Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Joy of Obeying

128 Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. ² For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you. ³ Your wife will be like a vine with much fruit within your house. Your children will be like olive plants around your table. ⁴ This is the good that will come to the man who honors the Lord with fear.

⁵ May the Lord do good things for you from Zion. And may you see good come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. ⁶ Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.

6 Now the gates of Jericho were all shut because of the people of Israel. No one went out and no one came in. ² The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and soldiers. ³ Walk around the city. Have all the men of war go around the city once. Do this for six days. ⁴ Seven religious leaders will carry seven rams’ horns. They will walk in front of the special box of the agreement. Then on the seventh day you will walk around the city seven times. And the religious leaders will blow horns. ⁵ When you hear the long sound of the ram’s horn, all the people should call out with a loud noise. The wall of the city will fall to the ground. And then all the people will all go in the city.”

⁶ So Joshua the son of Nun called the religious leaders and said to them, “Take up the special box of the agreement. And let seven religious leaders carry seven rams’ horns in front of the special box of the agreement.” ⁷ Then he said to the people, “Go and walk around the city. Let the men ready for battle go in front of the special box of the agreement.” ⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven religious leaders carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord walked on and blew the horns. And the special box of the agreement of the Lord followed them. ⁹ The men ready for battle went in front of the religious leaders who blew the horns. The other soldiers came behind the special box of the agreement while the horns sounded without stopping. ¹⁰ But Joshua told the people, “Do not call out or let your voice be heard. Not a word should come from your mouth until the day I tell you to call out. Then you must call out.” ¹¹ So he had the special box of the agreement taken around the city once. Then they returned to the tents and stayed there through the night.

¹² Joshua got up early in the morning. And the religious leaders took up the special box of the agreement. ¹³ The seven religious leaders carrying the seven rams’ horns in front of the special box of the agreement began walking and blew the horns without stopping. The men ready for battle went in front of them. The other soldiers came behind the special box of the agreement. And the horns sounded without stopping. ¹⁴ The second day they walked around the city once. Then they returned to the tents. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day they got up early at the rising of the sun. They walked around the city in the same way, but on that day they walked around the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time, when the religious leaders blew their horns, Joshua said to the people, “Call out! For the Lord has given you the city.

²⁰ So the people called out and the religious leaders blew the horns. When the people heard the sound of the horns, they called out even louder. And the wall fell to the ground. All the people went straight in and took the city.

Saul and Barnabas Are Called to Be Missionaries

13 In the church in the city of Antioch there were preachers and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon Niger, Lucius of the country of Cyrene, Manaen of Herod’s family, and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and eating no food so they could pray better, the Holy Spirit said, “Let Barnabas and Saul be given to Me for the work I have called them to.”

Paul and Barnabas Go to Antioch

³ These preachers and teachers went without food during that time and prayed. Then they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them away. ⁴ They were sent by the Holy Spirit to the city of Seleucia. From there they went by ship to the island of Cyprus. ⁵ When they went to shore at the city of Salamis, they preached the Word of God in the Jewish place of worship. John Mark was with them as their helper.

⁶ They went over Cyprus as far as the city of Paphos. While there, they found a Jew who did witchcraft. He was a false preacher named Barjesus. ⁷ Sergius Paulus was the leader of the country and a man who knew much. Barjesus was with Sergius Paulus. Sergius Paulus asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him so he might hear the Word of God. ⁸ But Elymas (as he called himself), the man who did witchcraft, worked against Barnabas and Saul. He tried to keep the leader of the country from putting his trust in the Lord.

⁹ Saul, whose other name was Paul, was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked at Elymas. ¹⁰ Then Saul said, “You false preacher and trouble-maker! You son of the devil! You hate what is right! Will you always be turning people from the right ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now look! The hand of the Lord is on you. You will become blind. For a time you will not be able to see the sun.” At once it became dark to Elymas, and he could not see. He asked people to take him by the hand to lead him from place to place.

¹² The leader of the country put his trust in the Lord because he saw what had happened. He was surprised and wondered about the teaching of the Lord.