Bible Browser

Psalm 143

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord,
      and in your faithfulness give ear to my supplications; ♦︎
   answer me in your righteousness.
2  Enter not into judgement with your servant, ♦︎
   for in your sight shall no one living be justified.
3  For the enemy has pursued me,
      crushing my life to the ground, ♦︎
   making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4  My spirit faints within me; ♦︎
   my heart within me is desolate.
5  I remember the time past; I muse upon all your deeds; ♦︎
   I consider the works of your hands.
6  I stretch out my hands to you; ♦︎
   my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.
7  O Lord, make haste to answer me; my spirit fails me; ♦︎
   hide not your face from me
      lest I be like those who go down to the Pit.
8  Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,
      for in you I put my trust; ♦︎
   show me the way I should walk in,
      for I lift up my soul to you.
9  Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies, ♦︎
   for I flee to you for refuge.
10  Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God; ♦︎
   let your kindly spirit lead me on a level path.
11  Revive me, O Lord, for your name’s sake; ♦︎
   for your righteousness’ sake, bring me out of trouble.
12  In your faithfulness, slay my enemies,
      and destroy all the adversaries of my soul, ♦︎
   for truly I am your servant.

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal

4When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: ²‘Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, ³and command them, “Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.” ’ ⁴Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe. ⁵Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” ⁷then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial for ever.’

8 The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord told Joshua, carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there. ⁹(Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.)

10 The priests who bore the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over in haste. ¹¹As soon as all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of the Lord, and the priests, crossed over in front of the people. ¹²The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the Israelites, as Moses had ordered them. ¹³About forty thousand armed for war crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle.

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

15 The Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶‘Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant^* to come up out of the Jordan.’ ¹⁷Joshua therefore commanded the priests, ‘Come up out of the Jordan.’ ¹⁸When the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. ²⁰Those twelve stones, which they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal, ²¹saying to the Israelites, ‘When your children ask their parents in time to come, “What do these stones mean?” ²²then you shall let your children know, “Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.” ²³For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,^* which he dried up for us until we crossed over, ²⁴so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and so that you may fear the Lord your God for ever.’

The New Generation Circumcised

5When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts failed, and there was no longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; ⁵³but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. ⁵⁴When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’^{* 55}But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶Then^* they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ ⁵⁹To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ ⁶⁰But Jesus^* said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ ⁶¹Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ ⁶²Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’