Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

²⁴ O Lord, what a variety you have made! And in wisdom you have made them all! The earth is full of your riches.

²⁵ There before me lies the mighty ocean, teeming with life of every kind, both great and small. ²⁶ And look! See the ships! And over there, the whale you made to play in the sea. ²⁷ Every one of these depends on you to give them daily food. ²⁸ You supply it, and they gather it. You open wide your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied with all your bountiful provision.

²⁹ But if you turn away from them, then all is lost. And when you gather up their breath, they die and turn again to dust.

³⁰ Then you send your Spirit, and new life is born^[a] to replenish all the living of the earth. ³¹ Praise God forever! How he must rejoice in all his work! ³² The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains burst into flame at his touch.

³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise God to my last breath! ³⁴ May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, for he is the source of all my joy.

³⁵ Let all sinners perish—all who refuse to praise him. But I will praise him. Hallelujah!

37 ^1-2 The power of the Lord was upon me and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley full of old, dry bones that were scattered everywhere across the ground. He led me around among them, ³ and then he said to me:

“Son of dust, can these bones become people again?”

I replied, “Lord, you alone know the answer to that.”

⁴ Then he told me to speak to the bones and say: “O dry bones, listen to the words of God, ⁵ for the Lord God says, ‘See! I am going to make you live and breathe again! ⁶ I will replace the flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you shall live and know I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I spoke these words from God, just as he told me to; and suddenly there was a rattling noise from all across the valley, and the bones of each body came together and attached to each other as they used to be. ⁸ Then, as I watched, the muscles and flesh formed over the bones, and skin covered them, but the bodies had no breath. ⁹ Then he told me to call to the wind and say: “The Lord God says: Come from the four winds, O Spirit, and breathe upon these slain bodies, that they may live again.” ¹⁰ So I spoke to the winds as he commanded me, and the bodies began breathing; they lived and stood up—a very great army.

¹¹ Then he told me what the vision meant: “These bones,” he said, “represent all the people of Israel. They say: ‘We have become a heap of dried-out bones—all hope is gone.’ ¹² But tell them, ‘The Lord God says: My people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again and return to the land of Israel. ¹³ And, then at last, O my people, you will know I am the Lord. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit into you, and you shall live and return home again to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have done just what I promised you.’”

¹⁹ That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, ²⁰ he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!

²¹ He spoke to them again and said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² Then he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.”