Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Watches Over All His Works

104 Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great. You are dressed with great honor and wonderful power. ² He covers Himself with light as with a coat. He spreads out the heavens like a tent. ³ He makes His home on the waters. He makes the clouds His wagon. He rides on the wings of the wind. ⁴ He makes the winds carry His news. He makes His helpers a burning fire.

⁵ He set the earth in its place so that it will stay that way forever. ⁶ You covered it with the sea as with a coat. The waters stood above the mountains. ⁷ The waters left at Your strong words. They went away in a hurry at the sound of Your thunder. ⁸ The mountains went up and the valleys went down to the place that You made for them. ⁹ You set a place that they may not pass over. The waters will never cover the earth again.

¹⁰ He sends rivers into the valleys. They flow between the mountains. ¹¹ They give water to all the animals of the field. The wild donkeys drink until they are no longer thirsty. ¹² The birds of the sky nest beside them. They sing among the branches. ¹³ He waters the mountains from His home above. The earth is filled with the fruit of His works.

¹⁴ He makes the grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to use. So He may bring food from the earth, ¹⁵ wine that makes man’s heart glad, oil to make his face shine, and food to make his heart strong. ¹⁶ The tall cedar trees that the Lord planted in Lebanon drink their fill. ¹⁷ The birds make their nests there. The stork has its nest in the green trees.

¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a safe place for the badgers. ¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the time of year. And the sun knows when to go down. ²⁰ You make darkness and it becomes night. Then all the wild animals among the trees come out. ²¹ The young lions make a loud noise as they go after meat. And they get their food from God. ²² They go to their homes and lie down when the sun rises. ²³ Then man goes out to his work and works until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how many are Your works! You made them all in wisdom. The earth is full of what You have made. ²⁵ There is the wide sea full of both large and small animals. There are too many for us to number. ²⁶ The ships sail there. And the very large sea animal You have made plays in it.

²⁷ They all wait for You to give them their food at the right time. ²⁸ You give it to them and they gather it up. You open Your hand and they are filled with good things. ²⁹ They are troubled and afraid when You hide Your face. And when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. ³⁰ They are made when You send Your Spirit. And You make the land of the earth new again.

³¹ May the shining-greatness of the Lord last forever. May the Lord be glad in His works. ³² He looks at the earth and it shakes with fear. He touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. ³⁴ May the words of my heart be pleasing to Him. As for me, I will be glad in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be destroyed from the earth. And let the sinful be no more. Honor the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

The Song of Moses

32 “Listen, O heavens, and let me speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. ² Let my teaching fall as the rain, and my voice like the water on the grass in the early morning, like rain upon the new grass, and rain upon the plant. ³ For I will make known the name of the Lord. I will tell of the greatness of God! ⁴ The Rock! His work is perfect. All His ways are right and fair. A God Who is faithful and without sin, right and good is He. ⁵ They have acted in sin toward Him, but they are not His children, because the mark of sin is on them. They are a bad and sinful people. ⁶ Is this how you pay the Lord, you foolish people who are not wise? Is He not your Father Who has bought you? He has made you and given you your place. ⁷ Remember the days long ago. Think of the years of all people. Ask your father and he will show you. Ask your leaders. They will tell you. ⁸ When the Most High divided up the world among the nations, he divided the children of men. He set the place where each nation was to live by the number of the sons of Israel. ⁹ For the Lord’s share is His people. He chose the people of Jacob for Himself. ¹⁰ He found him in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert. He came around him and cared for him. He kept him as He would His own eye. ¹¹ Like an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them. He carried them on His wings. ¹² The Lord alone led him. There was no strange god with him. ¹³ He made him sit on the high places of the earth. And he ate the food of the field. He made him eat honey from the rock, oil out of hard rock, ¹⁴ milk from cows and milk from the flock, the fat of lambs, rams of Bashan, goats, and the best of the grain. And you drank wine of the blood of grapes.

³² Remember how it was in those days after you heard the truth. You suffered much. ³³ People laughed at you and beat you. When others suffered, you suffered with them. ³⁴ You had loving-pity for those who were in prison. You had joy when your things were taken away from you. For you knew you would have something better in heaven which would last forever.

³⁵ Do not throw away your trust, for your reward will be great. ³⁶ You must be willing to wait without giving up. After you have done what God wants you to do, God will give you what He promised you. ³⁷ The Holy Writings say, “In a little while, the One you are looking for will come. It will not be a long time now. ³⁸ For the one right with God lives by faith. If anyone turns back, I will not be pleased with him.” ^{(A) 39} We are not of those people who turn back and are lost. Instead, we have faith to be saved from the punishment of sin.