Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Futility of Wisdom
12 I, the (A)Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (B)set my [a]mind to seek and (C)explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is [b]a grievous (D)task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is [c](E)vanity and striving after wind.
The Futility of Labor
18 Thus I hated (A)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must (B)leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or (C)a fool? Yet he will have [a]control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is (D)vanity. 20 Therefore I [b]completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and (E)skill, then he (F)gives his [c]legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in (G)all his labor and in [d]his striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his task is painful and (H)grievous; even at night his [e]mind (I)does not rest. This too is vanity.
The Folly of Trusting in Riches.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 (A)Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both (C)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will [a]express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (I)fear in days of adversity,
When the iniquity of my [b]foes surrounds me,
6 Even those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No man can by any means (K)redeem his brother
Or give to God a (L)ransom for him—
8 For (M)the redemption of [c]his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
9 That he should (N)live on eternally,
That he should not [d](O)undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even (P)wise men die;
The (Q)stupid and the senseless alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [e](S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (U)called their lands after their own names.
12 But (V)man in his [f]pomp will not endure;
He is like the [g]beasts that [h]perish.
Put On the New Self
3 Therefore if you have been (A)raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, (B)seated at the right hand of God. 2 [a](C)Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have (D)died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, (E)who is our life, is revealed, (F)then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5 (G)Therefore [b]consider (H)the members of your earthly body as dead to [c](I)immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which [d]amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that (J)the wrath of God will come [e]upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and (K)in them you also once walked, when you were living [f]in them. 8 But now you also, (L)put them all aside: (M)anger, wrath, malice, slander, and (N)abusive speech from your mouth. 9 [g](O)Do not lie to one another, since you (P)laid aside the old [h]self with its evil practices, 10 and have (Q)put on the new self who is being [i](R)renewed to a true knowledge (S)according to the image of the One who (T)created him— 11 a renewal in which (U)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, (V)circumcised and uncircumcised, [j](W)barbarian, Scythian, (X)slave and freeman, but (Y)Christ is all, and in all.
Covetousness Denounced
13 Someone [a]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “(A)Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “(B)Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, (C)you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘(D)You fool! This very night [b](E)your soul is required of you; and (F)now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who (G)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.