VERSES ABOUT NATURE

Think about this: God created everything. The earth, the sky, the whole world—it all belongs to Him. He made it all, just like Exodus 20:11 says: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." He created it all perfectly, and He deserves all the praise for the amazing things He's done.

You know, we should really stand in awe of God and give Him glory. The time is coming when He will judge the world, so let's worship the One who made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.

When you're out enjoying nature – at the beach, in the mountains, or just looking at a beautiful tree – remember who made it all so beautiful and perfect. Let's give God all the glory He deserves.

A righteousmanhasregardfor the lifeof his animal,But [even] the compassionof the wickedis cruel.

The LORDis goodto all,And His merciesare overallHis works.

Then Godsaid,"Let Us makemanin Our image,according to Our likeness;and let them ruleover the fishof the seaand over the birdsof the skyand over the cattleand over allthe earth,and over everycreepingthingthat creepson the earth."

He causes the grassto growfor the cattle,And vegetationfor the laborof man,So that he may bringforthfoodfrom the earth,

"But nowaskthe beasts,and let them teachyou; And the birdsof the heavens,and let them tellyou."Orspeakto the earth,and let it teachyou; And let the fishof the seadeclareto you."Whoamong allthesedoes not knowThat the handof the LORDhas donethis,In whosehandis the lifeof everylivingthing,And the breathof allmankind?

"Lookat the birdsof the air,that they do not sow,norreapnorgatherinto barns,and [yet] your heavenlyFatherfeedsthem. Are you not worthmuchmorethan they?

"You shall not muzzlethe oxwhile he is threshing.

Knowwellthe conditionof your flocks,[And] payattentionto your herds;

He givesto the beastits food,[And] to the youngravenswhichcry.

"Ifyou seethe donkeyof one who hatesyou lying[helpless] underits load,you shall refrainfrom leavingit to him, you shall surelyrelease[it] with him.

Your righteousnessis like the mountainsof God;Your judgmentsare [like] a greatdeep.O LORD,You preservemanand beast.

but the seventhdayis a sabbathof the LORDyour God;[in it] you shall not doanywork,you or your sonor your daughter,your maleor your femaleservantor your cattleor your sojournerwhostays with you.

"Now behold,I Myselfdo establishMy covenantwith you, and with your descendantsafteryou;and with everylivingcreaturethat is with you, the birds,the cattle,and everybeastof the earthwith you; of allthat comesout of the ark,even everybeastof the earth.

"The wolfand the lambwill grazetogether,and the lionwill eatstrawlike the ox;and dustwill be the serpent'sfood.They will donoevilor harmin allMy holymountain,"saysthe LORD.

Goto the ant,O sluggard,Observeher waysand be wise,Which,havingnochief,Officeror ruler,Preparesher foodin the summer[And] gathersher provisionin the harvest.

"Are not fivesparrowssoldfor twocents?[Yet] not oneof them is forgottenbeforeGod.

O LORD,howmanyare Your works!In wisdomYou have madethem all;The earthis fullof Your possessions.

"In that dayI will also makea covenantfor them With the beastsof the field,The birdsof the skyAnd the creepingthingsof the ground.And I will abolishthe bow,the swordand warfrom the land,And will make them liedownin safety.

"Should I not havecompassionon Nineveh,the greatcityin whichthereare morethan120000personswhodo not know[the difference] betweentheir rightand lefthand,as well as manyanimals?"

"Ifyou happento comeupon a bird'snestalong the way,in anytreeoron the ground,with youngonesoreggs,and the mothersittingon the youngoron the eggs,you shall not takethe motherwith the young;you shall certainlyletthe mothergo,but the youngyou may takefor yourself, in orderthat it may be wellwith you and that you may prolongyour days.

"Sixdaysyou are to doyour work,but on the seventhdayyou shall cease[from labor] sothat your oxand your donkeymay rest,and the sonof your femaleslave,as well as your stranger,may refreshthemselves.

Then the LORDGodtookthe manand puthim into the gardenof Edento cultivateit and keepit.

And the wolfwill dwellwith the lamb,And the leopardwill liedownwith the younggoat,And the calfand the younglionand the fatlingtogether;And a littleboywill leadthem.

