Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁰ I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years.

¹¹ I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

¹² My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he out me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

¹³ I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

¹⁴ I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me.

¹⁵ What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶ O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live.

¹⁷ Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

¹⁸ For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth.

¹⁹ The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make thy truth known to the children.

²⁰ O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

8 And the Lord said to Josue: Fear not, nor be thou dismayed: take with thee all the multitude of fighting men, arise and go up to the town of Hai. Behold I have delivered into thy hand the king thereof, and the people, and the city, and the land.

² And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils and all the cattle you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush for the city behind it.

³ And Josue arose, and all the army of the fighting men with him, to go up against Hai: and he sent thirty thousand chosen valiant men in the night,

⁴ And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go not very far from it: and be ye all ready.

⁵ But I and the rest of the multitude which is with me; will approach on the contrary side against the city. And when they shall come out against us, we will flee, and turn our backs, as we did before:

⁶ Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will think that we flee as before.

⁷ And whilst we are fleeing, and they pursuing, you shall arise out of the ambush, and shall destroy the city: and the Lord your God will deliver it into our hands.

⁸ And when you shall have taken it, set it on fire, and you shall do all things so as I have commanded.

⁹ And he sent them away, and they went on to the place of the ambush, and abode between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the city of Hai. But Josue stayed that night in the midst of the people,

¹⁰ And rising early in the morning, he mustered his soldiers, and went up with the ancients in the front of the army environed with the aid of the fighting men.

¹¹ And when they were come, and were gone up over against the city, they stood on the north side of the city, between which and them there was a valley in the midst.

¹² And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city:

¹³ But all the rest of the army went in battle array on the north side, so that the last of that multitude reached to the west side of the city. So Josue went that night, and stood in the midst of the valley.

¹⁴ And when the king of Hai saw this, he made haste in the morning, and went out with all the army of the city, and set it in battle array toward the desert, not knowing that there lay an ambush behind his back.

¹⁵ But Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness.

¹⁶ But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city,

¹⁷ And not one remained in the city of Hai and of Bethel, that did not pursue after Israel, leaving the towns open as they had rushed out,

¹⁸ The Lord said to Josue: Lift up the shield that is in thy hand, towards the city of Hai, for I will deliver it to thee.

¹⁹ And when he had lifted up his shield towards the city, the ambush that lay hid, rose up immediately: and going to the city, took it and set it on fire.

²⁰ And the men of the city, that pursued after Josue, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly against them that pursued.

²¹ So Josue and all Israel seeing that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city rose up, returned and slew the men of Hai.

²² And they also that had taken and set the city on fire, issuing out of the city to meet their own men, began to cut off the enemies who were surrounded by them. So that the enemies being cut off on both sides, not one of so great a multitude was saved.

²³ And they took the king of the city of Hai alive, and brought him to Josue.

³ For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.

⁴ For you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin:

⁵ And you have forgotten the consolation, which speaketh to you, as unto children, saying: My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him.

⁶ For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

⁷ Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct?

⁸ But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are made partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.

⁹ Moreover we have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we reverenced them: shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰ And they indeed for a few days, according to their own pleasure, instructed us: but he, for our profit, that we might receive his sanctification.

¹¹ Now all chastisement for the present indeed seemeth not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards it will yield, to them that are exercised by it, the most peaceable fruit of justice.

¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

¹³ And make straight steps with your feet: that no one, halting, may go out of the way; but rather be healed.