Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Majestic and Unshakable

Psalm 93

⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ “Now I, behold, I am about to establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, including the flying creatures, the livestock, and every wild animal with you, of all that is coming out of the ark—every animal of the earth. ¹¹ I will confirm My covenant with you—never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again will there be a flood to ruin the land.”

¹² Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you for all future generations. ¹³ My rainbow do I place in the cloud, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the land. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the land and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember My covenant that is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the rainbow is in the cloud, I will look at it, to remember the perpetual covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the land.”

¹⁷ Then God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and all flesh that is on the land.”

³⁹ Then when daylight came, they did not recognize the land; but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they planned to run the ship aground if they could. ⁴⁰ So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea, while loosening the ropes of the rudders at the same time. Then, hoisting the forward sail to the wind, they made for the beach. ⁴¹ But they struck a sandbar between the seas and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.

⁴² The plan of the soldiers was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ⁴³ But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those able to swim to throw themselves overboard first and get to land— ⁴⁴ and the rest to get there on boards and pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to land.