Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

^5 (G)Why should I fear in ^(H)times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
⁶ those who ^(I)trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
⁷ Truly no man ^(J)can ransom another,
    or ^(K)give to God ^(L)the price of his life,
⁸ for ^(M)the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
⁹ that he should live on forever
    and ^(N)never see the pit.

¹⁰ For he sees ^(O)that even the wise die;
    ^(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and ^(Q)leave their wealth to others.
¹¹ Their ^(R)graves are their homes forever,^[a]
    their dwelling places ^(S)to all generations,
    though they ^(T)called lands by their own names.
¹² Man in his pomp ^(U)will not remain;
    ^(V)he is like the beasts that perish.

23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
    observe carefully what^[a] is before you,
² and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to appetite.
^3 (A)Do not desire his delicacies,
    for they are deceptive food.
^4 (B)Do not toil to acquire wealth;
    ^(C)be discerning enough to desist.
⁵ When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
    ^(D)for suddenly it sprouts wings,
    flying like an eagle toward heaven.
^6 (E)Do not eat the bread of a man who is ^(F)stingy;^{[b]
    (G)}do not desire his delicacies,
⁷ for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.^[c]
    “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
    but his ^(H)heart is not with you.
⁸ You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
    and waste your pleasant words.
⁹ Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
    for he will despise the good sense of your words.
^10 (I)Do not move an ancient landmark
    or enter the fields of the fatherless,
¹¹ for their ^(J)Redeemer is strong;
    he will ^(K)plead their cause against you.

³⁴ “For ^(C)who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or ^(D)who has been his counselor?”
³⁵ “Or ^(E)who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”