Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK 1
The Way of the Righteous and Wicked
1 How blessed is the man who (A)does not walk in the (B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the (C)way of sinners,
Nor (D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his (E)delight is (F)in the law of [a]Yahweh,
And in His law he meditates (G)day and (H)night.
3 And he will be like (I)a tree firmly planted by [b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its [c]leaf does not wither;
And [d]in whatever he does, (J)he prospers.
All Is Vanity
1 The words of the [a](A)Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
3 (C)What advantage does man have in all his labor
In which he labors under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the (D)earth stands forever.
5 Also, (E)the sun rises and the sun sets;
And [e]hastening to its place it rises there again.
6 (F)Going toward the south,
Then [f]circling toward the north,
The wind goes [g]circling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7 All the rivers go into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers go,
There they [h]continually go.
8 All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to speak of it.
(G)The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9 (H)That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one might say,
“See this, it is new”?
Already it has been for ages
Which were before us.
11 There is (I)no remembrance of [i]earlier things;
And also of the [j]later things which will be,
There will be for them no remembrance
Among those who will come [k]later still.
The Vanity of Wisdom
12 I, the (J)Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (K)gave my heart to seek and (L)explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is [l]a grievous (M)endeavor which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is [m](N)vanity and striving after wind. 15 What is (O)bent cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I spoke within my heart, saying, “Behold, I have magnified and increased (P)wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my heart has seen an abundance of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I (Q)gave my heart to know wisdom and to (R)know madness and simpleminded folly; I came to know that this also is (S)striving after wind. 18 Because (T)in much wisdom there is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain.
29 “(A)Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you bear witness against yourselves, that you (B)are [a]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, (C)you brood of vipers, how [b]will you escape the [c]sentence of [d](D)hell?
34 “(E)On account of this, behold, (F)I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will (G)flog in your synagogues, and (H)persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous (I)Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the (J)son of Berechiah, whom (K)you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon (L)this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 “(M)Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who (N)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, (O)the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it. 38 Behold, (P)your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘(Q)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the [e]Lord!’”
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