Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Unless the Lord Builds the House

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of Solomon.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in ^(A)the days of your youth, before ^(B)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(C)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ² before ^(D)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, ³ in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and ^(E)those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and ^(F)the doors on the street are shut—when ^(G)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all ^(H)the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and ^(I)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his ^(J)eternal ^(K)home, and the ^(L)mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or ^(M)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is ^(N)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and ^(O)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and ^(P)the spirit returns to God ^(Q)who gave it. ^8 (R)Vanity^[b] of vanities, says ^(S)the Preacher; all is vanity.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. ^(A)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^{[a] 14} For ^(B)God will bring every deed into judgment, with^[b] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(A)“Therefore I tell you, ^(B)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ^24 (C)Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. ^(D)Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ^(E)span of life?^{[a] 26} If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[b] yet I tell you, ^(F)even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, ^(G)O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor ^(H)be worried. ³⁰ For ^(I)all the nations of the world seek after these things, and ^(J)your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, ^(K)seek ^(L)his^[c] kingdom, ^(M)and these things will be added to you.