Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise to God Who Made the World
104 My whole being, praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with glory and majesty.
2 You wear light like a robe.
You stretch out the skies like a tent.
3 You build your room above the clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot.
You ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers.
Flames of fire are your servants.
5 You built the earth on its foundations.
So it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with oceans.
The water was above the mountains.
7 But at your command, the water rushed away.
When you gave your orders like thunder, it hurried away.
8 The mountains rose.
The valleys sank.
The water went to the places you made for it.
9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross.
The water will never cover the earth again.
24 Lord, you have made many things.
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
35 Let sinners be destroyed from the earth.
Let the wicked people live no longer.
My whole being, praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
37 “At the sound of his thunder, my heart pounds.
It is as if my heart will jump out of my chest.
2 Listen! Listen to the thunder of God’s voice.
Listen to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 He turns his lightning loose under the whole sky.
And he sends it to the farthest parts of the earth.
4 After that you can hear the roar
when he thunders with a great sound.
He does not hold back the flashing
when his voice is heard.
5 God’s voice thunders in wonderful ways.
He does great things we cannot understand.
6 God says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth.’
And he says to the rain shower, ‘Be a heavy rain.’
7 With it, God stops everyone from working.
That way, everyone knows it is the work of God.
8 The animals take cover from the rain.
They stay in their dens.
9 The storm comes from where it was stored.
The cold comes from the strong winds.
10 The breath of God makes ice.
And the wide waters become frozen.
11 God fills the clouds up with water.
And he scatters his lightning through them.
12 At God’s command they swirl around
over the whole earth.
They do whatever he commands.
13 God uses the clouds to punish people
or to water his earth and show his love.
14 “Job, listen to this.
Stop and notice God’s miracles.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?
They are the miracles of God, who knows everything.
17 You suffer in your clothes
when the land is made quiet by the hot, south wind.
18 You cannot stretch out the sky like God
and make it look as hard as polished bronze.
19 Tell us what we should say to God.
We cannot get our arguments ready because we do not have enough understanding.
20 Should God be told that I want to speak?
A man might try to speak to God, but he would surely be
swallowed up.
21 No one can look at the sun
when it is bright in the sky
after the wind has blown all the clouds away.
22 God comes out of the north in golden light.
He comes in overwhelming greatness.
23 God All-Powerful is too high for us to reach.
He has great strength.
He is always right and never punishes unfairly.
24 That is why people honor God.
He does not respect those who say they are wise.”
The Woman on the Animal
17 One of the seven angels came and spoke to me. This was one of the angels that had the seven bowls. He said, “Come, and I will show you the punishment that will be given to the famous prostitute. She is the one sitting over many waters. 2 The kings of the earth sinned sexually with her. And the people of the earth became drunk from the wine of her sexual immorality.”
3 Then the angel carried me away by the Spirit to the desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a red beast. He was covered with names against God written on him. He had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and red. She was shining with the gold, jewels, and pearls she was wearing. She had a golden cup in her hand. This cup was filled with evil things and the uncleanness of her sexual immorality. 5 She had a title written on her forehead. This title has a hidden meaning. This is what was written:
THE GREAT BABYLON
MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND THE EVIL THINGS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk. She was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people. She was drunk with the blood of those who were killed because of their faith in Jesus.
When I saw the woman, I was fully amazed. 7 Then the angel said to me, “Why are you amazed? I will tell you the hidden meaning of this woman and the beast she rides—the one with seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was once alive. He is not alive now. But he will be alive and come up out of the bottomless pit and go away to be destroyed. The people who live on earth will be amazed when they see the beast. They will be amazed because he was once alive, is not alive now, but will come again. These are the people whose names have never been written in the book of life since the beginning of the world.
9 “You need a wise mind to understand this. The seven heads on the beast are the seven hills where the woman sits. They are also seven kings. 10 Five of the kings have already died. One of the kings lives now. And the last king is coming. When he comes, he will stay only a short time. 11 The beast that was once alive but is not alive now is an eighth king. This eighth king also belongs to the first seven kings. And he will go away to be destroyed.
12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings. These ten kings have not yet begun to rule. But they will receive power to rule with the beast for one hour. 13 All ten of these kings have the same purpose. And they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. He will defeat them with his chosen and faithful followers—the people that he has called.”
15 Then the angel said to me, “You saw the water where the prostitute sits. These waters are the many peoples, the different races, nations, and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will take everything she has and leave her naked. They will eat her body and burn her with fire. 17 God made the ten horns want to carry out his purpose: They agreed to give the beast their power to rule. They will rule until what God has said is completed. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.