Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

127 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

² It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He giveth His beloved sleep.

³ Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

⁴ As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth.

⁵ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate.

12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

² while neither the sun nor the light, nor the moon nor the stars be darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain;

³ in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and the eyes that look out of the windows be darkened;

⁴ and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low; and he shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

⁵ also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way; and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets;

⁶ or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern—

⁷ then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

⁸ “Vanity of vanities,” saith the Preacher. “All is vanity.”

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴ For God shall bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

²² And He said unto His disciples, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

²³ The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

²⁴ Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap, they neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are ye better than the fowls?

²⁵ And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

²⁶ If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸ If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?

²⁹ “And seek ye not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubting mind.

³⁰ For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

³¹ But rather seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.