Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Praise the Lord from the heavens!
    Praise him from the skies!
² Praise him, all his angels!
    Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
³ Praise him, sun and moon!
    Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
⁴ Praise him, skies above!
    Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
⁵ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
    for he issued his command, and they came into being.
⁶ He set them in place forever and ever.
    His decree will never be revoked.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you creatures of the ocean depths,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds,^[a]
    wind and weather that obey him,
⁹ mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock,
    small scurrying animals and birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all people,
    rulers and judges of the earth,
¹² young men and young women,
    old men and children.

¹³ Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
    For his name is very great;
    his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
¹⁴ He has made his people strong,
    honoring his faithful ones—
    the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

²² “The Lord formed me from the beginning,
    before he created anything else.
²³ I was appointed in ages past,
    at the very first, before the earth began.
²⁴ I was born before the oceans were created,
    before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
²⁵ Before the mountains were formed,
    before the hills, I was born—
²⁶ before he had made the earth and fields
    and the first handfuls of soil.
²⁷ I was there when he established the heavens,
    when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
²⁸ I was there when he set the clouds above,
    when he established springs deep in the earth.
²⁹ I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
    so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
³⁰     I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
    rejoicing always in his presence.
³¹ And how happy I was with the world he created;
    how I rejoiced with the human family!