Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Ascents
The Blessings of Fearing God
128 How blessed[a] are all who fear the Lord
as they follow in his ways.
2 You will eat from the work of your hands;
you will be happy, and it will go well for you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children[b] like olive shoots surrounding your table.
4 See how the man will be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
and may you observe the prosperity of Jerusalem
every day that you live!
6 And may you see your children’s children!
Peace be on Israel!
General Counsel
27 Never brag about the day to come,
because you don’t know what it[a] might bring.
2 Let someone else praise you,
not your own mouth;
a stranger, and never your own lips.
3 Rocks are heavy,
and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation outweighs them both.
4 Wrath can be fierce and anger overwhelms
but who can stand up to jealousy?
5 An open rebuke is better
than unspoken love.
6 Wounds from someone who loves are trustworthy,
but kisses from an enemy speak volumes.[b]
7 The person[c] who is full spurns honey,
but to a hungry person even the bitter seems sweet.
8 Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who wanders away from his home.[d]
9 Ointments and perfume encourage the heart;
in a similar way, a friend’s advice is sweet to the soul.[e]
10 Never abandon your friend nor your father’s friend,
and don’t go to your brother’s house in times of trouble.
A neighbor who is near is better
than a brother who lives far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make me happy,
so I can reply to anyone who insults me.
12 Those who are prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the naïve continue on and suffer the consequences.
13 Take the coat of anyone who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if he cosigns for an immoral woman.
14 A friend’s loud blessing early in the morning
will be thought of as a curse.
15 A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike.
16 Trying to keep her in check is like stopping a wind storm
or grabbing oil with your right hand.
17 Iron sharpens iron;
so a man sharpens a friend’s character.[f]
18 Whoever nurtures the fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever obeys[g] his master will be honored.
19 Just as water reflects the face,
so the heart reflects the person.
21 As the crucible tests[j] silver,
and the furnace assays[k] gold;
so praise received tests[l] a man.
22 Though you crush a fool in a mortar and pestle
as someone might crush grain,
his stupidity still won’t leave him.
23 Keep well informed of the condition of your flocks
and pay attention to your herds,
24 because riches don’t endure forever,
and crowns don’t last from one generation to the next.
25 When the grass disappears,
and new growth appears,
the mountain spices will be harvested,
26 the lambs will supply your clothing,
and your goats the price of a field.
27 You will have enough goat’s milk to drink
and to supply your household needs,
as well as sustenance for your servant girls.
8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence, and he will exalt you.
Do Not Criticize Each Other
11 Do not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge—the one who can save and destroy. So who are you to judge your neighbor?
Do Not Boast about Future Plans
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” 14 You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live—and do this or that.” 16 But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.
17 Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin.
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