Lectionary 18, Year C

Chapter 1

² “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

Chapter 1

¹² I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. ¹⁴ I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Chapter 2

¹⁸ I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun. ²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²² For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun? ²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

¹ Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, ² both low and high, rich and poor together. ³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart will utter understanding. ⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will solve my riddle on the harp. ⁵ Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me? ⁶ Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches— ⁷ none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him. ⁸ For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough, ⁹ that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption. ¹⁰ For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others. ¹¹ Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves. ¹² But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.

¹ If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory. ⁵ Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ For these things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. ⁷ You also once walked in those, when you lived in them; ⁸ but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth. ⁹ Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator, ¹¹ where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all, and in all.