Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Reigns

Moses Commissions Joshua

31 Moses went and explained these things to everyone in Israel. ² Then he concluded, “I’m now 120 years old. I’m not able to get around anymore, ³ and the Lord told me, ‘You won’t be crossing the Jordan River.’ But the Lord your God is crossing over before you. He will destroy these nations in front of you and you will dispossess them. As for Joshua, he will cross over before you, just as the Lord promised. ⁴ The Lord will do to them just as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land when he destroyed them. ⁵ The Lord will hand them over to you, so you can do to them what I’ve instructed you to do. ⁶ Be strong and courageous. Don’t fear or tremble before them, because the Lord your God will be the one who keeps on walking with you—he won’t leave you or abandon you.”

⁷ Then Moses called on Joshua and told him in the presence of everyone in Israel, “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll bring this people to the land that the Lord your God had promised to give your ancestors. You will be the one who causes them to possess it. ⁸ Indeed, the Lord is the one who will keep on walking in front of you. He’ll be with you and won’t leave you or abandon you, so never be afraid and never be dismayed.”

Moses Entrusts the Law to the Levitical Priests

⁹ Then Moses wrote down this Law and gave it to the Levitical priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and to all of Israel’s leaders.^{[a] 10} Then he^[b] gave these^[c] orders: “At the end of seven years, the year designated for release,^[d] during the Festival of Tents,^{[e] 11} when all of Israel comes to appear in the presence of the Lord your God at the place that he’ll choose, read this Law aloud to them.^{[f] 12} Gather the people—the men, women, children, and the foreigners that live in your cities—so they may hear and fear the Lord your God, and so they may be careful to obey the words contained in this Law. ¹³ Their children who don’t know will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan River to possess.”

¹⁶ In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again.”

¹⁷ At this point, some of his disciples asked each other, “What does he mean by telling us, ‘In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They kept saying, “What is this ‘in a little while’ that he keeps talking about? We don’t know what he means.”

Sorrow will Turn to Joy

¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him a question, so he asked them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again’? ²⁰ Truly, I tell all of you^[a] emphatically, you’ll cry and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You’ll be deeply distressed, but your pain will turn into joy. ²¹ When a woman is in labor she has pain, because her time has come. Yet when she has given birth to her child, she doesn’t remember the agony anymore because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. ²² Now you are having pain. But I’ll see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³ On that day, you won’t ask me for anything. Truly, I tell all of you^[b] emphatically, whatever you ask the Father for in my name, he will give it to you.^{[c] 24} So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”