Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

² The Lord is my protector;
    he is my strong fortress.
My God is my protection,
    and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
    he defends me and keeps me safe.
³ I call to the Lord,
    and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord!

⁴ The danger of death was all around me;
    the waves of destruction rolled over me.
⁵ The danger of death was around me,
    and the grave set its trap for me.
⁶ In my trouble I called to the Lord;
    I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
    he listened to my cry for help.

⁷ Then the earth trembled and shook;
    the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered,
    because God was angry.
⁸ Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
    a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
⁹ He tore the sky open and came down
    with a dark cloud under his feet.
¹⁰ He flew swiftly on his winged creature;^[b]
    he traveled on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He covered himself with darkness;
    thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
¹² Hailstones and flashes of fire
    came from the lightning before him
    and broke through the dark clouds.

¹³ Then the Lord thundered from the sky;
    and the voice of the Most High was heard.^[c]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
    with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
¹⁵ The floor of the ocean was laid bare,
    and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,
when you rebuked your enemies, Lord,
    and roared at them in anger.

¹⁶ The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;
    he pulled me out of the deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemies
    and from all those who hate me—
    they were too strong for me.
¹⁸ When I was in trouble, they attacked me,
    but the Lord protected me.
¹⁹ He helped me out of danger;
    he saved me because he was pleased with me.

²⁷ It is God who takes water from the earth
    and turns it into drops of rain.
²⁸ He lets the rain pour from the clouds
    in showers for all human beings.
²⁹ No one knows how the clouds move
    or how the thunder roars
    through the sky, where God dwells.
³⁰ He sends lightning through all the sky,
    but the depths of the sea remain dark.
³¹ This is how he feeds^[b] the people
    and provides an abundance of food.
³² He seizes the lightning with his hands
    and commands it to hit the mark.
³³ Thunder announces the approaching storm,
    and the cattle know it is coming.

¹⁴ Pause a moment, Job, and listen;
    consider the wonderful things God does.
¹⁵ Do you know how God gives the command
    and makes lightning flash from the clouds?
¹⁶ Do you know how clouds float in the sky,
    the work of God's amazing skill?
¹⁷ No, you can only suffer in the heat
    when the south wind oppresses the land.
¹⁸ Can you help God stretch out the sky
    and make it as hard as polished metal?
¹⁹ Teach us what to say to God;
    our minds are blank; we have nothing to say.
²⁰ I won't ask to speak with God;
    why should I give him a chance to destroy me?

²¹ And now the light in the sky is dazzling,
    too bright for us to look at it;
    and the sky has been swept clean by the wind.
²² A golden glow is seen in the north,
    and the glory of God fills us with awe.
²³ God's power is so great that we cannot come near him;
    he is righteous and just in his dealings with us.
²⁴ No wonder, then, that everyone is awed by him,
    and that he ignores those who claim to be wise.