Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 127[a]
A song of ascents;[b] by Solomon.
127 If the Lord does not build a house,[c]
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city,[d]
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food.[e]
Yes,[f] he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.[g]
3 Yes,[h] sons[i] are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Sons born during one’s youth
are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.[j]
5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.
They will not be put to shame[k] when they confront[l] enemies at the city gate.
Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure
2 I thought to myself,[a]
“Come now,[b] I will try[c] self-indulgent pleasure[d] to see[e] if it is worthwhile.”[f]
But I found[g] that it also is futile.[h]
2 I said of partying,[i] “It is folly,”
and of self-indulgent pleasure,[j] “It accomplishes nothing!”[k]
3 I thought deeply[l] about the effects of[m] indulging[n] myself[o] with wine
(all the while[p] my mind was guiding me[q] with wisdom)[r]
and the effects of[s] behaving foolishly,[t]
so that[u] I might discover what is profitable[v]
for people[w] to do on earth[x] during the few days[y] of their lives.
Futility of Materialism
4 I increased my possessions:[z]
I built houses for myself;[aa]
I planted vineyards for myself.
5 I designed[ab] royal gardens[ac] and parks[ad] for myself,
and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I constructed pools of water for myself,
to irrigate my grove[ae] of flourishing trees.
7 I purchased male and female slaves,
and I owned slaves who were born in my house;[af]
I also possessed more livestock—both herds and flocks—
than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself,
as well as valuable treasures[ag] taken from kingdoms and provinces.[ah]
I acquired male singers and female singers for myself,
and what gives a man sensual delight[ai]—a harem of beautiful concubines.[aj]
9 So[ak] I was far wealthier[al] than all my predecessors in Jerusalem,
yet I maintained my objectivity.[am]
10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;[an]
I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.[ao]
So all my accomplishments gave me joy;[ap]
this was my reward for all my effort.[aq]
11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished[ar]
and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,[as]
I concluded:[at] “All these[au] achievements and possessions[av] are ultimately[aw] profitless[ax]—
like chasing the wind!
There is nothing gained[ay] from them[az] on earth.”[ba]
Wisdom is Better than Folly
12 Next, I decided to consider[bb] wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas.[bc]
For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king[bd] has already done?
13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,[be]
just as light is preferable to darkness:
14 The wise man can see where he is going,[bf] but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also realized that the same fate[bg] happens to them both.[bh]
15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me![bi]
Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively[bj] wise?”[bk]
So I lamented to myself,[bl]
“The benefits of wisdom[bm] are ultimately[bn] meaningless!”
16 For the wise man, like[bo] the fool, will not be remembered for very long,[bp]
because[bq] in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten.[br]
Alas,[bs] the wise man dies—just like[bt] the fool!
17 So I loathed[bu] life[bv] because what
happens[bw] on earth[bx] seems awful to me;
for all the benefits of wisdom[by] are futile—like chasing the wind.
Exhortation to Households
18 Wives, submit to your[a] husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers,[b] do not provoke[c] your children, so they will not become disheartened. 22 Slaves,[d] obey your earthly[e] masters in every respect, not only when they are watching—like those who are strictly people-pleasers—but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you are doing,[f] work at it with enthusiasm,[g] as to the Lord and not for people,[h] 24 because you know that you will receive your[i] inheritance[j] from the Lord as the reward. Serve[k] the Lord Christ. 25 For the one who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong,[l] and there are no exceptions.[m] 4 1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.
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