Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

² So I didn’t say anything.
    I didn’t even say anything good,
    but I became even more upset.
³ I was very angry,
    and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
    So I said something.

⁴ Lord, tell me, what will happen to me now?
    Tell me, how long will I live?
    Let me know how short my life really is.
⁵ You gave me only a short life.
    Compared to you, my whole life is nothing.
The life of every human is like a cloud that quickly disappears. Selah

⁶ Our life is like an image in a mirror.^[c]
    We rush through life collecting things,
    but we don’t know who will get them after we die.

⁷ So, Lord, what hope do I have?
    You are my hope!
⁸ Save me from the bad things I did.
    Don’t let me be treated like a fool.
⁹ I will not open my mouth.
    I will not say anything.
    You did what should have been done.
¹⁰ But please stop punishing me.
    You will destroy me if you do not stop.
¹¹ You punish people for doing wrong to teach them the right way to live.
    As a moth destroys cloth, you destroy what people love.
    Yes, our lives are like a small cloud that quickly disappears. Selah

¹² Lord, hear my prayer!
    Listen to the words I cry to you.
    Look at my tears.
I am only a traveler passing through this life with you.
    Like all my ancestors, I will live here only a short time.^[d]
13 Leave me alone^[e] and let me be happy
    before I am dead and gone.

¹² “But where can anyone find wisdom?
    Where can we get understanding?
¹³ People don’t know where wisdom is.
    It cannot be found by anyone on earth.
¹⁴ The deep ocean says, ‘It’s not here with me.’
    The sea says, ‘It’s not here with me.’
¹⁵ You cannot buy wisdom with even the purest gold.
    There’s not enough silver in the world to pay for it.
¹⁶ You cannot buy it with gold from Ophir
    or with precious onyx or sapphires.
¹⁷ Wisdom is worth more than gold or crystal.
    It cannot be bought with expensive jewels set in gold.
¹⁸ It is far more valuable than coral and jasper,
    more precious than rubies.
¹⁹ The topaz from Ethiopia cannot match its value,
    which is greater than the purest gold.

²⁰ “So where does wisdom come from?
    Where can we find understanding?
²¹ Wisdom is hidden from every living thing on earth.
    Even birds in the sky cannot see it.
²² Death and destruction^[a] say,
    ‘We have never seen wisdom;
    we have only heard rumors about it.’

²³ “Only God knows the way to wisdom.
    Only he knows where wisdom is.
²⁴ He can see to the very ends of the earth.
    He sees everything under the sky.
²⁵ God gave the wind its power.
    He decided how big to make the oceans.
²⁶ He decided where to send the rain
    and where the thunderstorms should go.
²⁷ He looked at wisdom and discussed it.
    He examined it and saw how much it is worth.
²⁸ Then he said to humans,
    ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom.
    To turn away from evil is understanding.’”

² “I wish my life could be the same as it was a few months ago,
    when God watched over me and cared for me.
³ God’s light shined above me,
    so I could walk through the darkness.
⁴ I wish for the days when I was successful,
    when I enjoyed God’s friendship and blessing in my home.
⁵ God All-Powerful was still with me then,
    and my children were all around me.
⁶ Life was so good that I washed my feet in cream
    and had plenty of the finest oils.^[b]

⁷ “Those were the days when I went to the city gate
    and sat in the public meeting of the elders.
⁸ When the young men saw me coming, they stepped out of my way.
    And the old men stood up to show they respected me.
⁹ The leaders of the people stopped talking
    and put their hands over their mouths.
¹⁰ Even the most important leaders were quiet,
    as if their tongues were stuck to the roof of their mouths.