Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

I Love the Lord

¹⁵ Then she ^(A)let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said^[a] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ^18 (B)Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, ^(C)and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, ^(D)his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you ^(E)tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” ²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. ²³ Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and ^(F)passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly ^(G)the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land ^(H)melt away because of us.”

¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ^(A)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(B)by my works. ^19 (C)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(D)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (E)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(F)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(G)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(H)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(I)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also ^(J)Rahab the prostitute justified by works ^(K)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.