Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Trusting Money Is Foolish
For the director of music. A song of the sons of Korah.
49 Listen to this, all you nations.
Listen, all you who live on earth.
2 Listen, both great and small,
rich and poor together.
3 What I say is wise.
My heart speaks with understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a wise saying.
I will explain my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I be afraid of bad days?
Why should I fear when evil men surround me?
6 They trust in their money.
They brag about their riches.
7 No one can buy back the life of another person.
No one can pay God for his own life.
8 The price of a life is high.
No payment is ever enough.
9 Do people live forever?
Don’t they all face death?
10 See, even wise men die.
Fools and stupid people also die.
They leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will always be their homes.
They will live there from now on,
even though they named places after themselves.
12 Even rich people do not live forever.
Like the animals, people die.
24 Don’t envy evil people.
Don’t try to be friends with them.
2 In their minds they plan cruel things.
And they always talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to have a good family.
It takes understanding to make it strong.
4 It takes knowledge to fill a home
with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 A wise man has great power.
And a man who has knowledge is very strong.
6 So you need the advice of others when you go to war.
If you have many people to give advice, you will win.
7 A foolish person cannot understand wisdom.
He has nothing to say in court.
8 Whoever makes evil plans
will be known as a troublemaker.
9 Making foolish plans is sinful.
And making fun of others is hateful.
10 If you give up when trouble comes,
it shows that you have very little strength.
11 Save those who are being led to their death.
Rescue those who are about to be killed.
12 You may say, “We don’t know anything about this.”
But God knows what is in your mind, and he will notice.
He is watching you, and he will know.
He will pay each person back for what he has done.
The Way You Should Live
17 In the Lord’s name, I tell you this. I warn you: Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They do not understand. They know nothing, because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame. And they use their lives for doing evil. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil things. 20 But the things you learned in Christ were not like this. 21 I know that you heard about him, and you are in him; so you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self—to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse and worse because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. 23 But you were taught to be made new in your hearts. 24 You were taught to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.