Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

49 Hear this, all you people! Give ear, all you who dwell in the world,

² low as well as high, both rich and poor!

³ My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart is of knowledge.

⁴ I will incline my ear to a parable and utter my high saying upon the harp.

⁵ Why should I fear in the evil days, when the iniquity at my heels shall surround me?

⁶ They trust in their goods and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

⁷ Yet a man can by no means redeem his brother. He cannot give his ransom to God,

⁸ (so precious is the redemption of their souls, and ceases forever)

⁹ so that he may yet live forever and not see the grave.

¹⁰ For he sees that wise men die; and also that the ignorant and foolish perish and leave their riches for others.

¹¹ They think their houses and their habitations shall continue forever, from generation to generation. And they call their lands by their names.

¹² But man shall not continue in honor. He is like the beasts that die.

1 The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the preacher, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.

³ “What remains to man in all his travail which he suffers under the Sun?”

⁴ One generation passes, and another generation succeeds. But the Earth remains forever.

⁵ The Sun rises, and the Sun goes down, and hastens to its place where it arose.

⁶ The wind goes toward the south, and circles around toward the north. The wind whirls about continually and returns by its circuits.

⁷ All the rivers go into the sea. Yet the sea is not full. For the rivers go to the place from where they have returned.

⁸ All things are full of labor. Man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

⁹ What has been is what will be. And what has been done is what shall be done. And there is no new thing under the Sun.

¹⁰ Is there anything of which one may say, “Behold this, it is new?” It has already been in the previous time before us.

¹¹ There is no memory of former things, nor shall there be a remembrance of things to come by those who shall come after.

¹⁷ And when He had gone on His way, someone came running and kneeled to Him and asked Him, “Good Master, what must I do so that I may possess eternal life?”

¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good but One, even God.

¹⁹ “You know the Commandments: You shall not commit adultery. You shall not kill. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall hurt no man. Honor your father and mother.

²⁰ Then he answered, and said to Him, “Master, all these things I have observed from my youth.”

²¹ And Jesus looked upon him and loved him and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go and sell all that you have. And give to the poor. And you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me. And take up the Cross.

²² But he was sad at that saying and went away sorrowful. For he had great possessions.