‭‭I’m excited to start on Proverbs today!

Proverbs‬ ‭1:1‭-‬33‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-6] These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king— Written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going; A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn— Fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women. [7] Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. [8-19] Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you; never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee. Wear their counsel like a winning crown, like rings on your fingers. Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don’t go along with them. If they say—“Let’s go out and raise some hell. Let’s beat up some old man, mug some old woman. Let’s pick them clean and get them ready for their funerals. We’ll load up on top-quality loot. We’ll haul it home by the truckload. Join us for the time of your life! With us, it’s share and share alike!”— Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look; don’t listen to them for a minute. They’re racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on. Nobody robs a bank with everyone watching, Yet that’s what these people are doing— they’re doing themselves in. When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are. [20-21] Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech. In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out: [22-24] “Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance? Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism? Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn? About face! I can revise your life. Look, I’m ready to pour out my spirit on you; I’m ready to tell you all I know. As it is, I’ve called, but you’ve turned a deaf ear; I’ve reached out to you, but you’ve ignored me. [25-28] “Since you laugh at my counsel and make a joke of my advice, How can I take you seriously? I’ll turn the tables and joke about your troubles! What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there’s nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes? You’ll need me then. You’ll call for me, but don’t expect an answer. No matter how hard you look, you won’t find me. [29-33] “Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God, Because you wouldn’t take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you, Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it; you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it? Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder. First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”

https://bible.com/bible/97/pro.1.1-6.MSG

Now, you guys have probably noticed that through the entirety of Psalms, I never really posted anything related to correcting the Message Bible’s phrasing or theology on a specific verse or chapter. This was (partly because I was a bit busy, BUT…) mostly because Psalms, no matter what version you’re reading through, is literally a book of songs. Songs use a ton of hyperbolic language to convey the message (I’m not saying Psalms is uninspired or inaccurate, it’s just not really where you want to base your theology, only to confirm the theology that has already been established elsewhere in the Bible). So just for craps and giggles, I decided to post a list of different versions of the chapter that I found the most interesting (144). I’ll copy and paste them to the original post from a couple of days ago as well.

Geneva Bible
[1] A Psalme of David. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battell. [2] He is my goodnes and my fortresse, my towre and my deliuerer, my shield, and in him I trust, which subdueth my people vnder me. [3] Lord, what is man that thou regardest him! or the sonne of man that thou thinkest vpon him! [4] Man is like to vanitie: his dayes are like a shadow, that vanisheth. [5] Bow thine heauens, O Lord, and come downe: touch the mountaines and they shall smoke. [6] Cast forth the lightning and scatter them: shoote out thine arrowes, and consume them. [7] Send thine hand from aboue: deliuer me, and take me out of the great waters, and from the hand of strangers, [8] Whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. [9] I wil sing a new song vnto thee, O God, and sing vnto thee vpon a viole, and an instrument of ten strings. [10] It is he that giueth deliuerance vnto Kings, and rescueth Dauid his seruant from the hurtfull sworde. [11] Rescue me, and deliuer me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falshood: [12] That our sonnes may be as the plantes growing vp in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, grauen after the similitude of a palace: [13] That our corners may be full, and abounding with diuers sorts, and that our sheepe may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streetes: [14] That our oxen may be strong to labour: that there be none inuasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streetes. [15] Blessed are the people, that be so, yea, blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord.

Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision 1752‬‬
[1] Praise, for David himself. I will extol thee, O God my king: and I will bless thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever. [2] Every day I will bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever. [3] Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end. [4] Generation and generation shall praise thy works: and they shall declare thy power. [5] They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness: and shall tell thy wondrous works. [6] And they shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and shall declare thy greatness. [7] They shall publish the memory of the abundance of thy sweetness: and shall rejoice in thy justice. [8] The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy. [9] The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. [10] Let all thy works, O lord, praise thee: and let thy saints bless thee. [11] They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom: and shall tell of thy power: [12] To make thy might known to the sons of men: and the glory of the magnificence of thy kingdom. [13] Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words: and holy in all his works. [14] The Lord lifteth up all that fall: and setteth up all that are cast down. [15] The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season. [16] Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature. [17] The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works. [18] The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth. [19] He will do the will of them that fear him: and he will hear their prayer, and save them. [20] The Lord keepeth all them that love him; but all the wicked he will destroy. [21] My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless thy holy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

