Psalm 49; Jeremiah 4:11–22; John 10:1–10

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Psalm 49

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of fthe Sons of Korah.

gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

My mouth shall speak iwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

I will incline my ear to ja proverb;

I will solve my kriddle to the music of the lyre.

lWhy should I fear in mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

those who ntrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

Truly no man ocan ransom another,

or pgive to God qthe price of his life,

for rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

that he should live on forever

and snever see the pit.

10  For he sees tthat even the wise die;

uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and vleave their wealth to others.

11  Their wgraves are their homes forever,1

their dwelling places xto all generations,

though they ycalled lands by their own names.

12  Man in his pomp zwill not remain;

ahe is like the beasts that perish.

13  This is the path of those who have bfoolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts.2 Selah

14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright cshall rule over them in the morning.

dTheir form shall be consumed ein Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15  But God will fransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will greceive me. Selah

16  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17  hFor when he dies he will icarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18  For though, while he lives, he counts himself jblessed

and though you get praise when you do well for yourself

19  his soul will kgo to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again lsee light.

20  mMan in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.


Jeremiah 4:11–22

11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from sthe bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, 12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who tspeak in judgment upon them.

13  Behold, he comes up like clouds;

uhis chariots like the whirlwind;

his horses are vswifter than eagles

woe to us, wfor we are ruined!

14  O Jerusalem, xwash your heart from evil,

that you may be saved.

How long shall your wicked thoughts

lodge within you?

15  For a voice ydeclares from Dan

and proclaims trouble from zMount Ephraim.

16  Warn the nations that he is coming;

announce to Jerusalem,

Besiegers come afrom a distant land;

they shout against the cities of Judah.

17  Like keepers of a field bare they against her all around,

because she has rebelled against me,

declares the Lord.

18  Your ways and your deeds

have brought this upon you.

This is your doom, and cit is bitter;

it has reached your very heart.

Anguish over Judah’s Desolation

19  dMy anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!

Oh the walls of my heart!

My heart is beating wildly;

I cannot keep silent,

for I hear the sound of the trumpet,

the alarm of war.

20  eCrash follows hard on crash;

the whole land is laid waste.

fSuddenly my tents are laid waste,

my curtains in a moment.

21  How long must I see the standard

and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22  For gmy people are foolish;

they know me not;

they are stupid children;

they have no understanding.

hThey are wisein doing evil!

But how to do good they know not.


John 10:1–10

I Am the Good Shepherd

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. yA stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. This figure of speech Jesus zused with them, but they adid not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, bI am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, che will be saved and will go in and out and dfind pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and ekill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.