
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Get ready to throw the spear, aim the javelin, at the people who are out to get me. Reassure me; let me hear you say, "I'll save you."
4 Let those who want me dead be humiliated and put to shame. Let those who intend to hurt me be thoroughly frustrated and disgraced.
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When those thugs try to knife me in the back, make them look foolish. Frustrate all those who are plotting my downfall.
5 Let them be like dust on the wind— and let the LORD's messenger be the one who does the blowing!
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Make them like cinders in a high wind, with God's angel working the bellows.
6 Let their path be dark and slippery— and let the LORD's messenger be the one who does the chasing!
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Make their road lightless and mud-slick, with God's angel on their tails.
7 Because they hid their net for me for no reason, they dug a pit for me for no reason.
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Out of sheer cussedness they set a trap to catch me; for no good reason they dug a ditch to stop me.
8 Let disaster come to them when they don't suspect it. Let the net they hid catch them instead! Let them fall into it—to their disaster!
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Surprise them with your ambush - catch them in the very trap they set, the disaster they planned for me.
9 But I will rejoice in the LORD; I will celebrate his salvation.
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But let me run loose and free, celebrating God's great work,
10 All my bones will say, "LORD, who could compare to you? You rescue the weak from those who overpower them; you rescue the weak and the needy from those who plunder them."
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Every bone in my body laughing, singing, "God, there's no one like you. You put the down-and-out on their feet and protect the unprotected from bullies!"
11 Violent witnesses stand up. They question me about things I know nothing about.
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Hostile accusers appear out of nowhere, they stand up and badger me.
12 They pay me back evil for good, leaving me stricken with grief.
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They pay me back misery for mercy, leaving my soul empty.
13 But when they were sick, I wore clothes for grieving, and I kept a strict fast. When my prayer came back unanswered,
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When they were sick, I dressed in black; instead of eating, I prayed.
14 I would wander around like I was grieving a friend or a brother. I was weighed down, sad, like I was a mother in mourning.
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My prayers were like lead in my gut, like I'd lost my best friend, my brother. I paced, distraught as a motherless child, hunched and heavyhearted.
15 But when I stumbled, they celebrated and gathered together— they gathered together against me! Strangers I didn't know tore me to pieces and wouldn't quit.
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But when I was down they threw a party! All the nameless riffraff of the town came chanting insults about me.
16 They ridiculed me over and over again, like godless people would do, grinding their teeth at me.
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Like barbarians desecrating a shrine, they destroyed my reputation.
17 How long, my Lord, will you watch this happen? Rescue me from their attacks; rescue my precious life from these predatory lions!
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God, how long are you going to stand there doing nothing? Save me from their brutalities; everything I've got is being thrown to the lions.
18 Then I will thank you in the great assembly; I will praise you in a huge crowd of people.
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I will give you full credit when everyone gathers for worship; When the people turn out in force I will say my Hallelujahs.
19 Don't let those who are my enemies without cause celebrate over me; don't let those who hate me for no reason wink at my demise.
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Don't let these liars, my enemies, have a party at my expense, Those who hate me for no reason, winking and rolling their eyes.
20 They don't speak the truth; instead, they plot false accusations against innocent people in the land.
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No good is going to come from that crowd; They spend all their time cooking up gossip against those who mind their own business.
21 They speak out against me, saying, "Yes! Oh, yes! We've seen it with our own eyes!"
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They open their mouths in ugly grins, Mocking, "Ha-ha, ha-ha, thought you'd get away with it? We've caught you hands down!"
22 But you've seen it too, LORD. Don't keep quiet about it. Please don't be far from me, my Lord.
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Don't you see what they're doing, God? You're not going to let them Get by with it, are you? Not going to walk off without doing something, are you?
23 Wake up! Get up and do justice for me; argue my case, my Lord and my God!
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Please get up - wake up! Tend to my case. My God, my Lord - my life is on the line.
24 Establish justice for me according to your righteousness, LORD, my God. Don't let them celebrate over me.
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Do what you think is right, God, my God, but don't make me pay for their good time.
25 Don't let them say to themselves, Yes! Exactly what we wanted! Don't let them say, "We ate him up!"
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Don't let them say to themselves, "Ha-ha, we got what we wanted." Don't let them say, "We've chewed him up and spit him out."
26 Let all those who celebrate my misfortune be disgraced and put to shame! Let those who exalt themselves over me be dressed up in shame and dishonor!
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Let those who are being hilarious at my expense Be made to look ridiculous. Make them wear donkey's ears; Pin them with the donkey's tail, who made themselves so high and mighty!
27 But let those who want things to be set right for me shout for joy and celebrate! Let them constantly say, "The LORD is great— God wants his servant to be at peace."
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But those who want the best for me, Let them have the last word - a glad shout! - and say, over and over and over, "God is great - everything works together for good for his servant."
28 Then my tongue will talk all about your righteousness; it will talk about your praise all day long.
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I'll tell the world how great and good you are, I'll shout Hallelujah all day, every day.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
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.