Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 128[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
128 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers,[c]
each one who keeps his commands.[d]
2 You[e] will eat what you worked so hard to grow.[f]
You will be blessed and secure.[g]
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine[h]
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children[i] will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way.[j]
5 May the Lord bless you[k] from Zion,
that you might see[l] Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life,
6 and that you might see[m] your grandchildren.[n]
May Israel experience peace.[o]
Rash Vows
5 (4:17)[a] Be careful what you do[b] when you go to the temple[c] of God;
draw near to listen[d] rather than to offer a sacrifice[e] like fools,[f]
for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
2 (5:1) Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God,
for God is in heaven and you are on earth!
Therefore, let your words be few.
3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares,[g]
so[h] the rash vow[i] of a fool occurs[j] when there are many words.
4 When you make a vow[k] to God, do not delay in paying it.[l]
For God[m] takes no pleasure in fools:
Pay what you vow!
5 It is better for you not to vow
than to vow and not pay it.[n]
6 Do not let your mouth cause you[o] to sin,
and do not tell the priest,[p] “It was a mistake!”[q]
Why make God angry at you[r]
so that he would destroy the work of your hands?
7 Just as there is futility in many dreams,
so also in many words.[s]
Therefore, fear God.
Government Corruption
8 If you see the extortion[t] of the poor,
or the perversion[u] of justice and fairness in the government,[v]
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official,[w]
and there are higher ones over them![x]
9 The produce of the land is seized[y] by all of them,
even the king is served[z] by the fields.[aa]
Covetousness
10 The one who loves money[ab] will never be satisfied with money,[ac]
he who loves wealth[ad] will never be satisfied[ae] with his[af] income.
This also is futile.
11 When someone’s[ag] prosperity[ah] increases, those who consume it also increase;
so what does its owner[ai] gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?[aj]
12 The sleep of the laborer is pleasant—whether he eats little or much—
but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Materialism Thwarts Enjoyment of Life
13 Here is[ak] a misfortune[al] on earth[am] that I have seen:
Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
14 Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;[an]
although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.[ao]
15 Just as he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked will he return as he came,
and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.
16 This is another misfortune:[ap]
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life,[aq]
and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.
Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor
18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:[ar]
to eat and drink,[as] and find enjoyment in all their[at] hard work[au] on earth[av]
during the few days of their life that God has given them,
for this is their reward.[aw]
19 To every man whom God has given wealth and possessions,
he has also given him the ability[ax]
to eat from them, to receive his reward, and to find enjoyment in his toil;
these things[ay] are the gift of God.
20 For he does not think[az] much about the fleeting[ba] days of his life
because God keeps him preoccupied[bb] with the joy he derives from his activity.[bc]
Where Jesus Came From and Where He is Going
21 Then Jesus[a] said to them again,[b] “I am going away, and you will look for me[c] but will die in your sin.[d] Where I am going you cannot come.” 22 So the Jewish leaders[e] began to say,[f] “Perhaps he is going to kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” 23 Jesus replied,[g] “You people[h] are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. 24 Thus I told you[i] that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he,[j] you will die in your sins.”
25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied,[k] “What I have told you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge[l] about you, but the Father[m] who sent me is truthful,[n] and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.”[o] 27 (They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.)[p]
28 Then Jesus said,[q] “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he,[r] and I do nothing on my own initiative,[s] but I speak just what the Father taught me.[t] 29 And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone,[u] because I always do those things that please him.” 30 While he was saying these things, many people[v] believed in him.
Abraham’s Children and the Devil’s Children
31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans[w] who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching,[x] you are really[y] my disciples 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”[z] 33 “We are descendants[aa] of Abraham,” they replied,[ab] “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say,[ac] ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[ad] everyone who practices[ae] sin is a slave[af] of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the family[ag] forever, but the son remains forever.[ah] 36 So if the son[ai] sets you free, you will be really free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants.[aj] But you want[ak] to kill me, because my teaching[al] makes no progress among you.[am] 38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the[an] Father;[ao] as for you,[ap] practice the things you have heard from the[aq] Father!”
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