Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 104
Bless the Lord, Who Creates Wonders
Introduction
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
Day One—Light
2 He wears light like a robe.
Day Two—the Sky
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy.
3 He lays beams on the waters to support his upper chambers.
He makes clouds his chariot.
He travels on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes his messengers[a] winds.
His ministers are blazing fire.
Day Three—the Waters and Plants
5 He placed the earth firmly on its foundations.
It cannot be moved forever and ever.
6 You covered it with the deep as a garment.
The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled.
At the sound of your thunder they hurried away.
8 The waters surged up the mountains.
They went down into the valleys,[b]
to the place that you prepared for them.
9 You set a boundary that they cannot cross.
They will not return to cover the earth.
Days Five and Six—Animals and Man
24 How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
35 May sinners come to an end on the earth,
and the wicked—may they be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord![a]
39 Do you know the time when the antelope on the cliffs gives birth?
Do you keep watch over the doe as she is in labor?
2 Do you count how many months they carry their young?
Do you know when it is time for them to give birth?
3 They crouch down.
They give birth to their fawns.
Their labor pains are over.
4 Their young are lively and live in the open countryside.
They go out, and they do not return to them.
5 Who set the wild donkey free?
Who untied the restraints on the onager?[a]
6 I have given it the wasteland[b] as its home,
the salt flats as its dwelling place.
7 It brays at the commotion in a town.
It does not listen to the shouting of the driver.
8 It explores the mountains as its pasture,
while it searches for anything green.
9 Is a wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your manger?
10 Can you lead the wild ox down a furrow with a rope?
Will it work the fields in the valleys behind you?
11 Will you depend on it because it is so strong?
Will you rely on it to labor for you?
12 Will you trust it to return your seed grain
and to bring it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of a screeching ostrich flap wildly,
but they do not have feathers and plumage like a stork’s.
14 She leaves her eggs on the ground.
She keeps them warm in the dust.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
or a wild animal may trample them.
16 She is hard-hearted toward her children.
It is as if they were not hers.
It does not bother her if her labor is for nothing,
17 because God made her forget wisdom,
and he has not given her any understanding.
18 But as soon as she jumps up to run,
she laughs at the horse and the rider.
19 Did you give strength to the horse?
Did you clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to jump like a locust?
Its snorting and neighing are frightening.
21 It paws at the ground in the valley.[c]
It rejoices in its strength.
It goes out to meet the weapons of war.
22 It laughs at danger and is not afraid.
It does not turn away from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles against it.
A spear and a javelin[d] flash.
24 Shaking with excitement, it swallows up ground.
It doesn’t just stand there when the ram’s horn sounds.
25 As often as the horn sounds, it neighs and snorts!
From a distance it smells the battle,
the thunder of the commanders and the war cries.
26 Did you teach the hawk how to soar,
as it spreads out its wings to the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle flies high
and makes its nest in a lofty place?
28 On a rocky cliff it settles down to spend the night,
on a pinnacle of rock in a mountain stronghold.
29 From there it spies its food.
Its eyes spot it far away.
30 Its young ones drink up the blood.
Wherever the carcasses are—there it is.
Who Is Greatest?
24 A dispute arose among the disciples about which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 But he told them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called Benefactors. 26 But it is not to be that way with you. Instead, let the greatest among you become like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves? Isn’t it the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have remained with me in my trials. 29 I am going to grant a kingdom to you, just as my Father granted to me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.