New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
1
No doubt about it! God is good - good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
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But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
3
I was looking the other way, looking up to the people
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
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At the top, envying the wicked who have it made,
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
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Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
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Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence,
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
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Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
8
They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
9
They're full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
10
People actually listen to them - can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.
11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
11
What's going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody's tending the store.
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
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The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
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I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me?
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
14
A long run of bad luck, that's what - a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
15 If I had said, "I will talk on in this way," I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
15
If I'd have given in and talked like this, I would have betrayed your dear children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
16
Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . .
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
17
Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture:
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
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The slippery road you've put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
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In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and - nightmare!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
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We wake up and rub our eyes. . . . Nothing. There's nothing to them. And there never was.
21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
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When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy,
22 I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
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I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
23
I'm still in your presence, but you've taken my hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
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You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
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You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth!
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
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When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
27
Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.
28
But I'm in the very presence of God - oh, how refreshing it is! I've made Lord God my home. God, I'm telling the world what you do!
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.