Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,(A) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.(B) 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water,[a] stand in the Jordan.”
9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 He said, “You will know that the living God is among you(C) and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites(D) 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth(E) goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.(F) 13 When the feet[b] of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”(G)
14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant(H) ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.(I) But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as[c] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah(J)—the Dead Sea—was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,(K) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
BOOK V
(Psalms 107–150)
Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for God’s Deliverance
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.(A)
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe(B)
3 and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.(C)
4 Some wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.(D)
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed[a] within them.(E)
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
he rescued them from their distress.(F)
7 He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.(G)
33 He turns rivers into desert,
springs into thirsty ground,(A)
34 and fruitful land into salty wasteland,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.(B)
35 He turns a desert into a pool,
dry land into springs.(C)
36 He causes the hungry to settle there,
and they establish a city where they can live.(D)
37 They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.(E)
9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working(A) night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses,(B) and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously,(C) and blamelessly(D) we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children,(E) 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God,(F) who calls you into his own kingdom(G) and glory.(H)
Reception and Opposition to the Message
13 This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is,(I) the word of God,(J) which also works effectively in you who believe.
Religious Hypocrites Denounced
23 Then(A) Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples:(B) 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.(C) 3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.(D) 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry[a] and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them.(E) 5 They do everything[b] to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries(F) and lengthen their tassels.[c](G) 6 They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues,(H) 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher,[d] and you are all brothers and sisters.(I) 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.(J) 10 You are not to be called instructors either, because you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant.(K) 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.(L)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.