Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Glory of Yahweh Endures Forever
104 (A)Bless Yahweh, O my soul!
O Yahweh my God, You are very great;
You are (B)clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Wrapping Yourself with (C)light as with a cloak,
(D)Stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He (E)lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He sets up the (F)clouds to be His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the (G)wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes His [e]angels (H)the winds,
His ministers flaming (I)fire.
5 He (J)founded the earth upon its place,
So that it will not [f]shake forever and ever.
6 You (K)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.
7 At Your (L)rebuke they fled,
At the (M)sound of Your thunder they hurried away in alarm.
8 The mountains went up; the valleys went down
To the (N)place which You founded for them.
9 You set a (O)boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth.
39 “Do you know the time the [a](A)mountain goats give birth?
Do you keep watch over the calving of the (B)deer?
2 Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
3 They kneel down; they bring forth their young;
They send out their labor pains.
4 Their children become strong; they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.
5 “Who sent out the (C)wild donkey free?
And who loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,
6 For whom I have set (D)the desert plain as a home
And the salt land as his dwelling place?
7 He laughs at the tumult of the city;
The shoutings of the driver he does not hear.
8 He explores the mountains for his pasture
And searches after every green thing.
9 Will the (E)wild ox consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the night at your manger?
10 Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with [b]ropes,
Or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11 Will you trust him because his power is great
And leave your labor to him?
12 Will you believe him that he will return your seed of grain
And gather it from your threshing floor?
13 “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously
But are they the pinion and plumage of a [c]stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth
And warms them in the dust,
15 And she forgets that a foot may crush [d]them,
Or that a beast of the field may trample [e]them.
16 She treats her children (F)cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor be empty, she is without dread,
17 Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding.
18 When she raises herself up high,
She laughs at the horse and his rider.
19 “Do you give the horse his might?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you make him (G)leap like the locust?
His splendid (H)snorting is terrible.
21 [f]He paws in the valley and rejoices in his power;
He (I)goes out to meet the weapons.
22 He laughs at dread and is not dismayed;
And he does not turn back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against him,
The flashing spear and javelin.
24 With shaking and rage he [g]races over the ground,
And he does not [h]stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25 As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he scents the battle from afar,
And the thunder of the commanders and the shout of war.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your [i]command that the eagle goes on high
And raises (J)his nest high?
28 On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, a fortress.
29 From there he [j](K)spies out food;
His eyes see it from afar.
30 His young ones also suck up blood;
And (L)where the slain are, there is he.”
Who Is Greatest?
24 And there arose also (A)a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. 25 (B)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26 But not so with you; (C)rather the one who is the greatest among you must become like (D)the youngest, and the leader like the servant. 27 For (E)who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But (F)I am among you as the one who serves.
28 “Now you are those who have stood by Me in My (G)trials, 29 and I grant you a (H)kingdom, just as My Father granted one to Me, 30 that you may (I)eat and drink at My table in My (J)kingdom, and (K)you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
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