Psalm 40^[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

Psalm 54^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David. When the Ziphites^(A) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

²² Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way^(A) from you,’ while actually you live near^(B) us? ²³ You are now under a curse:^(C) You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

²⁴ They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told^(D) how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. ²⁵ We are now in your hands.^(E) Do to us whatever seems good and right^(F) to you.”

²⁶ So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. ²⁷ That day he made the Gibeonites^(G) woodcutters and water carriers^(H) for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose.^(I) And that is what they are to this day.

The Sun Stands Still

10 Now Adoni-Zedek^(J) king of Jerusalem^(K) heard that Joshua had taken Ai^(L) and totally destroyed^[a](M) it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon^(N) had made a treaty of peace^(O) with Israel and had become their allies. ² He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. ³ So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron,^(P) Piram king of Jarmuth,^(Q) Japhia king of Lachish^(R) and Debir^(S) king of Eglon.^{(T) 4} “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace^(U) with Joshua and the Israelites.”

⁵ Then the five kings^(V) of the Amorites^(W)—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

⁶ The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal:^(X) “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

⁷ So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army,^(Y) including all the best fighting men. ⁸ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid^(Z) of them; I have given them into your hand.^(AA) Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”^(AB)

⁹ After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. ¹⁰ The Lord threw them into confusion^(AC) before Israel,^(AD) so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon.^(AE) Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon^(AF) and cut them down all the way to Azekah^(AG) and Makkedah.^{(AH) 11} As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones^(AI) down on them,^(AJ) and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites^(AK) over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.^(AN)

The sun stopped^(AO) in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting^(AP) for Israel!

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.^(AQ)

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

¹⁴ I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness,^(A) filled with knowledge^(B) and competent to instruct one another. ¹⁵ Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me^{(C) 16} to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.^(D) He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,^(E) so that the Gentiles might become an offering^(F) acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus^(G) in my service to God.^{(H) 18} I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles^(I) to obey God^(J) by what I have said and done— ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders,^(K) through the power of the Spirit of God.^(L) So from Jerusalem^(M) all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.^{(N) 20} It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel^(O) where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.^{(P) 21} Rather, as it is written:

²² This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.^(R)

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²³ But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,^{(S) 24} I plan to do so when I go to Spain.^(T) I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist^(U) me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.^{(A) 2} So they bound him, led him away and handed him over^(B) to Pilate the governor.^(C)

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him,^(D) saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver^(E) to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”^(F)

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple^(G) and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.^(H)

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood^(I) to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:^(J) “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[a](K)