Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The two paths[a]
1 If someone does not do what wicked people tell him to do,
if he does not join with sinners,
if he does not meet with those who laugh at God,
God has blessed that person!
2 He is happy when he obeys the Law of the Lord.[b]
He thinks about God's Law during the day and at night.
3 He will become like a tree that grows beside streams of water.
It gives its fruit at the right season.
Its leaves do not fall off.
Everything that person does will have a good result.
4 But wicked people are as empty as chaff.
The wind blows them away.[c]
5 So they will not go free when God judges them.
Sinners cannot join with God's people,
the people who are right with God.[d]
6 The Lord takes care of people who respect him.
But wicked people are living in a way that will take them to a bad end.
More wise thoughts
23 These are more things that wise people have said:
When you judge people, be fair. It is not good to respect some people more than others. 24 A judge must not say to a guilty person, ‘You are not guilty.’ If he does say that, everyone will curse him. People of all nations will say that he is bad. 25 When judges decide to punish a guilty person, they will be happy, because God will bless them.
26 Somebody who gives you an honest answer is your true friend.
27 Finish your work outside and prepare your fields. After that, you can build your house.
28 If you do not know what is true, do not speak against your neighbour in court. Do not deceive people with what you say. 29 Do not say, ‘I will do to him the same thing that he did to me. I will punish him because of what he did.’
30 I walked past the field of a lazy person. And I walked past the vineyard of a stupid person. 31 There were weeds and thorn bushes over all the ground. The wall of stones round the field had fallen down. 32 I looked at this and I thought about it carefully. I learned a lesson from the things that I had seen:
33 You may say, ‘I will have a short sleep. I will rest quietly for a while.’ 34 But while you sleep you will suddenly become poor. You will have nothing, as if someone has robbed you.
39 You study carefully what the Bible teaches. You think that those books will give you life with God. And it is true, those books do speak about who I am. 40 But then you refuse to come to me so that you may have life with God!
41 I do not think that it is important for people to praise me. 42 But I know what kind of people you are. I know that you do not really love God. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, but you do not accept me. But if someone else comes with his own authority, then you will accept him. 44 You like to praise each other. That makes you happy. But what about God himself? You do not try to do good things so that he will praise you. That is why you will never believe in me.
45 But I will not have to tell the Father that you are guilty. No, it is Moses who will do that. You think that Moses is the one who will show that you are right. But he is the one who will show that you are guilty. 46 Moses wrote about me. So, if you had really believed Moses, you would believe me. 47 But you do not believe what Moses wrote.[a] So you will never believe what I say.’
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