Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 “I thought,[a]
‘In the middle of my life[b] I must walk through the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived[c] of the rest of my years.’
11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord[d] in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world.[e]
12 My dwelling place[f] is removed and taken away[g] from me
as a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth;[h]
from the loom he cuts me off.[i]
You turn day into night and end my life.[j]
13 I cry out[k] until morning;
like a lion he shatters all my bones;
you turn day into night and end my life.[l]
14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo[m] like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky.[n]
O Lord,[o] I am oppressed;
help me![p]
15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted.[q]
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.[r]
16 O Lord, your decrees can give men life;
may years of life be restored to me.[s]
Restore my health[t] and preserve my life.’
17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit.[u]
You delivered me[v] from the Pit of oblivion.[w]
For you removed all my sins from your sight.[x]
18 Indeed[y] Sheol does not give you thanks;
death does not[z] praise you.
Those who descend into the Pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,
as I do today.
A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord is about to deliver me,[aa]
and we will celebrate with music[ab]
for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.”[ac]
6 Now Jericho was shut tightly[a] because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter.[b] 2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you,[c] along with its king and its warriors. 3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time;[d] do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns[e] in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn,[f] have the whole army give a loud battle cry.[g] Then the city wall will collapse,[h] and the warriors should charge straight ahead.”[i]
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he told[j] the army,[k] “Move ahead[l] and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8 When Joshua gave the army its orders,[m] the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 10 Now Joshua had instructed the army,[n] “Do not give a battle cry[o] or raise your voices; say nothing[p] until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’[q] Then give the battle cry!”[r] 11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time.[s] Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.[t]
12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord.[u] 13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn[v] and marched around the city as before—only this time they marched around it seven times.[w] 16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua told the army,[x] “Give the battle cry,[y] for the Lord is handing the city over to you![z] 17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord;[aa] only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies[ab] we sent. 18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for God. If you take any of it, then you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster.[ac] 19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord.[ad] They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
20 The rams’ horns sounded,[ae] and when the army[af] heard the signal,[ag] they gave a loud battle cry.[ah] The wall collapsed,[ai] and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it.[aj] 21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city,[ak] including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them[a] for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of[b] the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. 33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice,[c] gained what was promised,[d] shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire,[e] escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness,[f] became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 35 and women received back their dead raised to life.[g] But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life.[h] 36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, sawed apart,[i] murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 39 And these all were commended[j] for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.[k] 40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us.[l]
The Lord’s Discipline
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,[m] we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For[n] the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.[o]
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