God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
–Psalm 46: 1-2, a very good Psalm to end the year with; here is the Message version of this passage extended by one verse:
God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
It’s a good verse. I’d far rather, if the mountains begin to shake and the sea waters to foam, have the first version to comfort me. God ready to help when I need him sounds sort of like rent-a-geek: one call and he’s on the way.
How does verse 10 translate in the Message version?
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!”
#2 Verse 10 from The Message
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2046;&version=65;
[blockquote] “Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.” [/blockquote]
I prefer the NIV.
#3
What a ghastly paraphrase! Give me the KJV.