Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK V
(Psalms 107–150)
Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe(B)
3 and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.(C)
4 Some[a] wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.(D)
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed[b] within them.(E)
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He rescued them from their distress.(F)
7 He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.(G)
33 He turns rivers into desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,(A)
34 and fruitful land into salty wasteland,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.(B)
35 He turns a desert into a pool of water,
dry land into springs of water.(C)
36 He causes the hungry to settle there,
and they establish a city where they can live.(D)
37 They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.(E)
Encouragement of Joshua
1 After the death of Moses(A) the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua[a] son of Nun,(B) who had served Moses: 2 “Moses My servant is dead.(C) Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan(D) to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,(E) just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon(F) to the great Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites(G)—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.[b](H) 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.(I) I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.(J)
6 “Be strong and courageous,(K) for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.(L) 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you.(M) Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;(N) you are to recite[c] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.(O) 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?(P) Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Prepares the People
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”(Q)
Jewish Violation of the Law
17 Now if[a] you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law,(A) boast in God, 18 know His will, and approve the things that are superior,(B) being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression[b] of knowledge and truth(C) in the law— 21 you then, who teach another,(D) don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples?(E) 23 You who boast in the law,(F) do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.(G)[c]
Circumcision of the Heart
25 For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.(H) 26 Therefore if an uncircumcised(I) man keeps the law’s requirements,(J) will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you(K) who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly,(L) and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly,(M) and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.[d](N) That man’s praise[e] is not from men but from God.(O)
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