‭‭Young’s Literal Translation 1898
[1] Blessed [is] Jehovah my rock, who is teaching My hands for war, my fingers for battle. [2] My kind one, and my bulwark, My tower, and my deliverer, My shield, and in whom I have trusted, Who is subduing my people under me! [3] Jehovah, what [is] man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him? [4] Man to vanity hath been like, His days [are] as a shadow passing by. [5] Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against…[Read more]

‭‭Finally, we reach the last chapter of Psalms. Tomorrow, we will start on Proverbs (which, I promise, isn’t 150 chapters long.

Psalms‬ ‭150:1‭-‬6‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-6] Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies; Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness; Praise with a blast on the trumpet, praise by strumming soft strings; Praise him with castanets and dance, praise him with banjo and flute; Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum, praise him with fiddles and mandolin. Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.150.1-6.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭149:1‭-‬9‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-4] Hallelujah! Sing to God a brand-new song, praise him in the company of all who love him. Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator, Zion’s children exult in their King. Let them praise his name in dance; strike up the band and make great music! And why? Because God delights in his people, adorns plain folk with salvation garlands! [5-9] Let true lovers break out in praise, sing out from wherever they’re sitting, Shout the high praises of God, brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance— A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations, a signal that punishment’s coming, Their kings chained and hauled off to jail, their leaders behind bars for good, The judgment on them carried out to the letter —and all who love God in the seat of honor! Hallelujah!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.149.1-4.MSG

Happy New Year!

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭148:1‭-‬14‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-5] Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven, praise him from the mountaintops; Praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his warriors, Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, you morning stars; Praise him, high heaven, praise him, heavenly rain clouds; Praise, oh let them praise the name of God— he spoke the word, and there they were! [6] He set them in place from all time to eternity; He gave his orders, and that’s it! [7-12] Praise God from earth, you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps; Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obeying his orders; Mountains and all hills, apple orchards and cedar forests; Wild beasts and herds of cattle, snakes, and birds in flight; Earth’s kings and all races, leaders and important people, Robust men and women in their prime, and yes, graybeards and little children. [13-14] Let them praise the name of God— it’s the only Name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; he’s built a monument—his very own people! Praise from all who love God! Israel’s children, intimate friends of God. Hallelujah!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.148.1-5.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147:1‭-‬20‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1] Hallelujah! It’s a good thing to sing praise to our God; praise is beautiful, praise is fitting. [2-6] God’s the one who rebuilds Jerusalem, who regathers Israel’s scattered exiles. He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and assigns each a name. Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we’ll never comprehend what he knows and does. God puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch. [7-11] Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn, play music on your instruments to God, Who fills the sky with clouds, preparing rain for the earth, Then turning the mountains green with grass, feeding both cattle and crows. He’s not impressed with horsepower; the size of our muscles means little to him. Those who fear God get God’s attention; they can depend on his strength. [12-18] Jerusalem, worship God! Zion, praise your God! He made your city secure, he blessed your children among you. He keeps the peace at your borders, he puts the best bread on your tables. He launches his promises earthward— how swift and sure they come! He spreads snow like a white fleece, he scatters frost like ashes, He broadcasts hail like birdseed— who can survive his winter? Then he gives the command and it all melts; he breathes on winter—suddenly it’s spring! [19-20] He speaks the same way to Jacob, speaks words that work to Israel. He never did this to the other nations; they never heard such commands. Hallelujah!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.147.1.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146:1‭-‬10‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-2] Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God! All my life long I’ll praise God, singing songs to my God as long as I live. [3-9] Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. Mere humans don’t have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them. Instead, get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God and know real blessing! God made sky and soil, sea and all the fish in it. He always does what he says— he defends the wronged, he feeds the hungry. God frees prisoners— he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen. God loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. [10] God’s in charge—always. Zion’s God is God for good! Hallelujah!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.146.1-2.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:1‭-‬21‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1] I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity. [2] I’ll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. [3] God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. [4] Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. [5] Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. [6] Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. [7] The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; your righteousness is on everyone’s lips. [8] God is all mercy and grace— not quick to anger, is rich in love. [9] God is good to one and all; everything he does is soaked through with grace. [10-11] Creation and creatures applaud you, God; your holy people bless you. They talk about the glories of your rule, they exclaim over your splendor, [12] Letting the world know of your power for good, the lavish splendor of your kingdom. [13] Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says, and is gracious in everything he does. [14] God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit. [15] All eyes are on you, expectant; you give them their meals on time. [16] Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures. [17] Everything God does is right— the trademark on all his works is love. [18] God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. [19] He does what’s best for those who fear him— hears them call out, and saves them. [20] God sticks by all who love him, but it’s all over for those who don’t. [21] My mouth is filled with God’s praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.145.1.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143:1‭-‬12‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-2] Listen to this prayer of mine, God; pay attention to what I’m asking. Answer me—you’re famous for your answers! Do what’s right for me. But don’t, please don’t, haul me into court; not a person alive would be acquitted there. [3-6] The enemy hunted me down; he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life. He put me in a black hole, buried me like a corpse in that dungeon. I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away, my heart heavy, like lead. I remembered the old days, went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked, Stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain. [7-10] Hurry with your answer, God! I’m nearly at the end of my rope. Don’t turn away; don’t ignore me! That would be certain death. If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you. Save me from my enemies, God— you’re my only hope! Teach me how to live to please you, because you’re my God. Lead me by your blessed Spirit into cleared and level pastureland. [11-12] Keep up your reputation, God—give me life! In your justice, get me out of this trouble! In your great love, vanquish my enemies; make a clean sweep of those who harass me. And why? Because I’m your servant.

