Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 I was the one who said, “I must go in the quiet of my days;
I am summoned through the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I shall not see Yah! Yah in the land of the living!
I shall no more look at humankind among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling place is pulled up and removed from me like the tent of my shepherd;
I have rolled up my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the thrum;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
13 I lie down[a] until morning;
like a lion, so he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
14 Like a horse or a crane, so I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weak toward the height.
Lord, I have oppression; lend me support!
15 What can I say? For[b] he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I will walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, they live by them, and the life of my spirit belongs to all among them.
And restore me to health and keep me alive!
17 Look! Bitterness was bitter to me for peace.
And you were the one who loved[c] my life from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
18 For Sheol cannot praise you; death cannot praise you.
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living one praises you like me today;
a father will make your faithfulness known to children.
20 Yahweh, save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the temple[d] of Yahweh.”
The Battle of Jericho
6 Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the presence of the Israelites;[a] no one was going out or coming in. 2 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Look, I am giving Jericho into your hand, its king and the soldiers of the army. 3 You will march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once; you will do so for six days. 4 And seven priests will bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow on the trumpets. 5 And when they blow long on the horn of the ram, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people will shout with a great war cry, and the wall of the city will fall flat,[b] and the people will charge, each one straight ahead.”[c] 6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry the trumpets of the rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh.” 7 And he said[d] to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and let the armed men pass before the ark of Yahweh.
8 And when Joshua spoke[e] to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the presence of Yahweh went forward and they blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed behind them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they were blowing the trumpets. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You will not shout, and you will not let your voice be heard; a word will not go out from your mouth until the day I say to you ‘Shout!’ Then you will shout.” 11 And the ark of Yahweh went around the city, circling once,[f] and they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. 12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of the rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh went on continually, and they blew on the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of Yahweh, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And they marched around the city once on the second day, and they returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at dawn, and they marched around the city in this manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time the priests blew on the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it will be devoted to Yahweh; only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in the house will live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 As for you, keep away from the things[g] devoted to destruction so that you do not take them and bring about your own destruction, making the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble upon it. 19 But all of the silver and gold, and the items of bronze and iron, are holy to Yahweh, and they must go to Yahweh’s treasury.” 20 So the people shouted, and they[h] blew on the trumpets. And when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell flat. The people charged, each one straight ahead into the city,[i] and they captured it. 21 And they utterly destroyed by the edge of the sword[j] all who were in the city, both men and women, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey.
29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, when they made the attempt[a], were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they[b] had been marched around for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she[c] welcomed the spies in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, 34 extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 And others experienced mocking and flogging[d], and in addition bonds and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, 38 of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 And although they[e] all were approved[f] through their faith, they did not receive what was promised, 40 because[g] God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.
The Example of Jesus’ Suffering
12 Therefore, since[h] we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, putting aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us[i], let us run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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