Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Chapter 24[a]
Renewing the Covenant. 1 Joshua then gathered all of the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel along with their leaders, their judges, and their officers, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all of the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in times of old, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.
14 Therefore, you must fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and fidelity. Put aside the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15 If it seems wrong to you to serve the Lord, then today you must choose whom you will serve, whether it be the gods that your fathers served on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites who dwell in the land. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
16 [a]The people said, “God forbid that we should abandon the Lord to serve other gods. 17 It was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the land of our bondage. He performed great wonders in our sight. He preserved us all along the journey that we made, and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 The Lord drove out all the people before us, even the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
15 Shun evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
16 [a]The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
17 The face of the Lord is turned against those who do evil,
to erase all memory of them from the earth.
18 [b]The righteous call out, and the Lord hears them;
he rescues them from all their troubles.
19 The Lord remains close to the brokenhearted,
and he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
20 [c]The misfortunes of the righteous man are many,
but the Lord delivers him,[d] from all of them.
21 He watches with care over all his bones;
not a single one will be broken.
22 [e]Evil will bring death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Christian Warfare[a]
10 Put On the Armor of God. Finally, find your strength in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the deceit of the devil. 12 For we are not struggling against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, the powers, and the cosmic rulers of this present darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens.
13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, so that you will be able to hold fast on the evil day and to hold your ground with all your strength. 14 Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness clothing you, 15 and with your feet shod in zeal to proclaim the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances, hold in your hand the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation as well as the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Be Vigilant in Prayer. In all of your prayers and entreaties, pray always in the Spirit. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that whenever I open my mouth, I may be given the proper words to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as is my duty.
56 “Whoever feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood
dwells in me and I dwell in him.
57 Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so whoever feeds upon me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate
and nevertheless died,
the one who feeds upon this bread
will live forever.”
59 The Holy One of God.[a] Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. 60 After hearing his words, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard saying. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware of the complaints of his disciples, Jesus said to them,
“Does this shock you?
62 What then if you were to behold the Son of Man
ascend to where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that gives life;
the flesh[b] can achieve nothing.
The words that I have spoken to you
are spirit and life.
64 But there are some among you
who do not believe.”
For from the very beginning Jesus knew who did not believe, and who would betray him. 65 He said,
“This is why I told you
that no one can come to me
unless it is granted to him by my Father.”
66 After this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer remained with him. 67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you also wish to leave?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
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