Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 127[a]
A song of ascents;[b] by Solomon.
127 If the Lord does not build a house,[c]
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city,[d]
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food.[e]
Yes,[f] he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.[g]
3 Yes,[h] sons[i] are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Sons born during one’s youth
are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.[j]
5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.
They will not be put to shame[k] when they confront[l] enemies at the city gate.
The Problem of Injustice and Oppression
16 I saw something else on earth:[a]
In the place of justice, there was wickedness,
and in the place of fairness,[b] there was wickedness.
17 I thought to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;
for there is an appropriate time for every activity,
and there is a time of judgment[c] for every deed.”
18 I also thought to myself, “It is[d] for the sake of people,[e]
so God can clearly[f] show[g] them that they are like animals.
19 For the fate of humans[h] and the fate of animals are the same:
As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath.
There is no advantage for humans over animals,
for both are fleeting.
20 Both go to the same place,
both come from the dust,
and to dust both return.
21 Who really knows if the human spirit[i] ascends upward,
and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?”
22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people[j] to enjoy their work,[k]
because that is their[l] reward;
for who can show them what the future holds?[m]
Evil Oppression on Earth
4 So[n] I again considered[o] all the oppression[p] that continually occurs[q] on earth.[r]
This is what I saw:[s]
The oppressed[t] were in tears,[u] but no one was comforting them;
no one delivers[v] them from the power of their oppressors.[w]
2 So I considered[x] those who are dead and gone[y]
more fortunate than those who are still alive.[z]
3 But better than both is the one who has not been born[aa]
and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.[ab]
Labor Motivated by Envy
4 Then I considered[ac] all the skillful work[ad] that is done:
Surely it is nothing more than[ae] competition[af] between one person and another.[ag]
This also is profitless—like[ah] chasing the wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and does no work,[ai]
so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.[aj]
6 Better is one handful with some rest
than two hands full of toil[ak] and chasing the wind.
Labor Motivated by Greed
7 So[al] I again considered[am] another[an] futile thing on earth:[ao]
8 A man who is all alone with no companion,[ap]
he has no children nor siblings;[aq]
yet there is no end to all his toil,
and he[ar] is never satisfied with riches.
He laments,[as] “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself[at] of pleasure?”[au]
This also is futile and a burdensome task![av]
Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission
2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time pray[a] for us too, that[b] God may open a door for the message[c] so that we may proclaim[d] the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.[e] 4 Pray that I may make it known as I should.[f] 5 Conduct yourselves[g] with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.
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