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Psalm 104

1  Bless the Lord, O my soul. ♦︎
   O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
2  You are clothed with majesty and honour, ♦︎
   wrapped in light as in a garment.
3  You spread out the heavens like a curtain ♦︎
   and lay the beams of your dwelling place in the waters above.
4  You make the clouds your chariot ♦︎
   and ride on the wings of the wind.
5  You make the winds your messengers ♦︎
   and flames of fire your servants.
6  You laid the foundations of the earth, ♦︎
   that it never should move at any time.
7  You covered it with the deep like a garment; ♦︎
   the waters stood high above the hills.
8  At your rebuke they fled; ♦︎
   at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
9  They rose up to the hills and flowed down to the valleys beneath, ♦︎
   to the place which you had appointed for them.
10  You have set them their bounds that they should not pass, ♦︎
   nor turn again to cover the earth.
11  You send the springs into the brooks, ♦︎
   which run among the hills.
12  They give drink to every beast of the field, ♦︎
   and the wild asses quench their thirst.
13  Beside them the birds of the air make their nests ♦︎
   and sing among the branches.
14  You water the hills from your dwelling on high; ♦︎
   the earth is filled with the fruit of your works.
15  You make grass to grow for the cattle ♦︎
   and plants to meet our needs,
16  Bringing forth food from the earth ♦︎
   and wine to gladden our hearts,
17  Oil to give us a cheerful countenance ♦︎
   and bread to strengthen our hearts.
18  The trees of the Lord are full of sap, ♦︎
   the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
19  In which the birds build their nests, ♦︎
   while the fir trees are a dwelling for the stork.
20  The mountains are a refuge for the wild goats ♦︎
   and the stony cliffs for the conies.
21  You appointed the moon to mark the seasons, ♦︎
   and the sun knows the time for its setting.
22  You make darkness that it may be night, ♦︎
   in which all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
23  The lions roar for their prey ♦︎
   and seek their food from God.
24  The sun rises and they are gone ♦︎
   to lay themselves down in their dens.
25  People go forth to their work ♦︎
   and to their labour until the evening.
26  O Lord, how manifold are your works! ♦︎
   In wisdom you have made them all;
      the earth is full of your creatures.
27  There is the sea, spread far and wide, ♦︎
   and there move creatures beyond number, both small and great.
28  There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan ♦︎
   which you have made to play in the deep.
29  All of these look to you ♦︎
   to give them their food in due season.
30  When you give it them, they gather it; ♦︎
   you open your hand and they are filled with good.
31  When you hide your face they are troubled; ♦︎
   when you take away their breath,
      they die and return again to the dust.
32  When you send forth your spirit, they are created, ♦︎
   and you renew the face of the earth.
33  May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; ♦︎
   may the Lord rejoice in his works;
34  He looks on the earth and it trembles; ♦︎
   he touches the mountains and they smoke.
35  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; ♦︎
   I will make music to my God while I have my being.
36  So shall my song please him ♦︎
   while I rejoice in the Lord.
37  Let sinners be consumed out of the earth
      and the wicked be no more. ♦︎
   Bless the Lord, O my soul.
      Alleluia.

40And the Lord said to Job:

41^*‘Can you draw out Leviathan^* with a fish-hook,
   or press down its tongue with a cord?
² Can you put a rope in its nose,
   or pierce its jaw with a hook?
³ Will it make many supplications to you?
   Will it speak soft words to you?
⁴ Will it make a covenant with you
   to be taken as your servant for ever?
⁵ Will you play with it as with a bird,
   or will you put it on a leash for your girls?
⁶ Will traders bargain over it?
   Will they divide it up among the merchants?
⁷ Can you fill its skin with harpoons,
   or its head with fishing-spears?
⁸ Lay hands on it;
   think of the battle; you will not do it again!
^{9 *}Any hope of capturing it^* will be disappointed;
   were not even the gods^* overwhelmed at the sight of it?
¹⁰ No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up.
   Who can stand before it?^*
11 Who can confront it^* and be safe?^*
   —under the whole heaven, who?^*

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; ⁸so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ ¹⁰When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district^* of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.