Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 49
For the music leader. A psalm of the Korahites.
49 Listen to this, all you people!
Listen closely, all you citizens of the world—
2 people of every kind,
rich and poor alike!
3 My mouth speaks wisdom;
my heart’s meditation is full of insight.
4 I will pay close attention to a proverb;
I will explain my riddle on the lyre.
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,
when the wrongdoing of my bullies engulfs me—
6 those people who trust in their fortunes
and boast of their fantastic wealth?
7 Wealth? It can’t save a single person!
It can’t pay a life’s ransom-price to God.
8 The price to save someone’s life is too high—
wealth will never be enough—
9 no one can live forever
without experiencing the pit.
10 Everyone knows that the wise die too,
just like foolish and stupid people do,
all of them leaving their fortunes to others.
11 Their graves[a] are their eternal homes,
the place they live for all generations,
even if they had counties named after them!
12 People won’t live any longer because of wealth;
they’re just like the animals that pass away.
24 Don’t envy evil people,
and don’t long to be with them.
2 Their hearts are focused on violence,
and their lips speak of trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is established.
4 By knowledge rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise person is mightier than a strong one;[a]
a knowledgeable person than a powerful one.
6 You should make war with guidance;
victory comes with many counselors.
7 Wisdom is beyond foolish people.
They don’t open their mouths in the gate.
8 Those who plot evil
will be called master schemers.
9 The scheming of fools is sin;
people detest mockers.
10 If you show yourself weak on a day of distress,
your strength is too small.
11 Rescue those being taken off to death;
and from those staggering to the slaughter, don’t hold back.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn’t know about it,”
the one who weighs hearts—doesn’t he understand?
The one who protects your life—he knows.
He makes people pay for their actions.
The old and new life
17 So I’m telling you this, and I insist on it in the Lord: you shouldn’t live your life like the Gentiles anymore. They base their lives on pointless thinking, 18 and they are in the dark in their reasoning. They are disconnected from God’s life because of their ignorance and their closed hearts. 19 They are people who lack all sense of right and wrong, and who have turned themselves over to doing whatever feels good and to practicing every sort of corruption along with greed.
20 But you didn’t learn that sort of thing from Christ. 21 Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, 22 change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible