Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Life Is Short
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A song of David.
39 I said, “I will be careful how I act.
I will not sin by what I say.
I will be careful what I say
around wicked people.”
2 So I kept very quiet.
I didn’t even say anything good.
But I became even more upset.
3 I became very angry inside.
And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
So I spoke:
4 “Lord, tell me when the end will come.
How long will I live?
Let me know how long I have.
5 You have given me only a short life.
My lifetime is like nothing to you.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
6 A person is like a shadow moving about.
All his work is for nothing.
He collects things, but he doesn’t know who will get them.
7 “So, Lord, what hope do I have?
You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my sins.
Don’t let wicked fools make fun of me.
9 I am quiet. I do not open my mouth.
You are the one who has done this.
10 Quit punishing me.
Your beating is about to kill me.
11 You correct and punish people for their sins.
Like a moth, you destroy what they love.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
12 “Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry.
Do not ignore my tears.
I am like a visitor with you.
Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time.
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy.
Soon I will leave and be no more.”
17 Moses sent them to explore Canaan. He said, “Go through southern Canaan and then into the mountains. 18 See what the land looks like. Are the people who live there strong or weak? Are there a few or many? 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What about the towns they live in—do they have walls, or are they open like camps? 20 What about the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees there? Try to bring back some of the fruit from that land.” (It was the season for the first grapes.)
21 So they went up and explored the land. They went from the Desert of Zin all the way to Rehob by Lebo Hamath. 22 They went through the southern area to Hebron. That is where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai lived. They were the descendants of Anak. (The city of Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 In the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch of a grapevine. It had one bunch of grapes on it. They carried that branch on a pole between two of them. They also got some pomegranates and figs. 24 They call that place the Valley of Eshcol.[a] That is because the Israelites cut off the bunch of grapes there. 25 After 40 days of exploring the land, the men returned to the camp.
26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and all the Israelites at Kadesh. This was in the Desert of Paran. The men reported to them and showed everybody the fruit from the land. 27 They told Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us. It is a land where much food grows! Here is some of its fruit.
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant.[a] A man plants this seed in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree. The wild birds build nests on its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.