Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God’s omnipresence and omniscience.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

⁶ Now when Joshua had sent the people away, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. ⁷ And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah that he had wrought for Israel. ⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. ⁹ And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash. ¹⁰ And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which he had wrought for Israel.

¹¹ And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baalim; ¹² and they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples that were round about them, and bowed themselves down unto them: and they provoked Jehovah to anger. ¹³ And they forsook Jehovah, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. ¹⁴ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that despoiled them; and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵ Whithersoever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had spoken, and as Jehovah had sworn unto them: and they were sore distressed.

10 Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you: ² yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh ⁴ (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); ⁵ casting down ^[a]imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ⁶ and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full. ^7 [b]Ye look at the things that are before your face. If any man trusteth in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Christ’s, so also are we. ⁸ For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put to shame: ⁹ that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. ¹⁰ For, His letters, they say, are weighty and strong; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account. ¹¹ Let such a one reckon this, that, what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.