Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
104 My soul, praise the Lord!
Lord my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with glory and honor.
2 You wear light like a robe.
You spread out the skies like a curtain.
3 You built your home above them.[a]
You use the thick clouds like a chariot
and ride across the sky on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers
and flames of fire your servants.[b]
5 You built the earth on its foundations,
so it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with water like a blanket.
The water covered even the mountains.
7 But you gave the command, and the water turned back.
You shouted at the water, and it rushed away.
8 The water flowed down from the mountains into the valleys,
to the places you made for it.
9 You set the limits for the seas,
and the water will never again rise to cover the earth.
24 Lord, you created so many things!
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of the living things you made.
35 I wish sinners would disappear from the earth.
I wish the wicked would be gone forever.
My soul, praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
36 Elihu continued talking and said,
2 “Be patient with me a little longer.
God has a few more words that he wants me to say.
3 I will share my knowledge with everyone.
I will prove that my Maker is right.
4 Job, I am telling the truth.
I know what I am talking about.
5 “God is very powerful, but he does not hate people.
He is very powerful, but he is also very wise.
6 He will not let evil people live.
He brings justice to the poor.
7 He watches over those who live right.
He lets them rule in high places.
8 So if people are punished,
if they are tied with chains and ropes, they did something wrong.
9 And God will tell them what they did,
that they sinned and were proud.
10 He will force them to listen to his warning.
He will command them to stop sinning.
11 If they serve and obey him, he will make them successful
and they will live a happy life.
12 But if they refuse to obey him, they will be destroyed.
They will die like fools.
13 “People who don’t care about God are always bitter.
Even when he punishes them, they refuse to pray to him for help.
14 They will die while they are still young,
like the male prostitutes.
15 God saves those who suffer by using their suffering.
He uses their troubles to speak in a way that makes them listen.
16 “In fact, God wants to help you out of your troubles.
He wants to take away your burdens that are crushing you.
He wants to load your table with plenty of food.
7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other. This will bring honor[a] to God. 8 I tell you that Christ became a servant of the Jews to show that God has done what he promised their great ancestors. 9 Christ also did this so that the non-Jewish people could praise God for the mercy he gives to them. The Scriptures say,
“So I will give thanks to you among the people of other nations;
I will sing praise to your name.” (A)
10 And the Scriptures say,
“You people of other nations should be happy together with God’s people.” (B)
11 The Scriptures also say,
“Praise the Lord all you people of other nations;
all people should praise the Lord.” (C)
12 And Isaiah says,
“Someone will come from Jesse’s family.[b]
He will come to rule over the nations,
and they will put their hope in him.” (D)
13 I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International