Even your cattleand the animalsthat are in your landshall haveallits cropsto eat.

"Whopreparesfor the ravenits nourishmentWhenits youngcryto GodAnd wanderabout withoutfood?

Beastsand allcattle;Creepingthingsand wingedfowl;

but [on] the seventhyearyou shall letit restand liefallow,so that the needyof your peoplemay eat;and whatever they leavethe beastof the fieldmay eat.You are to dothe samewith your vineyard[and] your olivegrove.

"You shall not eatanythingwhichdies[of itself]. You may giveit to the alienwhois in your town,so that he may eatit, oryou may sellit to a foreigner,for you are a holypeopleto the LORDyour God.You shall not boila younggoatin its mother'smilk.

"For everybeastof the forestis Mine, The cattleon a thousandhills."I knoweverybirdof the mountains,And everythingthat movesin the fieldis Mine.

Like a shepherdHe will tendHis flock,In His armHe will gatherthe lambsAnd carry[them] in His bosom;He will gently leadthe nursing[ewes].

You make him to ruleover the worksof Your hands;You have putallthingsunderhis feet,Allsheepand oxen,And alsothe beastsof the field,The birdsof the heavensand the fishof the sea,Whatever passesthroughthe pathsof the seas.

"But, [whether] it is an oxora sheep,you shall not kill[both] it and its youngin oneday.

And He saidto them, "Whichone of you will have a sonoran oxfallinto a well,and will not immediatelypullhim out on a Sabbathday?"

Whoever lovesdisciplinelovesknowledge,But he who hatesreproofis stupid.

"Will the wildoxconsentto serveyou, Orwill he spendthe nightat your manger?"Can you bindthe wildoxin a furrowwith ropes,Orwill he harrowthe valleysafteryou?"Will you trusthim becausehis strengthis greatAnd leaveyour laborto him?"Will you havefaithin him that he will returnyour grainAnd gather[it from] your threshingfloor?

"The beastsof the fieldwill glorifyMe, The jackalsand the ostriches,BecauseI have givenwatersin the wildernessAnd riversin the desert,To givedrinkto My chosenpeople.

and cameto him and bandagedup his wounds,pouringoiland wineon [them]; and he puthim on his ownbeast,and broughthim to an innand took careof him.

For it is writtenin the Lawof Moses,"YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLETHE OXWHILE HE IS THRESHING."Godis not concernedabout oxen,is He?

"I do not reproveyou for your sacrifices,And your burntofferingsare continuallybeforeMe."I shall takenoyoungbullout of your houseNor malegoatsout of your folds.

For the fateof the sonsof menand the fateof beastsis the same.As onediessodiesthe other;indeed, they allhave the samebreathand thereis noadvantagefor manoverbeast,for allis vanity.

The treesnakewill makeits nestand lay[eggs] there,And it will hatchand gather[them] under its protection.Yes,the hawkswill be gatheredthere,Everyonewith its kind.

And He saidto them, "Whatmanis there amongyou whohasa sheep,and ifit fallsinto a piton the Sabbath,will he not take holdof it and liftit out?"How muchmore valuablethenis a manthan a sheep!So then,it is lawfulto dogoodon the Sabbath."

They allwaitfor You To givethem their foodin due season.

"Do you knowthe timethe mountaingoatsgivebirth?Do you observethe calvingof the deer?

They givedrinkto everybeastof the field;The wilddonkeysquenchtheir thirst.

Who coversthe heavenswith clouds,Who providesrainfor the earth,Who makes grassto growon the mountains.

Also the cowand the bearwill graze,Their youngwill liedowntogether,And the lionwill eatstrawlike the ox.

The lambs[will be] for your clothing,And the goats[will bring] the priceof a field,

"Can you huntthe preyfor the lion,Or satisfythe appetiteof the younglions,

"Ifa manopensa pit,ordigsa pitand does not coverit over, and an oxora donkeyfallsinto it,the ownerof the pitshall makerestitution;he shall givemoneyto its owner,and the dead[animal] shall becomehis.

