Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has (A)chosen as His own inheritance.
13 (B)The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
(C)He [a]considers all their works.
16 (D)No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 (E)A horse is a [b]vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
18 (F)Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And (G)to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.
God’s Works and Wisdom
37 “At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2 Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
3 He sends it forth under the whole heaven,
His [a]lightning to the ends of the earth.
4 After it (A)a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
5 God thunders marvelously with His voice;
(B)He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
6 For (C)He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
Likewise to the [b]gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
7 He seals the hand of every man,
(D)That (E)all men may know His work.
8 The beasts (F)go into dens,
And remain in their lairs.
9 From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
10 (G)By the breath of God ice is given,
And the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
He scatters His [c]bright clouds.
12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
That they may (H)do whatever He commands them
On the face of [d]the whole earth.
13 (I)He causes it to come,
Whether for [e]correction,
Or (J)for His land,
Or (K)for mercy.
Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, that (A)flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a [a]mystery: (B)We shall not all sleep, (C)but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (D)For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and (E)this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: (F)“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
56 The sting of death is sin, and (H)the strength of sin is the law. 57 (I)But thanks be to God, who gives us (J)the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.