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 princes and for their judges and for their officers, and they presented themselves before God.

² And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Long ago your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river, even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.

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

¹⁴ Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in perfection and in truth and put away from among you the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve ye the LORD.

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

¹⁶ Then the people answered and said, May it never happen that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods.

¹⁷ For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery and who did those great signs in our sight and has kept us in all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

¹⁸ And the LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land; therefore, will we also serve the LORD, for he is our God.

¹⁹ Then Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not allow your rebellions nor your sins.

²⁰ If ye forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you, after he has done you good.

²¹ And the people said unto Joshua, No, but we will serve the LORD.

²² And Joshua said unto the people, Ye shall be witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We shall be witnesses.

²³ Now, therefore, take away, the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

²⁴ And the people replied unto Joshua, We will serve the LORD our God and hear his voice.

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and set them statutes and laws in Shechem.

Maschil of Asaph.

¹ ¶ 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 enigmas of old,

³ which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

⁴ We will not hide them from their sons, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD and his strength and his wonderful works that he has 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 sons:

⁶ That the generation to come might know them, even the sons which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their sons

⁷ that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments

¹³ ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as the others who have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those who sleep in Jesus will God also bring with him.

¹⁵ For this, we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

¹⁷ then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

25 ¶ Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be likened unto ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom.

² And five of them were prudent, and five were foolish.

³ Those that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them;

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

⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go ye out to meet him.

⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

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

⁹ But the prudent answered, saying, Lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves.

¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.

¹¹ Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

¹³ Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man comes.