Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Solomonic Song of Ascents
God’s Blessing in the Family
127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor uselessly.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
its security forces keep watch uselessly.
2 It is useless to get up early
and to stay up late,[a]
eating the food of exhausting labor—
truly he gives sleep to those he loves.
3 Children[b] are a gift[c] from the Lord;
a productive womb, the Lord’s[d] reward.
4 As arrows in the hand of a warrior,
so also are children[e] born during one’s[f] youth.
5 How blessed[g] is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He[h] will not be ashamed
as they confront their enemies at the city gate.
From Dust to Dust
16 I also examined on earth:
where the halls of justice were supposed to be,
there was lawlessness;
and where the righteous were supposed to be,[a]
there was lawlessness.
17 I told myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time set to judge[b] every event and every work.”
18 “As for human beings,” I told myself, “God puts them to the test, that they might see themselves as mere animals.” 19 For what happens to people also happens to animals—a single event happens to them: just as someone dies, so does the other. In fact, they all breathe the same way, so that a human being has no superiority over an animal. All of this is pointless. 20 All of them go to one place: all of them originate from dust, and all of them return to dust.
21 Who knows whether[c] the spirit of human beings ascends, and whether[d] the spirit of animals descends to the earth? 22 I concluded that it is worthwhile for people to find joy in their accomplishments, because that is their inheritance, since who can see what will exist after them?
On the Abuse of Authority
4 Next I turned to consider all kinds of oppression that exists on earth.
Look at the tears of the oppressed—
there is no one to comfort them.
Power is on the side of their oppressors;
so they have no comforters.
2 So I commended the dead who had already died as being happier than the living who are still alive. 3 Better than both of them is someone who has not yet been born,[e] because he hasn’t experienced evil on earth. 4 Then I examined all sorts of work, including all kinds of excellent achievements that create envy in others.[f] This also is pointless and chasing after the wind. 5 The fool crosses his arms[g] and starves himself.[h] 6 It’s better to have one handful of tranquility than to have two handfuls of trouble and to chase after the wind.
On Aloneness and Companionship
7 Then I turned to re-examine something else that is pointless on earth: 8 Consider someone who is alone, having neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his work, and he is[i] never satisfied with wealth. “So for whom do I work,” he asks,[j] “and deprive myself of pleasure?” This, too, is pointless and a terrible tragedy.
Closing Exhortations
2 Devote yourselves to prayer. Be alert[a] and thankful when you pray. 3 At the same time also pray for us—that God would open before us a door for the word so that we may tell the secret about the Messiah,[b] for which I have been imprisoned. 4 May I reveal it as clearly as I should![c]
5 Behave wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of your time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
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