Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.

Rahab Shelters Spies

2 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from ^(A)Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of ^(B)a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and rested there. ² But it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to spy out all the land.” ⁴ But the ^(C)woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ It came about, when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But ^(D)she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan, to the crossing places; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸ Now before ^[a]the spies lay down, she came up to them on the roof, ⁹ and said to the men, “^(E)I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the ^(F)terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of you. ^10 (G)For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the ^[b]Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^(H)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you ^[c]utterly destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard these reports, ^(I)our hearts melted and no ^[d]courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for the ^(J)Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a ^(K)pledge of ^[e]truth, ¹³ and ^[f]spare my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our ^[g]lives from death.” ¹⁴ So the men said to her, “Our ^[h]life ^[i]for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will ^(L)deal kindly and ^[j]faithfully with you.”

¹⁷ By faith ^(A)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had ^(B)received the promises was offering up his ^[a]only son; ¹⁸ it was he to whom it was said, “^(C)Through Isaac your ^[b]descendants shall be named.” ^19 [c]He considered that ^(D)God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back ^[d]as a ^[e](E)type. ²⁰ By faith ^(F)Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. ²¹ By faith ^(G)Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and ^(H)worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. ²² By faith ^(I)Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.