Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God Is Good to His People

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders work for nothing. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the men who watch over it stay awake for nothing. ² You rise up early, and go to bed late, and work hard for your food, all for nothing. For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.

³ See, children are a gift from the Lord. The children born to us are our special reward. ⁴ The children of a young man are like arrows in the hand of a soldier. ⁵ Happy is the man who has many of them. They will not be put to shame when they speak in the gate with those who hate them.

Sin Is Everywhere

¹⁶ Also I have seen under the sun that in the place of what is right and fair there is sin. And in the place of what is right and good there is wrong-doing. ¹⁷ I said to myself, “God will judge both the man who is right and good, and the sinful man.” For there is a time for everything to be done and a time for every work. ¹⁸ I said to myself about the sons of men, “God is testing them to show them that they are like animals.” ¹⁹ For the same thing is to happen to both the sons of men and animals. As one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and to be a man is no better than to be an animal. Because all is for nothing. ²⁰ All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. ²¹ Who knows that the spirit of man goes up and the spirit of the animal goes down to the earth? ²² So I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his work, for that is all he can do. Who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

4 Then I saw all the bad powers that were ruling under the sun. I saw the tears of the people who were suffering under these powers, with no one to comfort them. Those who made it hard for them had the power. But the people had no one to comfort them. ² So I thought that those who are already dead are better off than those who are still living. ³ But better than both is the one who has never been, who has never seen the wrong that is done under the sun.

⁴ I have seen that all the work done is because a man wants what his neighbor has. This also is for nothing, like trying to catch the wind. ⁵ The fool folds his hands and has no food to eat. ⁶ One hand full of rest is better than two hands full of work and trying to catch the wind.

⁷ Then I looked again at what is of no use under the sun. ⁸ There was a certain man who lived alone. He did not have a son or a brother. Yet he worked all the time. His eyes were never happy with the riches he had, and he never asked, “For whom am I working and why am I keeping myself from happiness?” This also is for nothing. It is work that brings sorrow.

Some Things to Do

² You must keep praying. Keep watching! Be thankful always. ³ As you pray, be sure to pray for us also. Pray that God will open the door for us to preach the Word. We want to tell the secret of Christ. And this is the reason I am in prison. ⁴ Pray that I will be able to preach so everyone can understand. This is the way I should speak. ⁵ Be wise in the way you live around those who are not Christians. Make good use of your time. ⁶ Speak with them in such a way they will want to listen to you. Do not let your talk sound foolish. Know how to give the right answer to anyone.