Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic instruction.[a]
The Blessings of Forgiveness
32 How blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 How blessed is the person against whom the Lord does not charge iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent about my sin,[b]
my body[c] wasted away
by my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my strength was exhausted
as in a summer drought.
5 My sin I acknowledged to you;
my iniquity I did not hide.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin!
6 Therefore every godly person should pray to you at such a time.[d]
Surely a flood of great waters will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will deliver me from trouble
and surround me with shouts of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you
concerning the path you should walk;
I will direct you with my eye.
9 Don’t be like a horse or mule,
without understanding.
They are held in check by a bit and bridle in their mouths;
otherwise they will not remain near you.
10 The wicked have many sorrows,
but gracious love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11 Righteous ones, be glad in the Lord and rejoice!
Shout for joy, all of you who are upright in heart!
14 That day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the presence of all Israel so that they revered him just as they had revered Moses throughout his life.
15 Now the Lord had told Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River.”
17 So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come up from the Jordan River.”
18 As soon as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan River, and the soles of the priests’ feet came up to dry ground, the water of the Jordan River returned to normal,[a] covering its banks as it had done so before.
Why Joshua Set up the Memorial
19 The people came up from the Jordan River on the tenth day[b] of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern outskirts of Jericho. 20 Joshua set up the twelve stones that they had removed from the Jordan River at Gilgal. 21 Then he told the Israelis, “When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you are to tell your descendants: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan River on dry ground 23 because the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan River right in front of you, until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God had done to the Reed[c] Sea—which he had dried up in front of us until we had crossed it also.’ 24 Do this[d] so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power[e] of the Lord is, and so that you may fear the Lord your God every day.”
6 Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah,[a] so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.[b]
The Messiah’s Love Controls Us
11 Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. 12 We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.[c] 13 So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you. 14 The love of the Messiah[d] controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. 15 He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.
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