Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

This is a special song that David wrote.

Tell God about your sins^[a]

4 When the whole Israelite nation had crossed the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua. ² He said, ‘Choose 12 men from the people, one from each tribe. ³ Tell them, “Pick up 12 stones from the middle of the river. Take them from the place where the priests are standing. Carry the stones with you to the shore. Put them in the place where you stay tonight.” ’

⁴ So Joshua called the 12 men that he had chosen, one from each Israelite tribe. ⁵ He said to them, ‘Go into the middle of the river, beyond the Lord's Covenant Box. Each of you must pick up a stone and put it on his shoulder. There will be one stone for each of the Israelite tribes. ⁶ The heap of stones will help you to remember what happened today. In future years, your children will ask you, “What do these stones mean?” ⁷ Then you will tell them that the water in the Jordan River stopped where the Lord's Covenant Box was. When the priests carried the Covenant Box into the river, the water stopped. These stones will help the people of Israel to remember this for ever.’

⁸ So the 12 men obeyed Joshua's command. They took 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan River, as the Lord had told Joshua. There was one stone for each Israelite tribe. They carried the stones to the place where the people had put their tents. They put the stones down there. ⁹ Joshua also made a heap of 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan River. He put them in the place where the priests with the Covenant Box had stood. Those stones are still there today.^[a]

¹⁰ The priests had carried the Covenant Box into the middle of the river. They stood there while the people did everything that the Lord had told Joshua. That is what Moses had also told Joshua.

The people crossed over the river quickly. ¹¹ As soon as everybody was on the other side, the priests also took the Covenant Box to the other side. The people watched them as they did this. ¹² The tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh led the people across. They were all ready to fight, as Moses had told them.^{[b] 13} About 40,000 men who had weapons crossed to the flat land near Jericho. They marched past the Lord's Covenant Box.

¹⁶ That is why we are not afraid to continue our work. Yes, our bodies are getting older and weaker. But our spirits are becoming stronger every day! ¹⁷ We have these little troubles that continue for a short time. But as a result, we will receive the great things that God has prepared for us. Those great things are much more important than our little troubles. And God's great things will continue for ever! ¹⁸ So we do not look at the things that we can see in this world. Instead, we look at the things that people cannot see. The things that we can see are only here for a short time. But the things that we cannot see will continue for ever.

God has prepared a new body for us

5 Our bodies are like a tent that we live in here on earth. One day, that home will come to an end. But we know that God will give us a new home. It is not a house that a human builder has built. God has built it for us in heaven and we will live there for ever. ² Now, while we are in our body here on earth, we cry inside ourselves. We want to go and live in our house that is in heaven. ³ That will be like new clothes that we put on. When we go to live there, we will not be without clothes and ashamed.

⁴ While we still live in our bodies here on earth, we cry inside ourselves. Many difficult things happen to us. We do not really want to take off our old body. But we do want to put on our new body, like new clothes. When that happens, we will no longer need our old body which had to die. Instead we will have a new body that will live for ever. ⁵ God is the one who has prepared us to have a new life in heaven one day. He has given his Spirit to be with us now. Because of that, we know that we will receive all God's good things one day.