⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you^(A) in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.^{(B) 8} Tell the priests^(C) who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God^(D) is among you^(E) and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites,^(F) Hivites, Perizzites,^(G) Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.^{(H) 11} See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth^(I) will go into the Jordan ahead of you.^{(J) 12} Now then, choose twelve men^(K) from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth^(L)—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream^(M) will be cut off^(N) and stand up in a heap.^(O)”

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant^(P) went ahead^(Q) of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan^(R) is at flood stage^(S) all during harvest.^(T) Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing.^(U) It piled up in a heap^(V) a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,^(W) while the water flowing down^(X) to the Sea of the Arabah^(Y) (that is, the Dead Sea^(Z)) was completely cut off.^(AA) So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.^{(AB) 17} The priests^(AC) who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,^(AD) while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.^(AE)

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

⁵ This is what the Lord says:

Psalm 43^[a]

⁹ Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(A) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(B) while we preached the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰ You are witnesses,^(C) and so is God,^(D) of how holy,^(E) righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ¹¹ For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,^{(F) 12} encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy^(G) of God, who calls^(H) you into his kingdom and glory.

¹³ And we also thank God continually^(I) because, when you received the word of God,^(J) which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

A Warning Against Hypocrisy^(A)(B)

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law^(C) and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.^(D)

⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see:^(E) They make their phylacteries^[a](F) wide and the tassels on their garments^(G) long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;^{(H) 7} they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.^(I)

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,^(J) and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant.^{(K) 12} For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.^(L)