Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 I said, “I’m enjoying the best years of my life.
Must I now go through the gates of death?
Will the rest of my years be taken away from me?”
11 I said, “Lord, I’ll never see you again
while I’m still alive.
I’ll never see people anymore.
I’ll never again be with those who live in this world.
12 My body is like a shepherd’s tent.
It has been pulled down and carried off.
My life is like a piece of cloth that I’ve rolled up.
You have cut it off from the loom.
In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.
13 I waited patiently until sunrise.
But like a lion you broke all my bones.
In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.
14 I cried softly like a weak little bird.
I sounded like a dove as I mourned.
My eyes grew tired as I looked up toward heaven.
Lord, my life is in danger. Please come and help me!
15 “But what can I say?
You have promised to heal me.
And you yourself have done it.
Once I was proud and bitter.
But now I will live the rest of my life free of pride.
16 Lord, people find the will to live because you keep your promises.
And my spirit also finds life in your promises.
You brought me back to health.
You let me live.
17 I’m sure it was for my benefit
that I suffered such great pain.
You love me. You kept me
from going down into the pit of death.
You have put all my sins
behind your back.
18 People in the grave can’t praise you.
Dead people can’t sing praise to you.
Those who go down to the grave
can’t hope for you to be faithful to them.
19 It is those who are alive who praise you.
And that’s what I’m doing today.
Parents tell their children
about how faithful you are.
20 “The Lord will save me.
So we will sing and play music on stringed instruments.
We will sing all the days of our lives
in the Lord’s temple.”
Israel Destroys Ai
8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. Go up and attack Ai. Take the whole army with you. I have handed the king of Ai over to you. I have given you his people, his city and his land. 2 Remember what you did to Jericho and its king. You will do the same thing to Ai and its king. But this time you can keep for yourselves the livestock and everything else you take from them. Have some of your fighting men hide behind the city and take them by surprise.”
3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best fighting men. He sent them out at night. 4 He gave them orders. He said, “Listen carefully to what I’m saying. You must hide behind the city. Don’t go very far away from it. All of you must be ready to attack it. 5 I and all those with me will march up to the city. The men of Ai will come out to fight against us, just as they did before. Then we’ll run away from them. 6 They’ll chase us until we’ve drawn them away from the city. They’ll say, ‘They are running away from us, just as they did before.’ When we run away from them, 7 come out of your hiding place. Capture the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8 When you have taken it, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. Make sure you obey my orders.”
9 Then Joshua sent them away. They went to the place where they had planned to hide. They hid in a place west of Ai. It was between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua spent that night with his troops.
10 Early the next morning Joshua brought together his army. He and the leaders of Israel marched in front of them to Ai. 11 The whole army that was with him marched up to the city. They stopped in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai. There was a valley between them and the city. 12 Joshua had chosen about 5,000 soldiers. He had ordered them to hide in a place west of Ai. It was between Bethel and Ai. 13 The men took up their battle positions. All the men in the camp north of the city took up their positions. So did those who were supposed to hide west of the city. That night Joshua went into the valley.
14 The king of Ai saw what the troops with Joshua were doing. So the king and all his men hurried out of the city early in the morning. They marched out to meet Israel in battle. They went to a place that looked out over the Arabah Valley. The king didn’t know that some of Israel’s fighting men were hiding behind the city. 15 Joshua and all his men let the men of Ai drive them back. The Israelites ran away toward the desert. 16 All the men of Ai were called out to chase them. They chased Joshua. So they were drawn away from the city. 17 Not even one man remained in Ai or Bethel. All of them went out to chase Israel. When they did, they left the city wide open.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand. I will give the city to you.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin in his hand. 19 As soon as he did, the men hiding behind the city got up quickly. They came out of their hiding places and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it. They quickly set it on fire.
20 The men of Ai looked back. They saw smoke rising up from the city into the sky. But they couldn’t escape in any direction. The Israelites had been running away toward the desert. But now they turned around to face those chasing them. 21 Joshua and all his men saw that the men who had been hiding behind the city had captured it. They also saw that smoke was going up from it. So they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. 22 The men who had set Ai on fire came out of the city. They also fought against the men of Ai. So the men of Ai were caught in the middle. The army of Israel was on both sides of them. Israel struck them down. They didn’t let anyone remain alive or get away. 23 But they captured the king of Ai alive. They brought him to Joshua.
3 He made it through these attacks by sinners. So think about him. Then you won’t get tired. You won’t lose hope.
God Trains His Children
4 You struggle against sin. But you have not yet fought to the point of spilling your blood. 5 Have you completely forgotten this word of hope? It speaks to you as a father to his children. It says,
“My son, think of the Lord’s training as important.
Do not lose hope when he corrects you.
6 The Lord trains the one he loves.
He corrects everyone he accepts as his son.” (Proverbs 3:11,12)
7 Put up with hard times. God uses them to train you. He is treating you as his children. What children are not trained by their parents? 8 God trains all his children. But what if he doesn’t train you? Then you are not really his children. You are not God’s true sons and daughters at all. 9 Besides, we have all had human fathers who trained us. We respected them for it. How much more should we be trained by the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our parents trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He does this so we may share in his holiness. 11 No training seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it seems painful. But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace. It does this for those who have been trained by it.
12 So put your hands to work. Strengthen your legs for the journey. 13 “Make level paths for your feet to walk on.” (Proverbs 4:26) Then those who have trouble walking won’t be disabled. Instead, they will be healed.
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