Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 124
The Lord Is on Our Side
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 if the Lord had not been on our side(A)
when people attacked us,(B)
3 then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.(C)
4 Then the water would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
5 the raging water would have swept over us.(D)
God’s Covenant with Noah
9 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.(A) 2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. 3 Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you;(B) as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.(C) 4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.(D) 5 And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood;[a] I will require it from any animal(E) and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.(F)
6 Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans his blood will be shed,(G)
for God made humans in his image.(H)
7 But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”(I)
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 “Understand that I am establishing my covenant(J) with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by floodwaters; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”(K)
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant(L) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds,(M) and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant(N) between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant(O) between God and all the living creatures on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth.”
32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,(A) David, Samuel, and the prophets,(B) 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms,(C) administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,(D) 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.(E) 35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.(F) 37 They were stoned,[a](G) they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,(H) destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.(I)
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