Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Eternal Reign of the Lord

Joshua the New Leader of Israel^(A)

31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them: “I ^(B)am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer ^(C)go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ^(D)‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ ³ The Lord your God ^(E)Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. ^(F)Joshua himself crosses over before you, just ^(G)as the Lord has said. ^4 (H)And the Lord will do to them ^(I)as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. ^5 (J)The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. ^6 (K)Be strong and of good courage, ^(L)do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, ^(M)He is the One who goes with you. ^(N)He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

⁷ Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ^(O)“Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. ⁸ And the Lord, ^(P)He is the One who goes before you. ^(Q)He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years

⁹ So Moses wrote this law ^(R)and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, ^(S)who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. ¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the ^(T)year of release, ^(U)at the Feast of Tabernacles, ¹¹ when all Israel comes to ^(V)appear before the Lord your God in the ^(W)place which He chooses, ^(X)you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ^12 (Y)Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, ¹³ and that their children, ^(Z)who have not known it, ^(AA)may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶ “A ^(A)little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, ^(B)because I go to the Father.”

¹⁷ Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not ^[a]know what He is saying.”

¹⁹ Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰ Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and ^(C)lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into ^(D)joy. ^21 (E)A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and ^(F)your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

²³ “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. ^(G)Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. ²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, ^(H)that your joy may be ^(I)full.