JOSHUA 2

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Rahab Hides the Spies  2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
    8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
    15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
    22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

PSALM 77

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In the Day of Trouble I Seek the LordTo the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
77:1

I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted. 3

When I remember God, I moan;

when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4

You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5

I consider the days of old,

the years long ago. 6

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search: 7

“Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable? 8

Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time? 9

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old. 12

I will ponder all your work,

and meditate on your mighty deeds. 13

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God? 14

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples. 15

You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled. 17

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side. 18

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook. 19

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen. 20

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

PSALM 78

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Tell the Coming GenerationA Maskil of Asaph.
78:1

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2

I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3

things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us. 4

We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.
5

He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children, 6

that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children, 7

so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments; 8

and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9

The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,

turned back on the day of battle. 10

They did not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law. 11

They forgot his works

and the wonders that he had shown them. 12

In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders

in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13

He divided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters stand like a heap. 14

In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light. 15

He split rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. 16

He made streams come out of the rock

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17

Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert. 18

They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved. 19

They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20

He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?”
21

Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel, 22

because they did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power. 23

Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven, 24

and he rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them the grain of heaven. 25

Man ate of the bread of the angels;

he sent them food in abundance. 26

He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,

and by his power he led out the south wind; 27

he rained meat on them like dust,

winged birds like the sand of the seas; 28

he let them fall in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings. 29

And they ate and were well filled,

for he gave them what they craved. 30

But before they had satisfied their craving,

while the food was still in their mouths, 31

the anger of God rose against them,

and he killed the strongest of them

and laid low the young men of Israel.
32

In spite of all this, they still sinned;

despite his wonders, they did not believe. 33

So he made their days vanish like a breath,

and their years in terror. 34

When he killed them, they sought him;

they repented and sought God earnestly. 35

They remembered that God was their rock,

the Most High God their redeemer. 36

But they flattered him with their mouths;

they lied to him with their tongues. 37

Their heart was not steadfast toward him;

they were not faithful to his covenant. 38

Yet he, being compassionate,

atoned for their iniquity

and did not destroy them;

he restrained his anger often

and did not stir up all his wrath. 39

He remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that passes and comes not again. 40

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert! 41

They tested God again and again

and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42

They did not remember his power

or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, 43

when he performed his signs in Egypt

and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. 44

He turned their rivers to blood,

so that they could not drink of their streams. 45

He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,

and frogs, which destroyed them. 46

He gave their crops to the destroying locust

and the fruit of their labor to the locust. 47

He destroyed their vines with hail

and their sycamores with frost. 48

He gave over their cattle to the hail

and their flocks to thunderbolts. 49

He let loose on them his burning anger,

wrath, indignation, and distress,

a company of destroying angels. 50

He made a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death,

but gave their lives over to the plague. 51

He struck down every firstborn in Egypt,

the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52

Then he led out his people like sheep

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53

He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,

but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54

And he brought them to his holy land,

to the mountain which his right hand had won. 55

He drove out nations before them;

he apportioned them for a possession

and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56

Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God

and did not keep his testimonies, 57

but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they twisted like a deceitful bow. 58

For they provoked him to anger with their high places;

they moved him to jealousy with their idols. 59

When God heard, he was full of wrath,

and he utterly rejected Israel. 60

He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh,

the tent where he dwelt among mankind, 61

and delivered his power to captivity,

his glory to the hand of the foe. 62

He gave his people over to the sword

and vented his wrath on his heritage. 63

Fire devoured their young men,

and their young women had no marriage song. 64

Their priests fell by the sword,

and their widows made no lamentation. 65

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a strong man shouting because of wine. 66

And he put his adversaries to rout;

he put them to everlasting shame.
67

He rejected the tent of Joseph;

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, 68

but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he loves. 69

He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,

like the earth, which he has founded forever. 70

He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds; 71

from following the nursing ewes he brought him

to shepherd Jacob his people,

Israel his inheritance. 72

With upright heart he shepherded them

and guided them with his skillful hand.

PROVERBS 10

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The Proverbs of Solomon  10:1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother. 2

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

but righteousness delivers from death. 3

The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4

A slack hand causes poverty,

but the hand of the diligent makes rich. 5

He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. 6

Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7

The memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but the name of the wicked will rot. 8

The wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin. 9

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. 10

Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin. 11

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12

Hatred stirs up strife,

but love covers all offenses. 13

On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. 14

The wise lay up knowledge,

but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. 15

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin. 16

The wage of the righteous leads to life,

the gain of the wicked to sin. 17

Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. 18

The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool. 19

When words are many, transgression is not lacking,

but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. 20

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth. 21

The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for lack of sense. 22

The blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it. 23

Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,

but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. 24

What the wicked dreads will come upon him,

but the desire of the righteous will be granted. 25

When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but the righteous is established forever. 26

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him. 27

The fear of the Lord prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be short. 28

The hope of the righteous brings joy,

but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 29

The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers. 30

The righteous will never be removed,

but the wicked will not dwell in the land. 31

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 32

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.