Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
In Praise of the Valiant Woman or the Perfect Homemaker[a]
10 Who can find a worthy wife?
She is far more precious than pearls.
11 Her husband entrusts his heart to her,
for in her he has an unfailing blessing.
12 She works to give him good and not evil
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with skillful hands.
14 She is like merchant ships,
accumulating a store of food from far off.
15 She rises while it is still dark[b]
and apportions food for her household
while assigning tasks to her servant girls.
16 She carefully chooses a field to purchase,
and out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.[c]
17 She girds herself to work
and plies her arms with vigor.
18 She ensures that her dealings are profitable;[d]
her lamp remains undimmed throughout the night.
19 She sets her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers grasp the spindle.[e]
20 She holds out her hands to the poor[f]
and opens her arms to the needy.
21 When snow arrives, she has no fear for her household,
for all of her servants are warmly clothed.
22 She makes her own bed quilts
and wears fine clothes of linen[g] and purple.
23 Her husband is well respected at the city gates
as he takes his seat with the elders of the land.
24 She weaves linen garments and sells them,
and she supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she can afford to laugh at the days to come.[h]
26 When she opens her mouth, wisdom issues forth,
and on her tongue is kindly advice.[i]
27 She keeps close watch on the conduct of her household,
and she does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children stand up and proclaim her blessed,[j]
and her husband joins them in praising her:
29 “Many are the women who have done admirable things,[k]
but you outdo them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive[l] and beauty is fleeting,
but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her a share in what her hands have accomplished,[m]
and let her works bring her praise at the city gates.
Prologue—Psalms 1–2[a]
Psalm 1[b]
True Happiness
1 Blessed[c] is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in the company of scoffers.
2 Rather, his delight is in the law of the Lord,[d]
and on that law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted near streams of water,
which bears fruit in its season,
and whose leaves never wither.[e]
In the same way,
everything he does will prosper.
4 This is not true of the wicked,
for they are like chaff that the wind blows away.[f]
5 Therefore, the wicked will not stand firm at the judgment,[g]
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over[h] the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
13 True Wisdom and Its Opposite.[a] Who among you is wise and understanding? Prove by your good life that your works are done with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if your hearts are filled with bitter envy and selfish ambition, do not be boastful in defiance of the truth.
15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disharmony and every type of wickedness.
17 However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, and considerate, full of mercy and good fruits, without any trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who are peacemakers.
Chapter 4
The Need To Control Passions.[b] 1 What is the source of these conflicts and quarrels among you? Are they not the result of your passions[c] that are at war within you? 2 You want something that you cannot have, so you commit murder. And you covet something but cannot obtain it, so you engage in quarrels and fights. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 When you ask, you do not get what you want because you do not ask for it with the proper motives, seeking rather to indulge your passions.
7 Hence, be subject to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you waverers.
30 Jesus Predicts His Passion a Second Time.[a] They proceeded from there and began to journey through Galilee, but Jesus did not want anyone to know about it 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man[b] will be handed over into the power of men. They will kill him, and three days after being killed he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
33 The Greatest in the Kingdom.[c] They came to Capernaum, and once they were in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about during the journey?” 34 But they remained silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest.
35 Then he sat down, summoned the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he must become the last of all and the servant of all.” 36 He then took a child, placed it in their midst, and put his arms around it as he said, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives not me but the one who sent me.”
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