Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Rich and Poor Alike
Psalm 49
1 For the music director: a psalm of the sons of Korah.
2 Hear this, all you peoples.
Give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
3 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
4 My mouth speaks wisdom,
My heart’s meditation is understanding.
5 I will turn my ear to a proverb.
I will utter my riddle on the harp:
6 Why should I fear in evil days?
when the iniquity of my deceivers surrounds me?
7 Or those trusting in their wealth,
boasting about their great riches?
8 No man can redeem his brother,
or give to God a ransom for him.
9 For the redemption of a soul is costly—
so, one should stop trying forever.
10 Will he live forever—
and never see the Pit?
11 Surely he must see, even wise men die.
The fool and the brutish will alike perish,
leaving their wealth to others.[a]
12 Their inward thought is:
Their houses are eternal,
their dwellings for generation after generation.
They name their lands after themselves.
Kohelet: the Preacher
1 The words of Kohelet[a], son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Futile! Futile! says Kohelet.
Completely meaningless!
Everything is futile![b]
3 What does a person gain in all his labor
that he toils under the sun?
4 A generation comes, and a generation goes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to the place it rises.
6 The wind goes toward the south,
and circles around to the north.
Round and round it swirls about,
ever returning to its circuits.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
there they go again.
8 All things are wearisome.
No one can express them.
The eye is never satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done will be done again.
There is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything about which is said,
“Look! This is new!”?
It was already here long ago,
in the ages long before us.
11 There is no remembrance for former things,
and things yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
The Cost of Discipleship
17 As Yeshua was setting out on His way, a man ran up to Him, fell on his knees before Him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 “Why do you call Me good?” Yeshua said to him. “No one is good except One—that is God. 19 You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,’ do not cheat, ‘honor your father and mother.’”[a]
20 The man responded, “Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth!”
21 Looking at him, Yeshua loved him and said, “One thing you lack. Go, sell as much as you have, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” 22 But at this statement, the man became sad and went away grieving, for he had much property.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.