Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹ Bless Adonai, O my soul.
Adonai my God, You are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty—
² wrapping Yourself in light as a robe,
stretching out heaven like a curtain,
³ laying beams for His upper rooms in waters,
    making the clouds His chariot,
    walking on the wings of the wind,
⁴ making His angels spirits,
    His servants a flaming fire.
⁵ He set the earth upon its foundations,
so it should not totter forever and ever.
⁶ You covered it with the deep as with a garment—
    the waters standing above the mountains.
⁷ At Your rebuke the waters fled.
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
⁸ The waters go up the mountains,
then down to the valleys—
to the place that You assigned to them.
⁹ You set a boundary to the waters
    that they may not cross over,
so they may not return to cover the earth.
¹⁰ You make springs gush into the valleys.
They run between the mountains.
¹¹ They give drink to all the beasts of the field—
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the sky dwell—
they sing among the branches.
¹³ He waters mountains from His upper rooms.
The earth is full of the fruit of Your labors.
¹⁴ He causes grass to spring up for the cattle,
and vegetation for man to cultivate,
    to bring forth bread out of the earth,
¹⁵ wine that makes man’s heart glad,
    oil to make his face shine,
    and bread that sustains man’s heart.
¹⁶ The trees of Adonai are satisfied,
the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,
¹⁷ where birds make their nests,
and the stork—her home is the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for wild goats,
the cliffs a refuge for rock badgers.

⁷ Before she was in labor,
    she gave birth.
Before her pain came,
    she delivered a male child.
⁸ Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be brought forth at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
    she gave birth to her children.
⁹ “Will I bring the moment of birth,
and not give delivery?” says Adonai.
“Will I who cause delivery
    shut up the womb?” says your God.
¹⁰ Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her,
    all you who love her.
Rejoice for joy with her
    all you who mourned over her.
¹¹ For you will nurse and be satisfied
from her comforting breast.
You will drink deeply and delight
    from her glorious abundance.
¹² For thus says Adonai:
“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
    and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream.
    You will be nursed, carried on the hip,
        and bounced on her knees.
¹³ As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you,
so you will be comforted in Jerusalem.