Through the Bible – Day 219

₁I praise you, LORD God,

with all my heart.

You are glorious and majestic,

dressed in royal robes

₂and surrounded by light.

You spread out the sky

like a tent,

₃and you built your home

over the mighty ocean.

The clouds are your chariot

with the wind as its wings.

₄The winds are your messengers,

and flames of fire

are your servants.

₅You built foundations

for the earth, and it

will never be shaken.

₆You covered the earth

with the ocean that rose

above the mountains.

₇Then your voice thundered!

And the water flowed

₈down the mountains

and through the valleys

to the place you prepared.

₉Now you have set boundaries,

so that the water will never

flood the earth again.

₁₀You provide streams of water

in the hills and valleys,

₁₁so that the donkeys

and other wild animals

can satisfy their thirst.

₁₂Birds build their nests nearby

and sing in the trees.

₁₃From your home above

you send rain on the hills

and water the earth.

₁₄You let the earth produce

grass for cattle,

plants for our food,

₁₅wine to cheer us up,

olive oil for our skin,

and grain for our health.

₁₆Our LORD, your trees

always have water,

and so do the cedars

you planted in Lebanon.

₁₇Birds nest in those trees,

and storks make their home

in the fir trees.

₁₈Wild goats find a home

in the tall mountains,

and small animals can hide

between the rocks.

₁₉You created the moon

to tell us the seasons.

The sun knows when to set,

₂₀and you made the darkness,

so the animals in the forest

could come out at night.

₂₁Lions roar as they hunt

for the food you provide.

₂₂But when morning comes,

they return to their dens,

₂₃then we go out to work

until the end of day.

₂₄Our LORD, by your wisdom

you made so many things;

the whole earth is covered

with your living creatures.

₂₅But what about the ocean

so big and wide?

It is alive with creatures,

large and small.

₂₆And there are the ships,

as well as Leviathan,

the monster you created

to splash in the sea.

₂₇All of these depend on you

to provide them with food,

₂₈and you feed each one

with your own hand,

until they are full.

₂₉But when you turn away,

they are terrified;

when you end their life,

they die and rot.

₃₀You created all of them

by your Spirit,

and you give new life

to the earth.

₃₁Our LORD, we pray

that your glory

will last for ever

and that you will be pleased

with what you have done.

₃₂You look at the earth,

and it trembles.

You touch the mountains,

and smoke goes up.

₃₃As long as I live,

I will sing and praise you,

the LORD God.

₃₄I hope my thoughts

will please you,

because you are the one

who makes me glad.

₃₅Destroy all wicked sinners

from the earth

once and for all.

With all my heart

I praise you, LORD!

I praise you!

₁Praise the LORD

and pray in his name!

Tell everyone

what he has done.

₂Sing praises to the LORD!

Tell about his miracles.

₃Celebrate and worship

his holy name

with all your heart.

₄Trust the LORD

and his mighty power.

₅Remember his miracles

and all his wonders

and his fair decisions.

₆You belong to the family

of Abraham, his servant;

you are his chosen ones,

the descendants of Jacob.

₇The LORD is our God,

bringing justice

everywhere on earth.

₈He will never forget

his agreement or his promises,

not in thousands of years.

_9-10God made an eternal promise

to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

₁₁when he said, “I'll give you

the land of Canaan.”

₁₂At the time there were

only a few of us,

and we were homeless.

₁₃We wandered from nation

to nation, from one country

to another.

₁₄God did not let anyone

ill-treat our people.

Instead he protected us

by punishing rulers

₁₅and telling them,

“Don't touch my chosen leaders

or harm my prophets!”

₁₆God kept crops from growing

until food was scarce

everywhere in the land.

₁₇But he had already sent Joseph,

sold as a slave into Egypt,

₁₈with chains of iron

around his legs and neck.

₁₉Joseph remained a slave

until his own words

had come true,

and the LORD had finished

testing him.

₂₀Then the king of Egypt

set Joseph free

₂₁and put him in charge

of everything he owned.

₂₂Joseph was in command

of the officials,

and he taught the leaders

how to use wisdom.

₂₃Jacob and his family

came and settled in Egypt

as foreigners.

₂₄They were the LORD's people,

so he let them grow stronger

than their enemies.

₂₅They served the LORD,

and he made the Egyptians plan

hateful things against them.

₂₆God sent his servant Moses.

He also chose and sent Aaron

₂₇to his people in Egypt,

and they worked miracles

and wonders there.

₂₈Moses and Aaron obeyed God,

and he sent darkness

to cover Egypt.

₂₉God turned their rivers

into streams of blood,

and the fish all died.

₃₀Frogs were everywhere,

even in the royal palace.

₃₁When God gave the command,

flies and gnats

swarmed all around.

₃₂In place of rain,

God sent hailstones

and flashes of lightning.

₃₃He destroyed their grapevines

and their fig trees,

and he made splinters

of all the other trees.

₃₄God gave the command,

and more grasshoppers came

than could be counted.

₃₅They ate every green plant

and all the crops that grew

in the land of Egypt.

₃₆Then God took the life

of every firstborn son.

₃₇When God led Israel from Egypt,

they took silver and gold,

and no one was left behind.

₃₈The Egyptians were afraid

and gladly let them go.

₃₉God hid them under a cloud

and guided them by fire

during the night.

₄₀When they asked for food,

he sent more birds

than they could eat.

₄₁God even split open a rock,

and streams of water

gushed into the desert.

₄₂God never forgot

his sacred promise

to his servant Abraham.

₄₃When the Lord rescued

his chosen people from Egypt,

they celebrated with songs.

₄₄The Lord gave them the land

and everything else

the nations had worked for.

₄₅He did this so that his people

would obey all his laws.

Shout praises to the LORD!