The Living Bible (196 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
Long ago when the Israelis escaped from Egypt, from that land of foreign tongue,
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then the lands of Judah and of Israel became God’s new home and kingdom.
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The Red Sea saw them coming and quickly broke apart before them. The Jordan River opened up a path for them to cross.
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The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs!
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What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you cut yourself in two? What happened, Jordan River, to your waters? Why were they held back?
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Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, little hills, like lambs?
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Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob.
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For he caused gushing streams to burst from flinty rock.
Glorify your name, not ours, O Lord! Cause everyone to praise your loving-kindness and your truth.
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Why let the nations say, “Their God is dead!”
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For he is in the heavens and does as he wishes.
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Their gods are merely man-made things of silver and of gold.
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They can’t talk or see, despite their eyes and mouths!
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Nor can they hear, nor smell,
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nor use their hands or feet, nor speak!
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And those who make and worship them are just as foolish as their idols are.
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O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper. He is your shield.
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O priests of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper; he is your shield.
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All of you, his people, trust in him. He is your helper; he is your shield.
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Jehovah is constantly thinking about us, and he will surely bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and the priests of Aaron,
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and all, both great and small, who reverence him.
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May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.
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Yes, Jehovah who made heaven and earth will personally bless you!
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The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all mankind.
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The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on earth,
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but we can! We praise him forever! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them.
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Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe!
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Death stared me in the face—I was frightened and sad.
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Then I cried, “Lord, save me!”
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How kind he is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!
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The Lord protects the simple and the childlike; I was facing death, and then he saved me.
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Now I can relax. For the Lord has done this wonderful miracle for me.
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He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
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I shall live! Yes, in his presence—here on earth!
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In my discouragement I thought, “They are lying when they say I will recover.”
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But now what can I offer Jehovah for all he has done for me?
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I will bring him an offering of wine
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and praise his name for saving me.
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I will publicly bring him the sacrifice I vowed I would.
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His loved ones are very precious to him, and he does not lightly let them die.
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O Lord, you have freed me from my bonds, and I will serve you forever.
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I will worship you and offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
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Here in the courts of the Temple in Jerusalem, before all the people, I will pay everything I vowed to the Lord. Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, all nations everywhere. Praise him, all the peoples of the earth.
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For he loves us very dearly, and his truth endures. Praise the Lord.
Oh, thank the Lord, for he’s so good! His loving-kindness is forever.
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Let the congregation of Israel praise him with these same words: “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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And let the priests of Aaron chant, “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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Let the Gentile converts chant, “His loving-kindness is forever.”
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In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me.
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He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me?
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The Lord is on my side; he will help me. Let those who hate me beware.
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It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men.
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It is better to take refuge in him than in the mightiest king!
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Though all the nations of the world attack me, I will march out behind his banner and destroy them.
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Yes, they surround and attack me; but with his flag flying above me I will cut them off.
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They swarm around me like bees; they blaze against me like a roaring flame. Yet beneath his flag I shall destroy them.
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You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me.
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He is my strength and song in the heat of battle, and now he has given me the victory.
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Songs of joy at the news of our rescue are sung in the homes of the godly. The strong arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
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I shall not die but live to tell of all his deeds.
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The Lord has punished me but not handed me over to death.
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Open the gates of the Temple
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—I will go in and give him my thanks.
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Those gates are the way into the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.
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O Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayer and saving me.
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The stone rejected by the builders has now become the capstone of the arch!
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This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to see!
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This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
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O Lord, please help us. Save us. Give us success.
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Blessed is the one who is coming, the one sent by the Lord.
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We bless you from the Temple.
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Jehovah God is our light. I present to him my sacrifice upon the altar, for you are my God, and I shall give you this thanks and this praise.
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Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is so good! For his loving-kindness is forever.