Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my ^(D)rock and my ^(E)fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my ^(F)rock, in ^(G)whom I take refuge,
    my ^(H)shield, and ^(I)the horn of my salvation, my ^(J)stronghold.
³ I call upon the Lord, who is ^(K)worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.
^4 (L)The cords of death encompassed me;
    ^(M)the torrents of destruction assailed me;^[a]
5 (N)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.
^6 (O)In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his ^(P)temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.
⁷ Then the earth ^(Q)reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,^[b]
    and devouring ^(R)fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He ^(S)bowed the heavens and ^(T)came down;
    ^(U)thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on ^(V)the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his ^(W)canopy around him,
    thick clouds ^(X)dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
    ^(Y)hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
¹³ The Lord also ^(Z)thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his ^(AA)voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his ^(AB)arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and ^(AC)routed them.
¹⁵ Then ^(AD)the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your ^(AE)rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of ^(AF)the breath of your nostrils.
¹⁶ He ^(AG)sent from on high, he took me;
    he ^(AH)drew me out of ^(AI)many waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were ^(AJ)too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into ^(AK)a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he ^(AL)delighted in me.

²⁴ “Remember to ^(A)extol his work,
    of which men have ^(B)sung.
²⁵ All mankind has looked on it;
    man beholds it from afar.
²⁶ Behold, God is great, and we ^(C)know him not;
    the number of his ^(D)years is unsearchable.
²⁷ For he draws up the drops of water;
    they distil his ^(E)mist in ^(F)rain,
²⁸ which ^(G)the skies pour down
    and drop on mankind abundantly.
²⁹ Can anyone understand ^(H)the spreading of the clouds,
    the thunderings of his ^(I)pavilion?
³⁰ Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
    and covers the roots of the sea.
³¹ For by these he ^(J)judges peoples;
    he gives ^(K)food in abundance.
³² He covers his ^(L)hands with the lightning
    and commands it to strike the mark.
³³ Its crashing declares his presence;^[a]
    the cattle also declare that he rises.

¹⁴ “Hear this, O Job;
    stop and ^(A)consider the wondrous works of God.
¹⁵ Do you know how God lays his command upon them
    and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
¹⁶ Do you know the balancings^[a] of the clouds,
    the wondrous works of him who is ^(B)perfect in knowledge,
¹⁷ you whose garments are hot
    when the earth is still because of the south wind?
¹⁸ Can you, like him, ^(C)spread out the skies,
    hard as a cast-metal ^(D)mirror?
¹⁹ Teach us what we shall say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of ^(E)darkness.
²⁰ Shall it be told him that I would speak?
    Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
²¹ “And now no one looks on the light
    when it is bright in the skies,
    when the wind has passed and cleared them.
²² Out of the north comes golden splendour;
    God is clothed with ^(F)awesome majesty.
²³ The Almighty—we ^(G)cannot find him;
    he is ^(H)great in power;
    ^(I)justice and abundant righteousness he will not ^(J)violate.
²⁴ Therefore men ^(K)fear him;
    he does not regard any who are ^(L)wise in their own conceit.”^[b]