Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Israel Renews its Commitment to the Lord
24 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. 2 Joshua told all the people, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘In the distant past your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River,[a] including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped[b] other gods, 3 but I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates[c] and brought him into[d] the entire land of Canaan. I made his descendants numerous; I gave him Isaac,
14 “Now[a] obey[b] the Lord and worship[c] him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors[d] worshiped[e] beyond the Euphrates[f] and in Egypt, and worship[g] the Lord. 15 If you have no desire[h] to worship[i] the Lord, then choose today whom you will worship,[j] whether it be the gods whom your ancestors[k] worshiped[l] beyond the Euphrates,[m] or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family[n] will worship[o] the Lord.”
16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can[p] worship[q] other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery[r] in the land of Egypt[s] and performed these awesome miracles[t] before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations.[u] 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship[v] the Lord, for he is our God!”
19 Joshua warned[w] the people, “You will not keep worshiping[x] the Lord, for[y] he is a holy God.[z] He is a jealous God who will not forgive[aa] your rebellion or your sins. 20 If[ab] you abandon the Lord and worship[ac] foreign gods, he will turn against you;[ad] he will bring disaster on you and destroy you,[ae] though he once treated you well.”[af]
21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will[ag] worship[ah] the Lord.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?”[ai] They replied, “We are witnesses!”[aj] 23 Joshua said,[ak] “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to[al] the Lord God of Israel.”
24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship[am] the Lord our God and obey him.”[an]
25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement[ao] for the people, and he established rules and regulations[ap] for them in Shechem.
Psalm 78[a]
A well-written song[b] by Asaph.
78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.[c]
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.[d]
3 What we have heard and learned[e]—
that which our ancestors[f] have told us—
4 we will not hide from their[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule[i] in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,[j]
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.[k]
7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey[l] his commands.
The Lord Returns for Believers
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed,[a] brothers and sisters,[b] about those who are asleep,[c] so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that[d] God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.[e] 15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord,[f] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel,[g] and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left,[h] will be suddenly caught up[i] together[j] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five[a] of the virgins[b] were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When[c] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra[d] olive oil[e] with them. 4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 5 When[f] the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The[g] foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied.[h] ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then[i] the door was shut. 11 Later,[j] the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’[k] 12 But he replied,[l] ‘I tell you the truth,[m] I do not know you!’ 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.[n]
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