Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
To the Director: A song by the Sons of Korah.
The Destiny of the Wicked and the Upright
49 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, all you who live in the world,
2 both average people and those of means,[a]
the rich and the poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisely,
and I will understand what I think about.
4 I will focus my attention on[b] a proverb;
I will use the harp to expound my riddle.
5 Why should I be afraid when evil days come my way,
when the wickedness of those who deceive me surrounds me—
6 those who put confidence in their wealth
and boast about their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another,[c]
nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him—
8 for it would cost too much to redeem his life,
and the payments would go on forever—
9 that he should go on living
and not see corruption.
10 Indeed, he will see wise people die;
the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thoughts are on[d] their homes forever;
their dwellings from generation to generation.
They even name their lands after themselves.
12 But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit;[e]
it will pass away just like the animals.[f]
Benefits of Wisdom
24 Don’t be envious of wicked men
or wish you were with them,
2 because they[a] plan violence,
and they are always talking[b] about trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
it is made secure through understanding.
4 By knowledge its rooms are furnished
with all sorts of expensive and beautiful goods.
5 A wise man is strong,[c]
and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.
6 For through wise counsel you will wage your war,
and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.
7 Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;
he has nothing to say in court.[d]
8 The person who plans on doing evil
will be called a schemer.
9 To devise folly is sin,
and people detest a scoffer.
10 If you grow weary when times are troubled,
your strength is limited.[e]
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death,
and save those who stumble toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look here, we didn’t know about this,”
doesn’t God,[f] who examines motives,[g] discern it?
Doesn’t the one who guards your soul
know about it?
Won’t he repay each person
according to what he has done?
The Old Life and the New
17 Therefore, I tell you and insist on[a] in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.[b] 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. 20 However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.[c] 21 Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. 22 Regarding your former way of life, you were taught[d] to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 23 to be renewed in your mental attitude, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image[e] in righteousness and true holiness.
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