Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 29[a]
The Lord of Majesty Acclaimed as King of the World
1 A psalm of David.
I
Give to the Lord, you sons of God,[b]
give to the Lord glory and might;
2 Give to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bow down before the Lord’s holy splendor!(A)
II
3 The voice of the Lord[c] is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is power;
the voice of the Lord is splendor.(B)
5 The voice of the Lord cracks the cedars;
the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon,
6 Makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
and Sirion[d] like a young bull.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes with fiery flame;
8 the voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.
9 [e]The voice of the Lord makes the deer dance
and strips the forests bare.
All in his Temple say, “Glory!”
III
Chapter 2
Study of Pleasure-seeking. 1 I said in my heart,[a] “Come, now, let me try you with pleasure and the enjoyment of good things.” See, this too was vanity. 2 Of laughter I said: “Mad!” and of mirth: “What good does this do?” 3 Guided by wisdom,[b] I probed with my mind how to beguile my senses with wine and take up folly, until I should understand what is good for human beings to do under the heavens during the limited days of their lives.
4 I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards; 5 I made gardens and parks, and in them set out fruit trees of all sorts. 6 And I constructed for myself reservoirs to water a flourishing woodland. 7 I acquired male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned vast herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the treasures of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and delights of men, many women.[c] 9 I accumulated much more than all others before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom, too, stayed with me. 10 Nothing that my eyes desired did I deny them, nor did I deprive myself of any joy; rather, my heart rejoiced in the fruit of all my toil. This was my share for all my toil. 11 (A)But when I turned to all the works that my hands had wrought, and to the fruit of the toil for which I had toiled so much, see! all was vanity and a chase after wind. There is no profit under the sun.
Chapter 2
1 When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God,[a] I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.(A) 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.(B) 3 I came to you in weakness[b] and fear and much trembling, 4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom,[c] but with a demonstration of spirit and power,(C) 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.(D)
The True Wisdom.[d] 6 Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. 7 Rather, we speak God’s wisdom,[e] mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, 8 and which none of the rulers of this age[f] knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written:
“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him,”(E)
10 (F)this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.
For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.