Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Futility of Life.
For the music director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)keep watch over my ways
So that I (B)do not sin with my tongue;
I will keep watch over (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refused to say even something good,
And my pain was stirred up.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, let me know (F)my end,
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 Behold, You have made (H)my days like [d]hand widths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Certainly all mankind standing is [e]a mere (J)breath. Selah
6 Certainly every person (K)walks around as [f]a fleeting shadow;
They certainly make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 (O)Save me from all my wrongdoings;
Do not make me an object of (P)reproach for the foolish.
9 I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 (S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [g]perishing.
11 With (U)rebukes You punish a person for wrongdoing;
You (V)consume like a moth what is precious to him;
Certainly (W)all mankind is mere breath! Selah
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12 “But (A)where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 (B)Mankind does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14 The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 (C)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
17 (D)Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold.
18 Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of (E)wisdom is more valuable than pearls.
19 The topaz of [a]Cush cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in (F)pure gold.
20 (G)Where then does wisdom come from?
And where is this place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature,
And concealed from the birds of the sky.
22 [b](H)Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
23 “(I)God understands its way,
And He knows its place.
24 For He (J)looks to the ends of the earth;
He sees everything under the heavens.
25 When He imparted (K)weight to the wind,
And (L)assessed the waters by measure,
26 When He made a (M)limit for the rain,
And a course for the (N)thunderbolt,
27 Then He saw it and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
28 And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the (O)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
Job’s Past Was Glorious
29 Job again took up his (P)discourse and said,
2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God (Q)watched over me;
3 When (R)His lamp shone over my head,
And (S)by His light I walked through darkness;
4 Just as I was in the days of my youth,
When the (T)protection of God was over my tent;
5 When [c]the Almighty was still with me,
And my children were around me;
6 When my steps were bathed in (U)cream,
And the (V)rock poured out streams of oil for me!
7 When I went out to (W)the gate of the city,
When I [d]took my seat in the public square,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the old men arose and stood.
9 The leaders (X)stopped talking
And (Y)put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voices of the prominent people were [e](Z)hushed,
And their (AA)tongues stuck to their palates.
The Seventh Seal: Trumpets
8 When the Lamb broke the (A)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw (B)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven (C)trumpets were given to them.
3 (D)Another angel came and stood at the (E)altar, holding a (F)golden censer; and much (G)incense was given to him, so that he might [a]add it to the (H)prayers of all the [b]saints on the (I)golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And (J)the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel’s hand with the prayers of the [c]saints before God. 5 Then the angel [d]took the [e]censer and (K)filled it with the fire of the altar, and (L)hurled it to the earth; and there were (M)peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an (N)earthquake.
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