Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A song for going up to worship.
128 Blessed are all who fear the Lord
and live his way.
2 You will certainly eat what your own hands have provided.
Blessings to you!
May things go well for you!
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine inside your home.
Your children will be like young olive trees around your table.
4 This is how the Lord will bless the person who fears him.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion
so that you may see Jerusalem prospering
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children.
Let there be peace in Israel!
All about Life
27 Do not brag about tomorrow,
because you do not know what another day may bring.
2 Praise should come from another person
and not from your own mouth,
from a stranger and not from your own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and sand weighs a lot,
but annoyance caused by a stubborn fool is heavier than both.
4 Anger is cruel, and fury is overwhelming,
but who can survive jealousy?
5 Open criticism is better than unexpressed love.
6 Wounds made by a friend are intended to help,
but an enemy’s kisses are too much to bear.
7 One who is full despises honey,
but to one who is hungry,
even bitter food tastes sweet.
8 Like a bird wandering from its nest,
so is a husband wandering from his home.
9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the sweetness of a friend is a fragrant forest.[a]
10 Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend.
Do not go to a relative’s home when you are in trouble.
A neighbor living nearby is better than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad
so that I can answer anyone who criticizes me.
12 Sensible people foresee trouble and hide.
Gullible people go ahead ⌞and⌟ suffer.
13 Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
and hold responsible the person
who makes a loan in behalf of a foreigner.
14 Whoever blesses his friend early in the morning with a loud voice—
his blessing is considered a curse.
15 Constantly dripping water on a rainy day is like a quarreling woman.
16 Whoever can control her can control the wind.
He can even pick up olive oil with his right hand.
17 ⌞As⌟ iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens the wits of another.
18 Whoever takes care of a fig tree can eat its fruit,
and whoever protects his master is honored.
19 As a face is reflected in water,
so a person is reflected by his heart.
20 Hell and decay are never satisfied,
and a person’s eyes are never satisfied.
21 The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
but a person ⌞is tested⌟ by the praise given to him.
22 If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain,
⌞even then⌟ his stupidity will not leave him.
23 Be fully aware of the condition of your flock,
and pay close attention to your herds.
24 Wealth is not forever.
Nor does a crown last from one generation to the next.
25 ⌞When⌟ grass is cut short, the tender growth appears,
and vegetables are gathered on the hills.
26 Lambs ⌞will provide⌟ you with clothing,
and the money from the male goats will buy a field.
27 There will be enough goat milk to feed you,
to feed your family,
and to keep your servant girls alive.
8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters. 9 Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence. Then he will give you a high position.
Stop Slandering Each Other
11 Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God’s laws. If you judge God’s teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them. 12 There is only one who creates laws and judges on the basis of them. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor?
Don’t Brag about Your Plans for the Future
13 Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” 14 You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.” 16 However, you brag because you’re arrogant. All such bragging is evil.
17 Whoever knows what is right but doesn’t do it is sinning.
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