One Year Bible.

The Walls of Jericho

¹Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

²And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor. ³March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. ⁴Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. ⁵And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.”

⁶So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”

⁷And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

⁸After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. ⁹While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.

¹⁰But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!” ¹¹So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.

¹²Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD. ¹³And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding. ¹⁴So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! ¹⁷Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. ¹⁹For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”

²⁰So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it. ²¹With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city— man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

²²Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.” ²³So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. ²⁵And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.

²⁶At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath:

“Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up

and rebuilds this city, Jericho;

at the cost of his firstborn

he will lay its foundations;

at the cost of his youngest

he will set up its gates.”

²⁷So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Servants of Christ

¹So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ²Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

³I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

⁶Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. ⁷For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

⁸Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you! ⁹For it seems to me that God has displayed us apostles at the end of the procession, like prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spectacle to the whole world, to angels as well as to men.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. ¹¹To this very hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. ¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

Paul’s Fatherly Warning

¹⁴I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. ¹⁵Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have. ²⁰For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

Better Is One Day in Your Courts

¹For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

How lovely is Your dwelling place,

O LORD of Hosts!

²My soul longs, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

³Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she places her young near Your altars,

O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.

⁴How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!

They are ever praising You.

Selah

⁵Blessed are those whose strength is in You,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

⁶As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

even the autumn rain covers it with pools.

⁷They go from strength to strength,

until each appears before God in Zion.

⁸O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah

⁹Take notice of our shield, O God,

and look with favor on the face of Your anointed.

¹⁰For better is one day in Your courts

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

the LORD gives grace and glory;

He withholds no good thing

from those who walk with integrity.

¹²O LORD of Hosts,

how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

You Showed Favor to Your Land

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;

You restored Jacob from captivity.

²You forgave the iniquity of Your people;

You covered all their sin.

Selah

³You withheld all Your fury;

You turned from Your burning anger.

⁴Restore us, O God of our salvation,

and put away Your displeasure toward us.

⁵Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?

⁶Will You not revive us again,

that Your people may rejoice in You?

⁷Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,

and grant us Your salvation.

⁸I will listen to what God the LORD will say;

for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints;

He will not let them return to folly.

⁹Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

that His glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together;

righteousness and peace have kissed.

¹¹Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

¹²The LORD will indeed provide what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

¹³Righteousness will go before Him

to prepare the way for His steps.