The Message (MSG)

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-9 Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo!

Shout God-songs at the top of your lungs!

GodMost High is stunning,

astride land and ocean.

He crushes hostile people,

puts nations at our feet.

He set us at the head of the line,

prize-winning Jacob, his favorite.

Loud cheers as God climbs the mountain,

a ram’s horn blast at the summit.

Sing songs to God, sing out!

Sing to our King, sing praise!

He’s Lord over earth,

so sing your best songs to God.

God is Lord of godless nations—

sovereign, he’s King of the mountain.

Princes from all over are gathered,

people of Abraham’s God.

The powers of earth are God’s—

he soars over all.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/47-1b3233beb6d88e9b5201d2c70005a3c6.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-3 Godmajestic,

praise abounds in our God-city!

His sacred mountain,

breathtaking in its heights—earth’s joy.

Zion Mountain looms in the North,

city of the world-King.

God in his citadel peaks

impregnable.

4-6 The kings got together,

they united and came.

They took one look and shook their heads,

they scattered and ran away.

They doubled up in pain

like a woman having a baby.

7-8 You smashed the ships of Tarshish

with a storm out of the East.

We heard about it, then we saw it

with our eyes—

InGod’s city of Angel Armies,

in the city our God

Set on firm foundations,

firm forever.

9-10 We pondered your love-in-action, God,

waiting in your temple:

Your name, God, evokes a train

of Hallelujahs wherever

It is spoken, near and far;

your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.

11 Be glad, Zion Mountain;

Dance, Judah’s daughters!

He does what he said he’d do!

12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure,

count her fortress peaks,

Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,

climb her citadel heights—

Then you can tell the next generation

detail by detail the story of God,

Our God forever,

who guides us till the end of time.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/48-2e00e53076153733768e12c5b22d6de7.mp3?version_id=97—

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1-2 Listen, everyone, listen—

earth-dwellers, don’t miss this.

All you haves

and have-nots,

All together now: listen.

3-4 I set plainspoken wisdom before you,

my heart-seasoned understandings of life.

I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise,

I solve life’s riddle with the help of a harp.

5-6 So why should I fear in bad times,

hemmed in by enemy malice,

Shoved around by bullies,

demeaned by the arrogant rich?

7-9 Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue,

pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

The cost of rescue is beyond our means,

and even then it doesn’t guarantee

Life forever, or insurance

against the Black Hole.

10-11 Anyone can see that the brightest and best die,

wiped out right along with fools and dunces.

They leave all their prowess behind,

move into their new home, The Coffin,

The cemetery their permanent address.

And to think they named counties after themselves!

12 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.

Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

13-15 This is what happens to those who live for the moment,

who only look out for themselves:

Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;

they disappear down the gullet of the grave;

They waste away to nothing—

nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.

But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death,

he reaches down and grabs me.

16-19 So don’t be impressed with those who get rich

and pile up fame and fortune.

They can’t take it with them;

fame and fortune all get left behind.

Just when they think they’ve arrived

and folks praise them because they’ve made good,

They enter the family burial plot

where they’ll never see sunshine again.

20 We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.

Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/49-a129b7149fd3d58c31781c62aa052b4b.mp3?version_id=97—

An Asaph Psalm

1-3 The God of gods—it’sGod!—speaks out, shouts, “Earth!”

welcomes the sun in the east,

farewells the disappearing sun in the west.

From the dazzle of Zion,

God blazes into view.

Our God makes his entrance,

he’s not shy in his coming.

Starbursts of fireworks precede him.

4-5 He summons heaven and earth as a jury,

he’s taking his people to court:

“Round up my saints who swore

on the Bible their loyalty to me.”

6 The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of this court,

that hereGodis judge.

7-15 “Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;

Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.

This is God, your God,

speaking to you.

I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,

the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.

But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,

or more and more goats from your herds?

Every creature in the forest is mine,

the wild animals on all the mountains.

I know every mountain bird by name;

the scampering field mice are my friends.

If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?

All creation and its bounty are mine.

Do you think I feast on venison?

or drink draughts of goats’ blood?

Spread for me a banquet of praise,

serve High God a feast of kept promises,

And call for help when you’re in trouble—

I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”

16-21 Next, God calls up the wicked:

“What are you up to, quoting my laws,

talking like we are good friends?

You never answer the door when I call;

you treat my words like garbage.

If you find a thief, you make him your buddy;

adulterers are your friends of choice.

Your mouth drools filth;

lying is a serious art form with you.

You stab your own brother in the back,

rip off your little sister.

I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;

you thought I went along with your game.

I’m calling you on the carpet,now,

laying your wickedness out in plain sight.

22-23 “Time’s up for playing fast and

loose with me.

I’m ready to pass sentence,

and there’s no help in sight!

It’s the praising life that honors me.

As soon as you set your foot on the Way,

I’ll show you my salvation.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/50-b3441440d3161a03ecc5bbbd63221766.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!

Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

my sins are staring me down.

4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen

it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

You have all the facts before you;

whatever you decide about me is fair.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,

in the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,

scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

set these once-broken bones to dancing.

Don’t look too close for blemishes,

give me a clean bill of health.

God, make a fresh start in me,

shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

Don’t throw me out with the trash,

or fail to breathe holiness in me.

Bring me back from gray exile,

put a fresh wind in my sails!

Give me a job teaching rebels your ways

so the lost can find their way home.

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,

and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

Unbutton my lips, dear God;

I’ll let loose with your praise.

16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,

a flawless performance is nothing to you.

I learned God-worship

when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love

don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,

repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.

Then you’ll get real worship from us,

acts of worship small and large,

Including all the bulls

they can heave onto your altar!

