Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 [a]Ascribe to the Lord, O [b]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty and majesty of His holiness [as the creator and source of holiness].
3
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion (Mount Hermon) like a young, wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord rakes flames of fire (lightning).
8
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9
The voice of the Lord [c]makes the doe labor and give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”
10
The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
11
The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
13
“The [flightless] wings of the ostrich wave joyously;
With the pinion (shackles, fetters) and plumage of love,
14
For she leaves her eggs on the ground
And warms them in the dust,
15
Forgetting that a foot may crush them,
Or that the wild beast may trample them.
16
“She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is in vain because she is unconcerned [for the safety of her brood],
17
For God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18
“Yet when she lifts herself [a]on high,
[So swift is she that] she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19
“Have you given the horse his might?
Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane?
20
“Have you [Job] made him leap like a locust?
The majesty of his snorting [nostrils] is terrible.
21
“He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength;
He goes out to meet the weapons [of armed men].
22
“He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And [in battle] he does not turn back from the sword.
23
“The quiver rattles against him,
[As do] the flashing spear and the lance [of his rider].
24
“With fierceness and rage he races to devour the ground,
And he does not stand still at the sound of the [war] trumpet.
25
“As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he smells the battle from far away,
And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.
4 Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers]. 5 And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served]. 6 And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good. 8 To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit; 9 to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit; 10 and to another the working of [a]miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues. 11 All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.
12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so [b]it is with Christ. 13 For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed—united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].(A)
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