Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Davidic Psalm, while he was in the Judean wilderness.

Joyful Trust in God

The Twelve Explorers^(A)

13 Later, the Lord told Moses, ² “Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I’m about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor’s tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader^[a] among them.”

¹⁷ Then he^[a] sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, “Go up from here through the Negev,^[b] then ascend to the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they’re few or numerous. ¹⁹ Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they’re fortified. ²⁰ Examine the farmland,^[c] whether it’s fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land.”

As it was, that time of year^[d] was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. ²¹ So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. ²² They went through the Negev^[e] and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built).^{[f] 23} Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men,^[g] along with some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.

The Explorers Return

²⁵ At the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land, ²⁶ came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ “We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit, ²⁸ except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak. ²⁹ Amalek lives throughout the Negev,^[h] while the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and on the bank of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Caleb silenced the people on Moses’ behalf and responded, “Let’s go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it.”

³¹ “We can’t attack those people,” the men who were with him said, “because they’re too strong compared to us.”

³² So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: “The land that we’ve explored is one^[i] that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants.^{[j] 33} We also saw the Nephilim,^[k] the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we’re like grasshoppers, and that’s their opinion of us!”

The People Rebel

14 At this, the entire assembly^[l] complained, started to shout, and cried through the rest of that night. ² All the Israelis complained against Moses and Aaron. Then the entire assembly responded, “We wish that we had died in Egypt or^[m] in this wilderness. ³ What’s the point in the Lord bringing us to this land? To die by the sword so our wives and children would become war victims? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

⁴ Then they told each other, “Let’s assign a leader and go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in front of the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel. ⁶ Nun’s son Joshua and Jephunneh’s son Caleb, who had accompanied the others who also had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and attempted to reason with the entire congregation of Israel. They told them, “The land that we went through and explored is very, very good. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey. ⁹ However, don’t rebel against the Lord or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we’ll gobble them right up.^[n] Their defenses will collapse, because the Lord is with us. You are not to be afraid of them.”

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(A)

²² While they were gathering together^[a] in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. ²³ They will kill him, but he will be raised on the third day.” Then they were filled with grief.

Questions about the Temple Tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax^[b] came up to Peter and asked, “Your teacher pays the temple tax,^[c] doesn’t he?”

²⁵ He answered, “Yes.”

When Peter^[d] went home,^[e] Jesus spoke to him first and asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings on the earth collect tolls or tributes? From their own subjects,^[f] or from foreigners?”

²⁶ “From foreigners,” he replied.

So Jesus told him, “In that case, the subjects^[g] are exempt. ²⁷ However, so that we don’t offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, open its mouth, and you will find a coin.^[h] Take it and give it to them for me and you.”