"I will feedthem in a goodpasture,and their grazinggroundwill be on the mountainheightsof Israel.Therethey will liedownon goodgrazinggroundand feedin richpastureon the mountainsof Israel.

The eyesof alllookto You, And You givethem their foodin due time.

Out of the groundthe LORDGodformedeverybeastof the fieldand everybirdof the sky,and brought[them] to the manto seewhathe would callthem; and whateverthe mancalleda livingcreature,that was its name.

"IfI were hungryI would not tellyou, For the worldis Mine, and allit contains.

Openyour mouthfor the mute,For the rightsof allthe unfortunate.

"Considerthe ravens,for they neithersownorreap;they have nostoreroomnorbarn,and [yet] Godfeedsthem; how muchmorevaluableyou are than the birds!

You openYour handAnd satisfythe desireof everylivingthing.

Godblessedthem; and Godsaidto them, "Be fruitfuland multiply,and fillthe earth,and subdueit; and ruleover the fishof the seaand over the birdsof the skyand over everylivingthingthat moveson the earth."

"I will abandonyou to the wilderness,you and allthe fishof your rivers;You will fallon the openfield;you will not be broughttogetheror gathered.I have givenyou for foodto the beastsof the earthand to the birdsof the sky.

They will not hurtor destroyin allMy holymountain,For the earthwill be fullof the knowledgeof the LORDAs the waterscoverthe sea.

Howpreciousis Your lovingkindness,O God!And the childrenof mentakerefugein the shadowof Your wings.

Who teachesus morethanthe beastsof the earthAnd makesus wiserthanthe birdsof the heavens?'

Yet those who waitfor the LORDWill gainnewstrength;They will mountup [with] wingslike eagles,They will runand not gettired,They will walkand not becomeweary.

The birdalsohas founda house,And the swallowa nestfor herself, whereshe may layher young,Even Your altars,O LORDof hosts,My Kingand my God.

But GodrememberedNoahand allthe beastsand allthe cattlethat were with him in the ark;and Godcaused a windto passoverthe earth,and the watersubsided.

The angelof the LORDsaidto him, "Whyhave you struckyour donkeythesethreetimes?Behold,I have comeout as an adversary,becauseyour waywas contraryto me."But the donkeysawme and turnedasidefrom me thesethreetimes.Ifshe had not turnedasidefrom me, I would surelyhave killedyou just now,and let her live."

"And of everylivingthingof allflesh,you shall bringtwoof every[kind] into the ark,to keep[them] alivewith you; they shall be maleand female."Of the birdsafter their kind,and of the animalsafter their kind,of everycreepingthingof the groundafter its kind,twoof every[kind] will cometo you to keep[them] alive.

"You shall not seeyour countryman'sdonkeyorhis oxfallendownon the way,and paynoattentionto them; you shall certainlyhelphim to raise[them] up.

"You shall dothe samewith your oxen[and] with your sheep.It shall be with its mothersevendays;on the eighthdayyou shall giveit to Me.

Who coversthe heavenswith clouds,Who providesrainfor the earth,Who makes grassto growon the mountains.He givesto the beastits food,[And] to the youngravenswhichcry.

"Speakto the sonsof Israel,saying,Theseare the creatureswhichyou may eatfrom allthe animalsthat are on the earth.Whateverdividesa hoof,thus makingsplithoofs,[and] chewsthe cud,among the animals,that you may eat.

"You shall not seeyour countryman'soxorhis sheepstrayingaway,and paynoattentionto them; you shall certainlybringthem backto your countryman.

Fourthingsare smallon the earth,But they are exceedinglywise:The antsare not a strongpeople,But they preparetheir foodin the summer;

"It shall be that you will drinkof the brook,and I have commandedthe ravensto providefor you there."

"You shall takewith you of everycleananimalby sevens,a maleand his female;and of the animalsthat are not cleantwo,a maleand his female;alsoof the birdsof the sky,by sevens,maleand female,to keepoffspringaliveon the faceof allthe earth.

you shall devoteto the LORDthe firstoffspringof everywomb,and the firstoffspringof everybeastthat you own;the malesbelong to the LORD.

but the seventhdayis a sabbathof the LORDyour God;[in it] you shall not doanywork,you or your sonor your daughteror your maleservantor your femaleservantor your oxor your donkeyor anyof your cattleor your sojournerwhostays with you, sothat your maleservantand your femaleservantmay restas well as you.

