Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

24 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

² And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel: Your fathers dwelt of old on the other side of the river, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.

³ And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac.

¹⁴ And now fear Jehovah and serve him in perfectness and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river, and in Egypt; and serve Jehovah.

¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods whom your fathers that were on the other side of the river served, or the gods of the Amorite, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.

¹⁶ And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;

¹⁷ for Jehovah our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed!

¹⁸ And Jehovah drove out from before us all the peoples, and the Amorites the inhabitants of the land: so therefore we will serve Jehovah, for he is our God.

¹⁹ And Joshua said to the people, Ye cannot serve Jehovah, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

²⁰ If ye forsake Jehovah, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

²¹ And the people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Jehovah.

²² And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you Jehovah, to serve him. And they said, [We are] witnesses.

²³ Now therefore put away the strange gods that are among you, and incline your heart unto Jehovah the God of Israel.

²⁴ And the people said unto Joshua, Jehovah our God will we serve, and to his voice will we hearken.

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

An instruction. Of Asaph.

78 Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

² I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter riddles from of old,

³ Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us:

⁴ We will not hide [them] from their sons, shewing forth to the generation to come the praises of Jehovah, and his strength, and his marvellous works which he hath done.

⁵ For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;

⁶ That the generation to come might know [them], the children that should be born; that they might rise up and tell [them] to their children,

⁷ And that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but observe his commandments;

¹³ But we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are fallen asleep, to the end that ye be not grieved even as also the rest who have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

¹⁵ (For this we say to you in [the] word of [the] Lord, that *we*, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep;

¹⁶ for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel's voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

¹⁷ then *we*, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in [the] clouds, to meet the Lord in [the] air; and thus we shall be always with [the] Lord.

¹⁸ So encourage one another with these words.)

25 Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be made like to ten virgins that having taken their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom.

² And five of them were prudent and five foolish.

³ They that were foolish took their torches and did not take oil with them;

⁴ but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their torches.

⁵ Now the bridegroom tarrying, they all grew heavy and slept.

⁶ But in [the] middle of [the] night there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom; go forth to meet him.

⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their torches.

⁸ And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our torches are going out.

⁹ But the prudent answered saying, [We cannot,] lest it might not suffice for us and for you. Go rather to those that sell, and buy for yourselves.

¹⁰ But as they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the [ones that were] ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

¹¹ Afterwards come also the rest of the virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us;

¹² but he answering said, Verily I say unto you, I do not know you.

¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.