Daily Reading for Friday, August 13th, 2021

Reading 1, Joshua 24:1-13

¹ Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; he then summoned all the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges and officials, and they presented themselves in God's presence.

² Joshua then said to all the people: 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this, "From time immemorial, your ancestors, Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River, and served other gods.

³ I then brought your ancestor Abraham from beyond the River and led him through the length and breadth of Canaan. I increased his descendants and I gave him Isaac.

⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave possession of the mountainous country of Seir. Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.

⁵ I then sent Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt with the wonders that I worked there; finally I brought you out.

⁶ I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the Sea; the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen, to the Sea of Reeds.

⁷ They then called to Yahweh, and he spread a thick fog between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea go back on them and cover them. You saw with your own eyes what I did in Egypt. Then, for a long while, you lived in the desert.

⁸ I then brought you into the country of the Amorites, who used to live on the further side of the Jordan; they made war on you and I put them at your mercy; after which, you took possession of their country, since I destroyed them before you.

⁹ Next, Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose to make war on Israel, and sent for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you.

¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam; instead, he had to bless you, and I saved you from his power.

¹¹ "You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, but the inhabitants of Jericho made war on you: Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I put them all at your mercy.

¹² I sent hornets ahead of you, which drove out the two Amorite kings before you; this was not the work of your sword or of your bow.

¹³ And now I have given you a country for which you have not toiled, towns you have not built, although you live in them, vineyards and olive groves you have not planted, although you eat their fruit."

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24

¹ Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods, for his faithful love endures for ever.

³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his faithful love endures for ever.

¹⁶ He led his people through the desert, for his faithful love endures for ever.

¹⁷ He struck down mighty kings, for his faithful love endures for ever.

¹⁸ Slaughtered famous kings, for his faithful love endures for ever.

²¹ He gave their land as a birthright, for his faithful love endures for ever.

²² A birthright to his servant Israel, for his faithful love endures for ever.

²⁴ And rescued us from our enemies, for his faithful love endures for ever.