Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹ Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights.
² Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his armies.
³ Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you bright stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters which are above the heavens.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
great sea creatures and all the depths,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and fog,
storm winds that obey his word,
⁹ mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
crawling creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all peoples,
officials and all judges on earth,
¹² young men and also young women,
old people with young people.
¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ He has raised up a horn^[b] for his people—
the praise of all his favored ones—
for the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Praise the Lord.

²² The Lord possessed^[a] me at the beginning of his way,
before his works of long ago.
²³ From eternity I was appointed,
from the beginning, from before the origin of the earth.
²⁴ When there were no deep waters, I was brought forth,^[b]
when there were no springs filled with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
²⁶ when he had not yet made land or fields
or the first dust of the world.
²⁷ When he established the heavens, I was there.
When he drew the horizon around the surface of the deep,
²⁸ when he placed the clouds in the sky above,
when the fountains of the deep gushed out,
²⁹ when he established his decree for the sea,
so that the waters could not go beyond the limit set by his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
³⁰ I was beside him as a master craftsman.
I was his joy day after day.
I rejoiced in his presence at all times.
³¹ I rejoiced in his inhabited world.
I was delighted with the children of Adam.^[c]