Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
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 Return of the Eastern Tribes and Joshua’s Farewell
Chapter 22
Dismissal of the Tribes. 1 Joshua then summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh 2 and he said to them, “You have done all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you to do, and you have obeyed me in everything. 3 For a long time now, right up to this very day, you have not deserted your brothers. You have fulfilled the task that the Lord, your God, gave you. 4 Now that the Lord, your God, has given your brothers the rest that he had promised them, you can return to your homes in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you as a possession on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Take heed to follow the commandments and the laws that Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave you: to love the Lord, your God, and to walk in his ways and to observe his commandments, holding fast to him and serving him with all your heart and all your soul.”[a]
6 Joshua then blessed them and sent them away, and they returned to their homes.
7 (Moses had given Bashan to one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh, while Joshua gave the other half some land among their brothers on the western side of the Jordan.) When Joshua sent them to their homes, he blessed them 8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth: your numerous cattle as well as silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and your numerous garments. Divide the spoils from your enemies among your brethren.”[b]
9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one of the halves of the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, to travel to the land of Gilead, the land they were to possess. They were given possession of it by the word of the Lord through Moses.
Chapter 5
The Christian Life Is One Long Vigil.[a] 1 In regard to specific dates and times,[b] brethren, it is not necessary to write you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the Day of the Lord[c] will come like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” instant destruction[d] will overwhelm them, in the manner that labor pains suddenly come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no means of escape.
4 However, brethren, you do not live in darkness, and therefore that Day will not catch you unawares like a thief. 5 For all of you are children of the light[e] and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So we must not fall asleep as the others do, but we must stay alert and sober.
7 Those who sleep do so at night, and those who get drunk do so at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, arming ourselves with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salvation as our helmet.[f] 9 [g]For God has not destined us to suffer wrath, but to achieve salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore, encourage one another and strengthen one another, as indeed you are doing.
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