Israel Crosses the Jordan

3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out ^(A)from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. ^2 (B)At the end of three days the officers went through the camp ³ and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by ^(C)the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. ^4 (D)Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits^[a] in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” ⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, ^(E)“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” ⁶ And Joshua said to the priests, ^(F)“Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

⁷ The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to ^(G)exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, ^(H)as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. ⁸ And as for you, command ^(I)the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ^(J)you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” ⁹ And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that ^(K)the living God is among you and that he will without fail ^(L)drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of ^(M)the Lord of all the earth^{[b] (N)}is passing over before you into the Jordan. ¹² Now therefore ^(O)take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, ^(P)from each tribe a man. ¹³ And ^(Q)when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, ^(R)the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall ^(S)stand in one heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing ^(T)the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵ and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and ^(U)the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now ^(V)the Jordan overflows all its banks ^(W)throughout the time of harvest), ¹⁶ the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside ^(X)Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of ^(Y)the Arabah, ^(Z)the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, ^(AA)and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

The Ministry of Apostles

4 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and ^(A)stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ^4 (B)For I am not aware of anything against myself, ^(C)but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore ^(D)do not pronounce judgment before the time, ^(E)before the Lord comes, ^(F)who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. ^(G)Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

⁶ I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,^[a] that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may ^(H)be puffed up in favor of one against another. ⁷ For who sees anything different in you? ^(I)What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! ⁹ For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, ^(J)like men sentenced to death, because we ^(K)have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. ^10 (L)We are fools for Christ's sake, but ^(M)you are wise in Christ. ^(N)We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. ¹¹ To the present hour ^(O)we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and ^(P)buffeted and ^(Q)homeless, ¹² and we ^(R)labor, working with our own hands. ^(S)When reviled, we bless; ^(T)when persecuted, we endure; ¹³ when slandered, we entreat. ^(U)We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, ^(V)the refuse of all things.

¹⁴ I do not write these things ^(W)to make you ashamed, but to admonish you ^(X)as my beloved children. ¹⁵ For ^(Y)though you have countless^[b] guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For ^(Z)I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ I urge you, then, ^(AA)be imitators of me. ¹⁷ That is why ^(AB)I sent^[c] you Timothy, ^(AC)my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,^{[d] (AD)}as I teach them everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Some are ^(AE)arrogant, ^(AF)as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But ^(AG)I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. ²⁰ For ^(AH)the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. ²¹ What do you wish? ^(AI)Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?