Israel Crosses the Jordan

Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out (A)from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. (B)At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by (C)the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. (D)Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits[a] in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Then Joshua said to the people, (E)“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” And Joshua said to the priests, (F)“Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to (G)exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, (H)as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command (I)the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, (J)you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that (K)the living God is among you and that he will without fail (L)drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of (M)the Lord of all the earth[b] (N)is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore (O)take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, (P)from each tribe a man. 13 And (Q)when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, (R)the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall (S)stand in one heap.”

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing (T)the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and (U)the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now (V)the Jordan overflows all its banks (W)throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside (X)Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of (Y)the Arabah, (Z)the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, (AA)and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan

When all the nation had finished passing (AB)over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, (AC)“Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take (AD)twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place (AE)where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in (AF)the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. (AG)When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that (AH)the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel (AI)a memorial forever.”

And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down[c] there. And Joshua set up[d] twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, (AJ)in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.

The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh (AK)passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the Lord (AL)exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing (AM)the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, (AN)as before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at (AO)Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And (AP)those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, (AQ)“When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, (AR)‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, (AS)which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 (AT)so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is (AU)mighty, that you may (AV)fear the Lord your God forever.”[e]

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 3:4 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. Joshua 3:11 Hebrew the ark of the covenant, the Lord of all the earth
  3. Joshua 4:8 Or to rest
  4. Joshua 4:9 Or Joshua had set up
  5. Joshua 4:24 Or all the days

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed (A)how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, (B)so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For (C)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Parable of the Great Banquet

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give (D)a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers[a] or your relatives or rich neighbors, (E)lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, (F)invite (G)the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid (H)at (I)the resurrection of the just.”

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, (J)“Blessed is everyone who will (K)eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, (L)“A man once (M)gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he (N)sent his servant[b] to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, (O)‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in (P)the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,[c] (Q)none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 (R)“If anyone comes to me and (S)does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, (T)yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 (U)Whoever does not (V)bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not (W)first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not (X)sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 (Y)So therefore, any one of you who (Z)does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 (AA)“Salt is good, (AB)but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. (AC)He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 14:12 Or your brothers and sisters
  2. Luke 14:17 Or bondservant; also verses 21 (twice), 22, 23
  3. Luke 14:24 The Greek word for you here is plural

Restore Us, O God

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. A Testimony. Of (B)Asaph, a Psalm.

80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead (C)Joseph like (D)a flock.
You who are (E)enthroned upon the cherubim, (F)shine forth.
    Before (G)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
(H)stir up your might
    and (I)come to save us!

(J)Restore us,[a] O God;
    (K)let your face shine, that we may be saved!

O (L)Lord God of hosts,
    (M)how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with (N)the bread of tears
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
(O)You make us an object of contention for our (P)neighbors,
    and our enemies laugh among themselves.

(Q)Restore us, O God of hosts;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved!

You brought (R)a vine out of Egypt;
    you (S)drove out the nations and planted it.
You (T)cleared the ground for it;
    it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to (U)the sea
    and its shoots to (V)the River.[b]
12 Why then have you (W)broken down its walls,
    so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 (X)The boar from the forest ravages it,
    and all that move in the field feed on it.

14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
    (Y)Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15     the stock that your right hand planted,
    and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have (Z)burned it with fire; they have (AA)cut it down;
    may they perish at (AB)the rebuke of your face!
17 But (AC)let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
    the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
    (AD)give us life, and we will call upon your name!

19 (AE)Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 80:3 Or Turn us again; also verses 7, 19
  2. Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates

27 (A)Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.[a]
28 (B)In the path of righteousness is life,
    and in its pathway there is no death.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Or but diligence is precious wealth

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