Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ O Eternal, our Lord,
    Your majestic name is heard throughout the earth;
Your magnificent glory shines far above the skies.
² From the mouths and souls of infants and toddlers, the most innocent,
    You have decreed power to stop Your adversaries
    and quash those who seek revenge.

³ When I gaze to the skies and meditate on Your creation—
    on the moon, stars, and all You have made,
⁴ I can’t help but wonder why You care about mortals—
    sons and daughters of men—
    specks of dust floating about the cosmos.

⁵ But You placed the son of man just beneath God
    and honored him like royalty, crowning him with glory and honor.
⁶ You ordained him to govern the works of Your hands,
    to nurture the offspring of Your divine imagination;
    You placed everything on earth beneath his feet:
⁷ All kinds of domesticated animals,
    even the wild animals in the fields and forests,
⁸ The birds of the sky and the fish of the sea,
    all the multitudes of living things that travel the currents of the oceans.

⁹ O Eternal, our Lord,
    Your majestic name is heard throughout the earth.

² Eternal One: Who is this that darkens counsel,
        who covers over sound instruction with empty words void of knowledge?
³     Now, prepare yourself and gather your courage like a warrior.
        Prepare yourself for the task at hand.
    I’ll be asking the questions, now—
        you will supply the answers.
⁴     Where were you when I dug and laid the foundation of the earth?
        Explain it to me, if you are acquainted with understanding.
⁵     Who decided on the measurements? Surely you know that!
        Who stretched out a line to measure the dimensions?
⁶     Upon what base was the foundation set?
        Or who laid the cornerstone
⁷     On the day when the stars of the morning broke out in song
        and God’s heavenly throng, elated, shouted along?

⁸     Who held back the sea behind doors
        and brought the earth bursting forth from the womb of the deep,
⁹     When for clothes I gave it a cloud
        and for swaddling I wrapped it in darkness,
¹⁰     When I placed shores around its limits
        and put up the doors and the bars;
¹¹     And I said to the sea, “Here you may come, but no farther.
        And here is the shore where your grand waves will crash.”