Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Unless Yahweh Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless Yahweh (A)builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless Yahweh (B)watches the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early,
That you sit out late,
O you who (C)eat the bread of [a]painful labors;
For in this manner, He gives (D)sleep to His (E)beloved.
3 Behold, (F)children are [b]an inheritance of Yahweh,
The (G)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (H)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How (I)blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them;
(J)They will not be ashamed
When they (K)speak with enemies (L)in the gate.
16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is (A)wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “(B)God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a (C)time for every [a]matter and for every work is there. 18 I said in my heart concerning the sons of men, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are but (D)beasts.” 19 (E)For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same fate for each of them. As one dies so dies the other, and they all have the same breath. So there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is [b]vanity. 20 All go to the same place. All came from the (F)dust, and all return to the dust. 21 Who knows that the (G)breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that (H)nothing is better than that man should be glad in his works, for that is his portion. For who will bring him to see (I)what will occur after him?
The Tears of the Oppressed
4 Then I looked again at all the acts of (J)oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had (K)no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. 2 So (L)I lauded the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. 3 But (M)better off than both of them is the one who never has been, who has never seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
4 I have seen that every labor and every (N)success of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is [c](O)vanity and striving after wind. 5 The fool (P)folds his hands in embrace and (Q)consumes his own flesh. 6 One hand full of rest is (R)better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.
7 Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. 8 There was a certain man without a second man, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, (S)his eyes were not satisfied with riches—“And (T)for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of good?” This too is vanity, and it is a (U)grievous endeavor.
2 (A)Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (B)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (C)door for (D)the word, so that we may speak (E)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (F)been bound, 4 that I may make it (G)manifest (H)in the way I ought to speak.
5 (I)Walk in wisdom toward (J)outsiders, (K)redeeming the time. 6 (L)Let your [a]words always be [b]with grace, seasoned with (M)salt, so that you will know how you should (N)answer each person.
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