Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.[a]
15 Joyful shouts of triumph
ring out in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord has done wondrous deeds;
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord has done wondrous deeds.”
17 I shall not die; rather I shall live
and recount[b] the works of the Lord.
18 Even though the Lord punished me harshly,
he did not hand me over to death.
19 [c]Open to me the gates of righteousness
so that I may enter them and praise the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous enter.
21 I thank you for having answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 [d]The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;[e]
let us exult and rejoice in it.
16 Five Kings Executed. These five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and assign men to guard it, 19 but do not stay there yourselves. You must chase after your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for the Lord, your God, has delivered them over into your hands.” 20 When the Israelites had finished all but wiping them out, and those few who remained had slipped into fortified cities, 21 all the people returned safely to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one uttered a sound against the Israelites.
22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.” 23 So they brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they had brought those five kings to Joshua, Joshua summoned all of the men of Israel and said to the leaders of the army who had gone out with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”[a] So they drew near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all of your enemies against whom you are going to fight.” 26 Joshua then struck and killed them, hanging them from five trees. They were left hanging from the trees until the evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and cast into the cave where they had been hiding. They placed large stones at the mouth of the cave that are still there today.
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a small amount of yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 [a]Throw out the old yeast so that you may become a fresh batch of unleavened dough. And truly you already are, because Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of depravity and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
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