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/51-f53a43fb5ef1de3ef27b30df1ef20da2.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, When Doeg the Edomite Reported to Saul, “David’s at Ahimelech’s House”

1-4 Why do you brag of evil, “Big Man”?

God’s mercy carries the day.

You scheme catastrophe;

your tongue cuts razor-sharp,

artisan in lies.

You love evil more than good,

you call black white.

You love malicious gossip,

you foul-mouth.

5 God will tear you limb from limb,

sweep you up and throw you out,

Pull you up by the roots

from the land of life.

6-7 Good people will watch and

worship. They’ll laugh in relief:

“Big Man bet on the wrong horse,

trusted in big money,

made his living from catastrophe.”

8 And I’m an olive tree,

growing green in God’s house.

I trusted in the generous mercy

of God then and now.

9 I thank you always

that you went into action.

And I’ll stay right here,

your good name my hope,

in company with your faithful friends.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/52-8beb90c9e5d44eedd50fd22eaf00d7fd.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm

1-2 Bilious and bloated, they gas,

“God is gone.”

It’s poison gas—

they foul themselves, they poison

Rivers and skies;

thistles are their cash crop.

God sticks his head out of heaven.

He looks around.

He’s looking for someone not stupid—

one man, even, God-expectant,

just one God-ready woman.

3 He comes up empty. A string

of zeros. Useless, unshepherded

Sheep, taking turns pretending

to be Shepherd.

The ninety and nine

follow the one.

4 Don’t they know anything,

all these impostors?

Don’t they know

they can’t get away with this,

Treating people like a fast-food meal

over which they’re too busy to pray?

5 Night is coming for them, and nightmare—

a nightmare they’ll never wake up from.

God will make hash of these squatters,

send them packing for good.

6 Is there anyone around to save Israel?

God turns life around.

Turned-around Jacob skips rope,

turned-around Israel sings laughter.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/53-4a187bf2751706122b31c55ac0ee843c.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, When the Ziphites Reported to Saul, “David Is Hiding Out with Us”

1-2 God, for your sake, help me!

Use your influence to clear me.

Listen, God—I’m desperate.

Don’t be too busy to hear me.

3 Outlaws are out to get me,

hit men are trying to kill me.

Nothing will stop them;

God means nothing to them.

4-5 Oh, look! God’s right here helping!

God’s on my side,

Evil is looping back on my enemies.

Don’t let up! Finish them off!

6-7 I’m ready now to worship, so ready.

I thank you,God—you’re so good.

You got me out of every scrape,

and I saw my enemies get it.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/54-ec02ec6d0d765fdcd712cd00b20b217a.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm

1-3 Open your ears, God, to my prayer;

don’t pretend you don’t hear me knocking.

Come close and whisper your answer.

I really need you.

I shudder at the mean voice,

quail before the evil eye,

As they pile on the guilt,

stockpile angry slander.

4-8 My insides are turned inside out;

specters of death have me down.

I shake with fear,

I shudder from head to foot.

“Who will give me wings,” I ask—

“wings like a dove?”

Get me out of here on dove wings;

I want some peace and quiet.

I want a walk in the country,

I want a cabin in the woods.

I’m desperate for a change

from rage and stormy weather.

9-11 Come down hard, Lord—slit their tongues.

I’m appalled how they’ve split the city

Into rival gangs

prowling the alleys

Day and night spoiling for a fight,

trash piled in the streets,

Even shopkeepers gouging and cheating

in broad daylight.

12-14 This isn’t the neighborhood bully

mocking me—I could take that.

This isn’t a foreign devil spitting

invective—I could tune that out.

It’syou! We grew up together!

You!My best friend!

Those long hours of leisure as we walked

arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.

15 Haul my betrayers off alive to hell—let them

experience the horror, let them

feel every desolate detail of a damned life.

16-19 I call to God;

Godwill help me.

At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh

deep sighs—he hears, he rescues.

My life is well and whole, secure

in the middle of danger

Even while thousands

are lined up against me.

God hears it all, and from his judge’s bench

puts them in their place.

But, set in their ways, they won’t change;

they pay him no mind.

20-21 And this, my best friend, betrayed his best friends;

his life betrayed his word.

All my life I’ve been charmed by his speech,

never dreaming he’d turn on me.

His words, which were music to my ears,

turned to daggers in my heart.

22-23 Pile your troubles onGod’s shoulders—

he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out.

He’ll never let good people

topple into ruin.

But you, God, will throw the others

into a muddy bog,

Cut the lifespan of assassins

and traitors in half.

And I trust in you.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/55-17309aa72e48649b9552f2fff5c53c45.mp3?version_id=97—

A David Psalm, When He Was Captured by the Philistines in Gath

1-4 Take my side, God—I’m getting kicked around,

stomped on every day.

Not a day goes by

but somebody beats me up;

They make it their duty

to beat me up.

When I get really afraid

I come to you in trust.

I’m proud to praise God;

fearless now, I trust in God.

What can mere mortals do?

5-6 They don’t let up—

they smear my reputation

and huddle to plot my collapse.

They gang up,

sneak together through the alleys

To take me by surprise,

wait their chance to get me.

7 Pay them back in evil!

Get angry, God!

Down with these people!

8 You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn

through the sleepless nights,

Each tear entered in your ledger,

each ache written in your book.

9 If my enemies run away,

turn tail when I yell at them,

Then I’ll know

that God is on my side.

10-11 I’m proud to praise God,

proud to praiseGod.

Fearless now, I trust in God;

what can mere mortals do to me?

12-13 God, you did everything you promised,

and I’m thanking you with all my heart.

You pulled me from the brink of death,

my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.

Now I stroll at leisure with God

in the sunlit fields of life.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/PSA/56-9ce240f6156284e147226e6717714329.mp3?version_id=97—