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.
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the deer gives birth to her fawn?
2 Do you count the months until they give birth?
Do you know when the time is right for them to give birth?
3 They lie down, and their young are born.
Then the pain of giving birth is over.
4 Their young ones grow and become strong in the wild country.
Then they leave their homes and do not come back.
5 “Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied his ropes?
6 I am the one who gave the donkey the desert as his home.
I gave him the desert lands as a place to live.
7 The wild donkey laughs at the confusion in the city.
He does not hear the drivers shout.
8 He roams the hills looking for pasture.
And he looks for anything green to eat.
9 “Will the wild ox agree to serve you?
Will he stay by your feeding box at night?
10 Can you hold him to the plowed row with a harness?
Will he plow the valleys for you?
11 Will you depend on the wild ox for his great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work for him to do?
12 Can you trust the ox to bring in your grain?
Will he gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap happily.
But the ostrich’s wings are not as beautiful as the feathers of the stork.
14 The ostrich lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand.
15 She does not stop to think that a foot might step on them and crush them.
She does not care that some animal might walk on them.
16 The ostrich is cruel to her young, as if they were not even hers.
She does not care that her work is for nothing.
17 This is because God did not give the ostrich wisdom.
God did not give her a share of good sense.
18 But when the ostrich gets up to run, she is so fast
that she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Job, are you the one who gives the horse his strength?
Or do you put a flowing mane on his neck?
20 Do you make the horse jump like a locust?
He scares people with his proud snorting.
21 He paws wildly, enjoying his strength.
And he charges into the battle.
22 He laughs at fear and is afraid of nothing.
He will not run away from the sword.
23 The bag of arrows rattles against the horse’s side.
It is there with the flashing spears.
24 With great excitement, the horse races over the ground.
He cannot stand still when he hears the trumpet.
25 When the trumpet blows, the horse snorts, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from far away.
He hears the thunder of commanders and the shouts of battle.
26 “Is it through your wisdom that the hawk flies?
Is this why he spreads his wings toward the south?
27 Are you the one that commands the eagle to fly
and build his nest so high?
28 The eagle lives on a high cliff and stays there at night.
The rocky peak is his protected place.
29 From there he looks for his food.
His eyes can see it from far away.
30 His young eat blood.
And where there is something dead, the eagle is there.”
Be Like a Servant
24 Then the apostles began to argue about which one of them was the most important. 25 But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the world rule over their people. Men who have authority over others are called ‘very important.’ 26 But you must not be like that. The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the leader should be like the servant. 27 Who is more important: the one sitting at the table or the one serving him? You think the one at the table is more important. But I am like a servant among you!
28 “You men have stayed with me through many struggles. 29 My Father has given me the power to rule. I also give you authority to rule with me. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.