Psalms

¹ Thank God! And why? Because he's good, because his love lasts.

² declaim God's mighty acts, broadcast all his praises?

³ one happy woman when you form the habit of justice.

⁴ include me when you save them;

⁵ celebrate with your celebrating nation, join the Hallelujahs of your pride and joy!

⁶ We've fallen short, hurt a lot of people.

⁷ they took your wonders for granted, forgot your great and wonderful love. They were barely beyond the Red Sea when they defied the High God

⁸ —the place he revealed his amazing power!

⁹ —he paraded them right through! —no one so much as got wet feet!

¹⁰ pried them loose from the grip of the enemy.

¹¹ there wasn't a single survivor.

¹² and broke out in songs of praise.

¹³ wouldn't wait to be told what to do.

¹⁴ provoked God with their insistent demands.

¹⁵ but along with it they got an empty heart.

¹⁶ also of Aaron, holy priest of God.

¹⁷ then buried Abiram's gang.

¹⁸ and torched them to a cinder.

¹⁹ and worshiped the statue they'd made.

²⁰ for a cheap piece of sculpture—a grass-chewing bull!

²¹ who turned things around in Egypt,

²² who gave that stunning performance at the Red Sea.

²³ and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly.

²⁴ didn't believe a word of what God promised.

²⁵ and turned a deaf ear to God's voice.

²⁶ that he'd lay them low in the desert,

²⁷ strewing them all over the earth.

²⁸ attending funeral banquets and eating idol food.

²⁹ that a plague spread through their ranks;

³⁰ and the plague was stopped.

³¹ his descendants will never forget it.

³² this time Moses got mixed up in their evil;

³³ Moses exploded and lost his temper.

³⁴ as ordered by God;

³⁵ and in time became just like them.

³⁶ were caught in the trap of idols.

³⁷ at the altars of demon gods.

³⁸ murdered their infant girls and boys. They offered their babies to Canaan's gods; the blood of their babies stained the land.

³⁹ they lived like whores.

⁴⁰ he couldn't stand even to look at his people.

⁴¹ so that the people who hated them ruled them.

⁴² they were tyrannized under that rule.

⁴³ until finally their sins destroyed them.

⁴⁴ and heard their cries for help,

⁴⁵ and, immense with love, took them by the hand.

⁴⁶ while their captors looked on, amazed.

⁴⁷ Gather us back out of exile So we can give thanks to your holy name and join in the glory when you are praised!

⁴⁸ Bless now, bless always! Oh! Let everyone say Amen! Hallelujah!