Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,(A) the Lord said to Joshua(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River(C) into the land(D) I am about to give to them(E)—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot,(F) as I promised Moses.(G) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,(H) and from the great river, the Euphrates(I)—all the Hittite(J) country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.(K) No one will be able to stand against you(L) all the days of your life. As I was with(M) Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake(N) you. Be strong(O) and courageous,(P) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors(Q) to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey(R) all the law(S) my servant Moses(T) gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,(U) that you may be successful wherever you go.(V) Keep this Book of the Law(W) always on your lips;(X) meditate(Y) on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.(Z) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;(AA) do not be discouraged,(AB) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”(AC)

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Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot(A) in vain?
The kings(B) of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed,(C) saying,
“Let us break their chains(D)
    and throw off their shackles.”(E)

The One enthroned(F) in heaven laughs;(G)
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger(H)
    and terrifies them in his wrath,(I) saying,
“I have installed my king(J)
    on Zion,(K) my holy mountain.(L)

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(M)
    today I have become your father.(N)
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations(O) your inheritance,(P)
    the ends of the earth(Q) your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron[b];(R)
    you will dash them to pieces(S) like pottery.(T)

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;(U)
    be warned, you rulers(V) of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear(W)
    and celebrate his rule(X) with trembling.(Y)
12 Kiss his son,(Z) or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath(AA) can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed(AB) are all who take refuge(AC) in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage
  2. Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The Lord says(A) to my lord:[a]

“Sit at my right hand(B)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”(C)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter(D) from Zion,(E) saying,
    “Rule(F) in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,(G)
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[b](H)

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:(I)
“You are a priest forever,(J)
    in the order of Melchizedek.(K)

The Lord is at your right hand[c];(L)
    he will crush kings(M) on the day of his wrath.(N)
He will judge the nations,(O) heaping up the dead(P)
    and crushing the rulers(Q) of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,[d]
    and so he will lift his head high.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
  2. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  3. Psalm 110:5 Or My lord is at your right hand, Lord
  4. Psalm 110:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,(A) Barak,(B) Samson(C) and Jephthah,(D) about David(E) and Samuel(F) and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,(G) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,(H) 34 quenched the fury of the flames,(I) and escaped the edge of the sword;(J) whose weakness was turned to strength;(K) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.(L) 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again.(M) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging,(N) and even chains and imprisonment.(O) 37 They were put to death by stoning;[a](P) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.(Q) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,(R) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves(S) and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended(T) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,(U) 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us(V) would they be made perfect.(W)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run(X) with perseverance(Y) the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,(Z) the pioneer(AA) and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,(AB) scorning its shame,(AC) and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 11:37 Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am(A) the true vine,(B) and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,(C) while every branch that does bear fruit(D) he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.(E) Remain in me, as I also remain in you.(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;(G) apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.(H) If you remain in me(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(J) This is to my Father’s glory,(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.(L)

“As the Father has loved me,(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands,(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.(O) 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.(P) 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.(Q) 14 You are my friends(R) if you do what I command.(S) 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.(T) 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you(U) so that you might go and bear fruit(V)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.(W)

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Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans.

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