Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
127 A Song of the Ascents, by Solomon. If Jehovah doth not build the house, In vain have its builders laboured at it, If Jehovah doth not watch a city, In vain hath a watchman waked.
2 Vain for you who are rising early, Who delay sitting, eating the bread of griefs, So He giveth to His beloved one sleep.
3 Lo, an inheritance of Jehovah [are] sons, A reward [is] the fruit of the womb.
4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty one, So [are] the sons of the young men.
5 O the happiness of the man Who hath filled his quiver with them, They are not ashamed, For they speak with enemies in the gate!
12 Remember also thy Creators in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.'
2 While that the sun is not darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds returned after the rain.
3 In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,
4 And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.
5 Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.
6 While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.
7 And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.
13 The end of the whole matter let us hear: -- `Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of man.
14 For every work doth God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'
22 And he said unto his disciples, `Because of this, to you I say, Be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat; nor for the body, what ye may put on;
23 the life is more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing.
24 `Consider the ravens, that they sow not, nor reap, to which there is no barn nor storehouse, and God doth nourish them; how much better are ye than the fowls?
25 and who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?
26 If, then, ye are not able for the least -- why for the rest are ye anxious?
27 `Consider the lilies, how do they grow? they labour not, nor do they spin, and I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these;
28 and if the herbage in the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow into an oven is cast, God doth so clothe, how much more you -- ye of little faith?
29 `And ye -- seek not what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, and be not in suspense,
30 for all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father hath known that ye have need of these things;
31 but, seek ye the reign of God, and all these things shall be added to you.