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.143.1-2.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭142:1‭-‬7‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-2] I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before him, and spell out my troubles in detail: [3-7] “As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away, you know how I’m feeling, Know the danger I’m in, the traps hidden in my path. Look right, look left— there’s not a soul who cares what happens! I’m up against the wall, with no exit— it’s just me, all alone. I cry out, God, call out: ‘You’re my last chance, my only hope for life!’ Oh listen, please listen; I’ve never been this low. Rescue me from those who are hunting me down; I’m no match for them. Get me out of this dungeon so I can thank you in public. Your people will form a circle around me and you’ll bring me showers of blessing!”

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.142.1-2.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:1‭-‬10‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-2] God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers. [3-7] Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips. Don’t let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company. And these people who only do wrong— don’t let them lure me with their sweet talk! May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me, Don’t let sin anoint my head. I’m praying hard against their evil ways! Oh, let their leaders be pushed off a high rock cliff; make them face the music. Like a rock pulverized by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of hell. [8-10] But God, dear Lord, I only have eyes for you. Since I’ve run for dear life to you, take good care of me. Protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge. Let the wicked fall flat on their faces, while I walk off without a scratch.

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.141.1-2.MSG

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭140:1‭-‬13‬ ‭MSG‬‬
[1-5] God, get me out of here, away from this evil; protect me from these vicious people. All they do is think up new ways to be bad; they spend their days plotting war games. They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt, speak venomous words that maim and kill. God, keep me out of the clutch of these wicked ones, protect me from these vicious people; All boast and swagger, they plot ways to trip me up, determined to bring me down. These crooks invent traps to catch me and do their best to incriminate me. [6-8] I prayed, “God, you’re my God! Listen, God! Mercy! God, my Lord, Strong Savior, protect me when the fighting breaks out! Don’t let the wicked have their way, God, don’t give them an inch!” [9-11] These troublemakers all around me— let them drown in their own verbal poison. Let God pile hellfire on them, let him bury them alive in crevasses! These loudmouths— don’t let them be taken seriously; These savages— let the Devil hunt them down! [12-13] I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor. And I know that the righteous personally thank you, that good people are secure in your presence.

https://bible.com/bible/97/psa.140.1-5.MSG