Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.
For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 (A)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all (B)inhabitants of the world,
2 Both (C)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will (D)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be (E)understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (F)a proverb;
(G)I will [a]express my (H)riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I (I)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
6 Those who (J)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No one can by any means (K)redeem another
Or give God a (L)ransom for him—
8 For (M)the redemption of [b]his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
9 That he might (N)live on eternally,
That he might not [c](O)undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even (P)wise people die;
The (Q)foolish and the stupid alike perish
And (R)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their [d](S)inner thought is that their houses (T)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have (U)named their lands after their own names.
12 But (V)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that [e]perish.
On Life and Conduct
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully [a]what is before you,
2 And put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)person of great appetite.
3 Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
4 (C)Do not weary yourself to gain wealth;
[b](D)Stop dwelling on it.
5 [c]When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For (E)wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
33 Oh, the depth of (A)the riches, [a]both of the (B)wisdom and knowledge of God! (C)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For (D)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or (E)who has first given to Him, [b]that it would be paid back to him? 36 For (F)from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. (G)To Him be the glory [c]forever. Amen.
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