Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David ^(A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Spies Sent into Canaan^(A)

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^2 (B)“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

¹⁷ Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to ^(A)the mountains, ¹⁸ and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; ¹⁹ whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; ²⁰ whether the land is ^[a]rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. ^(B)Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

²¹ So they went up and spied out the land ^(C)from the Wilderness of Zin as far as ^(D)Rehob, near the entrance of ^(E)Hamath. ²² And they went up through the South and came to ^(F)Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of ^(G)Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) ^23 (H)Then they came to the ^[b]Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ The place was called the Valley of ^[c]Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. ²⁵ And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

²⁶ Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at ^(I)Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly ^[d]flows with ^(J)milk and honey, ^(K)and this is its fruit. ²⁸ Nevertheless the ^(L)people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of ^(M)Anak there. ^29 (N)The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then ^(O)Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

^31 (P)But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” ³² And they ^(Q)gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and ^(R)all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. ³³ There we saw the ^[e]giants (^(S)the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were ^(T)like^[f] grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were ^(U)in their sight.”

Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan

14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people ^(V)wept that night. ^2 (W)And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! ³ Why has the Lord brought us to this land to ^[g]fall by the sword, that our wives and ^(X)children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, ^(Y)“Let us select a leader and ^(Z)return to Egypt.”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron ^[h]fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

⁶ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: ^(AA)“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord ^(AB)delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ^(AC)‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ ⁹ Only ^(AD)do not rebel against the Lord, ^(AE)nor fear the people of the land, for ^(AF)they^[i] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, ^(AG)and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(A)

^22 (B)Now while they were ^[a]staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly ^(C)sorrowful.

Peter and His Master Pay Their Taxes

^24 (D)When they had come to ^[b]Capernaum, those who received the ^[c]temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ He said, “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from ^(E)strangers?”

²⁶ Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. ²⁷ Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a ^[d]piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”