Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 49

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,

² Both low and high, rich and poor together:

³ My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

⁴ I will submit and consent to a parable or proverb; to the music of a lyre I will unfold my riddle (my problem).

⁵ Why should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of those who would supplant me surrounds me on every side,

⁶ Even of those who trust in and lean on their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?

⁷ None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—

⁸ For the ransom of a life is too costly, and [the price one can pay] can never suffice—

⁹ So that he should live on forever and never see the pit (the grave) and corruption.

¹⁰ For he sees that even wise men die; the [self-confident] fool and the stupid alike perish and leave their wealth to others.

¹¹ Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands their own [apart from God] and after their own names.

¹² But man, with all his honor and pomp, does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you;

² For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire.

³ Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].

⁴ Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own [human] wisdom.^(A)

⁵ Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

⁶ Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;

⁷ For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].

⁸ The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, and your complimentary words will be wasted.

⁹ Speak not in the ears of a [self-confident] fool, for he will despise the [godly] Wisdom of your words.^(B)

¹⁰ Remove not the ancient landmark and enter not into the fields of the fatherless,^(C)

¹¹ For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!

³⁴ For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor?^(A)

³⁵ Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense?

³⁶ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).