Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm

29 Give to the Lord, O sons of the powerful. Give to the Lord shining-greatness and strength. ² Give to the Lord the honor that belongs to Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holy living.

³ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of shining-greatness thunders. The Lord is over many waters. ⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is great. ⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the tall cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ He makes Lebanon jump like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild bull. ⁷ The voice of the Lord sends out lightning. ⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert. The Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh. ⁹ The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and tears away the leaves of the trees. And in His holy house everything says, “Honor to God!”

¹⁰ The Lord sat as King over the flood. The Lord sits as King forever. ¹¹ The Lord will give strength to His people. The Lord will give His people peace.

¹³ “The wings of the ostrich wave with joy, but are they the wings of love? ¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them get warm in the dust. ¹⁵ She forgets that a foot might crush them, or that the wild animal may step on them. ¹⁶ She is bad in the way she acts toward her young, as if they were not hers. Her work of giving birth is for nothing, for she does not care. ¹⁷ Because God has not given her wisdom or her share of understanding. ¹⁸ When she begins to run, she laughs at the horse and the horseman.

¹⁹ “Do you give the horse his strength? Do you dress his neck with long hair? ²⁰ Do you make him jump like the locust? The powerful noise he makes with his nostrils fills men with fear. ²¹ He hits his foot against the ground in the valley, and has joy in his strength. He goes out to meet the battle. ²² He laughs at fear and is not afraid. He does not turn back from the sword. ²³ The arrows and spears he carries make noise as they hit together. ²⁴ He runs fast over the ground with shaking and anger. He cannot stand still at the sound of the horn. ²⁵ When the horn sounds, he laughs without fear. He smells the battle from far away. He hears the thunder of the captains, and the war cry.

The Kinds of Gifts

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts. But it is the same Holy Spirit Who gives them. ⁵ There are different kinds of work to be done for Him. But the work is for the same Lord. ⁶ There are different ways of doing His work. But it is the same God who uses all these ways in all people. ⁷ The Holy Spirit works in each person in one way or another for the good of all. ⁸ One person is given the gift of teaching words of wisdom. Another person is given the gift of teaching what he has learned and knows. These gifts are by the same Holy Spirit. ⁹ One person receives the gift of faith. Another person receives the gifts of healing. These gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit. ¹⁰ One person is given the gift of doing powerful works. Another person is given the gift of speaking God’s Word. Another person is given the gift of telling the difference between the Holy Spirit and false spirits. Another person is given the gift of speaking in special sounds. Another person is given the gift of telling what these special sounds mean. ¹¹ But it is the same Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, Who does all these things. He gives to each person as He wants to give.

Our Body Is Like the Body of Christ

¹² Our own body has many parts. When all these many parts are put together, they are only one body. The body of Christ is like this. ¹³ It is the same way with us. Jews or those who are not Jews, men who are owned by someone or men who are free to do what they want to do, have all been baptized into the one body by the same Holy Spirit. We have all received the one Spirit.