18th May

¹ And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.² And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.³ And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.⁴ And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:⁵ And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.⁷ And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.⁸ And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;⁹ And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.¹⁰ For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.¹¹ And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.¹² Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:¹³ And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.¹⁴ And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.¹⁵ Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.¹⁶ And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.¹⁷ And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.¹⁹ And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.²⁰ And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.²¹ And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.²² And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.²³ So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:²⁴ And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

¹ Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.² And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.³ And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.⁴ For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.⁵ The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,⁶ Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;⁷ Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:⁸ And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.⁹ Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.¹⁰ Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.¹¹ For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,¹² Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.¹³ Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.¹⁴ And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.¹⁵ And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.¹⁶ Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.¹⁷ And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.¹⁸ Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.¹⁹ And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?²⁰ To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.²¹ And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.²² And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

¹ Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;² And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:³ That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.⁴ For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.⁵ For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.⁶ But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:⁷ Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:⁸ For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.⁹ For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;¹⁰ Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?¹¹ Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.¹² And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:¹³ To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

¹ Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.² For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.³ For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:⁴ That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;⁵ Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:⁶ That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.⁷ For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.⁸ He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.⁹ But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.¹⁰ And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;¹¹ And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;¹² That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.