Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God’s Shining-Greatness

8 O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your name in all the earth. You have set Your shining-greatness above the heavens. ² Out of the mouth of children and babies, You have built up strength because of those who hate You, and to quiet those who fight against You.

³ When I look up and think about Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in their place, ⁴ what is man, that You think of him, the son of man that You care for him? ⁵ You made him a little less than the angels and gave him a crown of greatness and honor. ⁶ You made him to rule over the works of Your hands. You put all things under his feet: ⁷ All sheep and cattle, all the wild animals, ⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and all that pass through the sea. ⁹ O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your name in all the earth!

The Lord Answers Job

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the strong wind and said, ² “Who is this that makes words of wisdom dark by speaking without much learning? ³ Now get ready like a man, and I will ask you some questions and you answer Me. ⁴ Where were you when I began building the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. ⁵ Who decided how big it was to be, since you know? Who looked to see if it was as big as it should be? ⁶ What was it built upon? Who laid its first stone, ⁷ when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God called out for joy?

⁸ “Who shut up the sea with doors, when it rushed out from its secret place? ⁹ I made clouds its clothing, and put much darkness around it. ¹⁰ I marked the places where it could not pass, and set locks and doors. ¹¹ And I said, ‘You will come this far, and no farther. Here will your proud waves stop.’

⁸ Do not be ashamed to tell others about what our Lord said, or of me here in prison. I am here because of Jesus Christ. Be ready to suffer for preaching the Good News and God will give you the strength you need. ⁹ He is the One Who saved us from the punishment of sin. He is the One Who chose us to do His work. It is not because of anything we have done. But it was His plan from the beginning that He would give us His loving-favor through Christ Jesus. ¹⁰ We know about it now because of the coming of Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. He put a stop to the power of death and brought life that never dies which is seen through the Good News. ¹¹ I have been chosen to be a missionary and a preacher and a teacher of this Good News. ¹² For this reason, I am suffering. But I am not ashamed. I know the One in Whom I have put my trust. I am sure He is able to keep safe that which I have trusted to Him until the day He comes again.