Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

(A special psalm by David.)

The Joy of Forgiveness

The People Set Up a Monument

4 After Israel had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua:

^2-3 Tell^[a] one man from each of the twelve tribes to pick up a large rock from where the priests are standing. Then tell the men to set up those rocks as a monument at the place where you camp tonight.

⁴ Joshua chose twelve men; then he called them together ⁵ and said:

Go to the middle of the riverbed where the sacred chest is, and pick up a large rock. Carry it on your shoulder to our camp. There are twelve of you, so there will be one rock for each tribe. ^6-7 Someday your children will ask, “Why are these rocks here?” Then you can tell them how the water stopped flowing when the chest was being carried across the river. These rocks will always remind our people of what happened here today.

⁸ The men followed the instructions that the Lord had given Joshua. They picked up twelve rocks, one for each tribe, and carried them to the camp, where they put them down.

⁹ Joshua set up a monument next to the place where the priests were standing. This monument was also made of twelve large rocks, and it is still there in the middle of the river.

The People of Israel Set Up Camp at Gilgal

^10-13 The army got ready for battle and crossed the Jordan with everyone else. They marched quickly past the sacred chest^[b] and into the desert near Jericho. Forty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh^[c] led the way, as Moses had ordered.^[d]

The priests stayed right where they were until the people had followed the orders that the Lord had given Moses and Joshua. Then they watched as the priests carried the chest the rest of the way across.

Faith in the Lord

¹⁶ We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. ¹⁷ These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. ¹⁸ Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.

5 ^(A) Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. ² While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. ³ We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

⁴ These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. ⁵ God is the one who makes all this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain he will do it.