Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Covenant Renewal at Shechem
24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel (A)to Shechem and (B)summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And (C)they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, (D)your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,[a] Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and (E)they served other gods. 3 (F)Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River[b] and (G)led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. (H)I gave him Isaac.
Choose Whom You Will Serve
14 (A)“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. (B)Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (C)And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, (D)choose this day whom you will serve, whether (E)the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or (F)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. (G)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is (H)a holy God. He is (I)a jealous God; (J)he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 (K)If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then (L)he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that (M)you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then (N)put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua (O)made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place (P)statutes and rules for them at Shechem.
Tell the Coming Generation
A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.
78 (B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 (C)I will open my mouth (D)in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our (E)fathers have told us.
4 We will not (F)hide them from their children,
but (G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and (H)the wonders that he has done.
5 He established (I)a testimony in (J)Jacob
and appointed a law in (K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that (L)the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget (M)the works of God,
but (N)keep his commandments;
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, (A)that you may not grieve as others do (B)who have no hope. 14 For (C)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him (D)those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you (E)by a word from the Lord,[a] that (F)we who are alive, who are left until (G)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For (H)the Lord himself will descend (I)from heaven (J)with a cry of command, with the voice of (K)an archangel, and (L)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And (M)the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be (N)caught up together with them (O)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so (P)we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like (A)ten virgins who took their lamps[a] and went to meet (B)the bridegroom.[b] 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were (C)wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom (D)was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But (E)at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and (F)trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and (G)those who were ready went in with him to (H)the marriage feast, and (I)the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, (J)‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 (K)But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, (L)I do not know you.’ 13 (M)Watch therefore, for you (N)know neither the day nor the hour.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.