Sunday 21 August 2039

1Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem,and called for the elders of Israel,for their heads, for their judges,and for their officers;and they presented themselves before God.2Joshua said to all the people,“The Lord, the God of Israel,says, ‘Your fathers lived of old time beyond the River,even Terah, the father of Abraham,and the father of Nahor.They served other gods.· · · verses 3–14 are not read15If it seems evil to you to serve the Lord,choose today whom you will serve;whether the gods which your fathers servedthat were beyond the River,or the gods of the Amorites,in whose land you dwell;but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

16The people answered,“Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord,to serve other gods;17for it is the Lord our God who brought usand our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,from the house of bondage,and who did those great signs in our sight,and preserved us in all the way in which we went,and among all the peoples through the middle of whom we passed.18The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples,even the Amorites who lived in the land.Therefore we also will serve the Lord;for he is our God.”

2I will bless the Lord at all times.His praise will always be in my mouth.3My soul shall boast in the Lord.The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

16The Lord’s eyes are toward the righteous.His ears listen to their cry.17The Lord’s face is against those who do evil,to cut off their memory from the earth.

18The righteous cry, and the Lord hears,and delivers them out of all their troubles.19The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

20Many are the afflictions of the righteous,but the Lord delivers him out of them all.21He protects all of his bones.Not one of them is broken.

21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.23For the husband is the head of the wife,as Christ also is the head of the assembly,being himself the savior of the body.24But as the assembly is subject to Christ,so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives,even as Christ also loved the assemblyand gave himself up for her,26that he might sanctify her,having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously,not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,but that she should be holy and without defect.28Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.He who loves his own wife loves himself.29For no man ever hated his own flesh,but nourishes and cherishes it,even as the Lord also does the assembly,30because we are members of his body,of his flesh and bones.31“For this cause a man will leave his fatherand mother and will be joined to his wife.Then the two will become one flesh.”32This mystery is great,but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.

60Therefore many of his disciples,when they heard this,said, “This is a hard saying!Who can listen to it?”

61But Jesus knowing in himselfthat his disciples murmured at this,said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?62Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?63It is the spirit who gives life.The flesh profits nothing.The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.64But there are some of you who don’t believe.”For Jesus knew from the beginningwho they were who didn’t believe,and who it was who would betray him.65He said, “For this cause I have said to youthat no one can come to me,unless it is given to him by my Father.”

66At this, many of his disciples went backand walked no more with him.67Jesus said therefore to the twelve,“You don’t also want to go away, do you?”

68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go?You have the words of eternal life.69We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ,the Son of the living God.”