Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
15 Yahweh’s eyes are on righteous people.
His ears hear their cry for help.
16 Yahweh confronts those who do evil
in order to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
17 Righteous people cry out.
Yahweh hears and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 Yahweh is near to those whose hearts are humble.
He saves those whose spirits are crushed.
19 The righteous person has many troubles,
but Yahweh rescues him from all of them.
20 Yahweh guards all of his bones.
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil will kill wicked people,
and those who hate righteous people will be condemned.
22 Yahweh protects the souls of his servants.
All who take refuge in him will never be condemned.
10 Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan that was still in Canaan. They built an altar by the Jordan River. The altar was very large and highly visible. 11 The rest of the Israelites heard about it and said, “See there! Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the border of Canaan. It’s in the region near the Jordan River on Israel’s side.” 12 When the people of Israel heard about it, the whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh. They intended to wage war against them.
13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. 14 Ten leaders, one from each tribe in Israel, went with him. Each man was a leader of a household and head of a family division in Israel. 15 When they arrived these leaders said to the people of Gilead, 16 “All of Yahweh’s congregation is asking, ‘What is this faithless act you have committed against the Elohim of Israel?’ Today you have turned away from following Yahweh by building an altar for yourselves. Today you have rebelled against Yahweh! 17 Does the sin we committed at Peor mean nothing to us anymore? Didn’t we cleanse ourselves from it? Because of that sin there was a plague on Yahweh’s congregation! 18 You have turned away from following Yahweh! Today you rebel against Yahweh, and tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 If your land is unclean,[a] come over here to Yahweh’s land. Yahweh’s tent is standing here. Take some property for yourselves among us. Don’t rebel against Yahweh or against us by building an altar for yourselves in addition to the altar of Yahweh our Elohim. 20 Didn’t Achan, son of Zerah, act faithlessly with the things claimed by the Lord? Didn’t the Lord become angry with the whole congregation of Israel? Achan wasn’t the only one who died because of his sin.”
11 You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. 13 We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. 14 Instead, live like the Lord Yeshua Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your corrupt nature.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.