Today's Reading

1Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.

2After three days the officers went throughout the camp,

3giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.

4Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

5Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

6Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

7And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

8Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ ”

9Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.

10This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.

11See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

12Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

13And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.

15Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,

16the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

17The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

1When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,

2“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

3and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

4So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

5and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,

6to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’

7tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

8So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.

9Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

10Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over,

11and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched.

12The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them.

13About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

14That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

15Then the Lord said to Joshua,

16“Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”

17So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

19On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

20And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.

21He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’

22tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.

24He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:

8“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

11For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.

17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22“ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

24I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ”

25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:

26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,

30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

34“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.

1Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock.

You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,

shine forth

2before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.

Awaken your might;

come and save us.

3Restore us, O God;

make your face shine on us,

that we may be saved.

4How long, Lord God Almighty,

will your anger smolder

against the prayers of your people?

5You have fed them with the bread of tears;

you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.

6You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors,

and our enemies mock us.

7Restore us, God Almighty;

make your face shine on us,

that we may be saved.

8You transplanted a vine from Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

9You cleared the ground for it,

and it took root and filled the land.

10The mountains were covered with its shade,

the mighty cedars with its branches.

11Its branches reached as far as the Sea,

its shoots as far as the River.

12Why have you broken down its walls

so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

13Boars from the forest ravage it,

and insects from the fields feed on it.

14Return to us, God Almighty!

Look down from heaven and see!

Watch over this vine,

15the root your right hand has planted,

the son you have raised up for yourself.

16Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;

at your rebuke your people perish.

17Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,

the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18Then we will not turn away from you;

revive us, and we will call on your name.

19Restore us, Lord God Almighty;

make your face shine on us,

that we may be saved.

27The lazy do not roast any game,

but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

28In the way of righteousness there is life;

along that path is immortality.