And she gave birthto her firstbornson;and she wrapped Him in cloths,and laidHim in a manger,becausethere was noroomfor them in the inn.

"You shall not plowwith an oxand a donkeytogether.

Whatis manthat You takethoughtof him, And the sonof manthat You carefor him?Yet You have madehim a littlelowerthanGod,And You crownhim with gloryand majesty!You make him to ruleover the worksof Your hands;You have putallthingsunderhis feet,Allsheepand oxen,And alsothe beastsof the field,The birdsof the heavensand the fishof the sea,Whatever passesthroughthe pathsof the seas.

"Everymovingthingthat is aliveshall be foodfor you; I giveallto you, as [I gave] the greenplant."Onlyyou shall not eatfleshwith its life,[that is], its blood.

For He has satisfiedthe thirstysoul,And the hungrysoulHe has filledwith whatis good.

"Do you givethe horse[his] might?Do you clothehis neckwith a mane?"Do you make him leaplike the locust?His majesticsnortingis terrible."He pawsin the valley,and rejoicesin [his] strength;He goesout to meetthe weapons."He laughsat fearand is not dismayed;And he does not turnbackfrom the sword."The quiverrattlesagainsthim, The flashingspearand javelin."With shakingand ragehe racesover the ground,And he does not standstillat the voiceof the trumpet."As oftenas the trumpet[sounds] he says,'Aha!'And he scentsthe battlefrom afar,And the thunderof the captainsand the warcry.

You are to keepMy statutes.You shall not breedtogethertwokindsof your cattle;you shall not sowyour fieldwith twokindsof seed, norweara garmentupon you of twokindsof materialmixedtogether.

Thereare threethingswhich are statelyin [their] march,Even fourwhich are statelywhen they walk:The lion[which] is mightyamong beastsAnd does not retreatbeforeany,The struttingrooster,the malegoatalso,And a king[when his] armyis with him.

Whoknowsthat the breathof manascendsupwardand the breathof the beastdescendsdownwardto the earth?

Then Godsaid,"Let the earthbringforthlivingcreaturesafter their kind:cattleand creepingthingsand beastsof the earthafter their kind";and it was so.

"For [as for the] lifeof allflesh,its bloodis [identified] with its life.Therefore I saidto the sonsof Israel,'You are not to eatthe bloodof anyflesh,for the lifeof allfleshis its blood;whoevereatsit shall be cutoff.'

"[But] he who killsan oxis [like] one who slaysa man;He who sacrificesa lambis [like] the one who breaksa dog'sneck;He who offersa grain offering[is like one who offers] swine'sblood;He who burnsincenseis [like] the one who blessesan idol.As they have chosentheir [own] ways,And their souldelightsin their abominations,

"But nowaskthe beasts,and let them teachyou; And the birdsof the heavens,and let them tellyou.

The LORDis righteousin allHis waysAnd kindin allHis deeds.

He causes the grassto growfor the cattle,And vegetationfor the laborof man,So that he may bringforthfoodfrom the earth,And winewhich makesman'sheartglad,So that he may make [his] faceglistenwith oil,And foodwhich sustainsman'sheart.

"For behold,I createnewheavensand a newearth;And the formerthingswill not be rememberedor cometo mind.

"The ostriches'wingsflapjoyouslyWith the pinionand plumageof love,For she abandonsher eggsto the earthAnd warmsthem in the dust,And she forgetsthat a footmay crushthem, Or that a wildbeastmay tramplethem."She treatsher youngcruelly,as if [they] were not hers; Though her laborbe in vain,[she] is unconcerned;BecauseGodhas made her forgetwisdom,And has not givenher a shareof understanding."Whenshe liftsherself on high,She laughsat the horseand his rider.

Besidethem the birdsof the heavensdwell;They liftup [their] voicesamongthe branches.

As the cattlewhich godowninto the valley,The Spiritof the LORDgavethem rest.SoYou ledYour people,To makefor Yourself a gloriousname.

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