Eugene Peterson’s translation of Psalm 124:
If God hadn’t been for us – all together now, Israel, sing out!
If God hadn’t been for us when everyone went against us,
We would have been swallowed alive by their violent anger,
Swept away by the flood of rage,
drowned in the torrent;
We would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water.
Oh, blessed be God!
He didn’t go off and leave us.
He didn’t abandon us defenseless,
helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.
We’ve flow free from their fangs,
Free from their traps, free as a bird.
Their grip is broken; we’re free as a bird in flight.
God’s strong name is our help,
the same God who made heaven and earth.
1 – Find 2 differences between Eugene Peterson’s MSG translation and the NIV.
2 – For each one, consider and share: What do you think the significance of this difference is? (What do you think Peterson wanted the readers of the MSG translation to understand about the rescue of God?)
3 – Pray according to this “message” you are seeing in the translation differences. Pray for yourself, your group, and your church.
– BR