New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,
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God majestic, praise abounds in our God-city! His sacred mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
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breathtaking in its heights - earth's joy. Zion Mountain looms in the North, city of the world-King.
3 Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
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God in his citadel peaks impregnable.
4 Then the kings assembled, they came on together.
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The kings got together, they united and came.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic, they took to flight;
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They took one look and shook their heads, they scattered and ran away.
6 trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor,
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They doubled up in pain like a woman having a baby.
7 as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
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You smashed the ships of Tarshish with a storm out of the East.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. (Selah)
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We heard about it, then we saw it with our eyes - In God's city of angel armies, in the city our God Set on firm foundations, firm forever.
9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
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We pondered your love-in-action, God, waiting in your temple:
10 Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory.
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Your name, God, evokes a train of Hallelujahs wherever It is spoken, near and far; your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.
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Be glad, Zion Mountain; Dance, Judah's daughters! He does what he said he'd do!
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,
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Circle Zion, take her measure, count her fortress peaks,
13 consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation
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Gaze long at her sloping bulwark, climb her citadel heights - Then you can tell the next generation detail by detail the story of God,
14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.
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Our God forever, who guides us till the end of time.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. 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.