Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 Shepherd of Israel, listen! You, the one who leads Joseph as if he were a sheep. You, who are enthroned upon the winged heavenly creatures. Show yourself
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Listen, Shepherd, Israel's Shepherd - get all your Joseph sheep together. Throw beams of light from your dazzling throne
2 before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh! Wake up your power! Come to save us!
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So Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh can see where they're going. Get out of bed - you've slept long enough! Come on the run before it's too late.
3 Restore us, God! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
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God, come back! Smile your blessing smile: That will be our salvation.
4 LORD God of heavenly forces, how long will you fume against your people's prayer?
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God, God of the angel armies, how long will you smolder like a sleeping volcano while your people call for fire and brimstone?
5 You've fed them bread made of tears; you've given them tears to drink three times over!
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You put us on a diet of tears, bucket after bucket of salty tears to drink.
6 You've put us at odds with our neighbors; our enemies make fun of us.
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You make us look ridiculous to our friends; our enemies poke fun day after day.
7 Restore us, God of heavenly forces! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
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God of the angel armies, come back! Smile your blessing smile: That will be our salvation.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it.
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Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt, cleared out the brambles and briers and planted your very own vineyard?
9 You cleared the ground for it; then it planted its roots deep, filling the land.
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You prepared the good earth, you planted her roots deep; the vineyard filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shade; the mighty cedars were covered by its branches.
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Your vine soared high and shaded the mountains, even dwarfing the giant cedars.
11 It sent its branches all the way to the sea; its shoots went all the way to the Euphrates River.
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Your vine ranged west to the Sea, east to the River.
12 So why have you now torn down its walls so that all who come along can pluck its fruit,
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So why do you no longer protect your vine? Trespassers pick its grapes at will;
13 so that any boar from the forest can tear it up, so that the bugs can feed on it?
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Wild pigs crash through and crush it, and the mice nibble away at what's left.
14 Please come back, God of heavenly forces! Look down from heaven and perceive it! Attend to this vine,
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God of the angel armies, turn our way! Take a good look at what's happened and attend to this vine.
15 this root that you planted with your strong hand, this son whom you secured as your very own.
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Care for what you once tenderly planted - the vine you raised from a shoot.
16 It is burned with fire. It is chopped down. They die at the rebuke coming from you.
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And those who dared to set it on fire - give them a look that will kill!
17 Let your hand be with the one on your right side— with the one whom you secured as your own—
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Then take the hand of your once-favorite child, the child you raised to adulthood.
18 then we will not turn away from you! Revive us so that we can call on your name.
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We will never turn our back on you; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!
19 Restore us, LORD God of heavenly forces! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
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God, God of the angel armies, come back! Smile your blessing smile: That will be our salvation.
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.