Psalm 49:1–20 (NIV84)

¹ Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, ² both low and high, rich and poor alike: ³ My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. ⁴ I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: ⁵ Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— ⁶ those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? ⁷ No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him— ⁸ the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— ⁹ that he should live on forever and not see decay. ¹⁰ For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. ¹¹ Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. ¹² But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah ¹⁴ Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. ¹⁵ But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah ¹⁶Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; ¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. ¹⁸ Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper— ¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. ²⁰ A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Joshua 6:1–14 (NIV84)

¹ Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. ² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. ⁵ When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.” ⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” ⁷ And he ordered the people, “Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.” ⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there. ¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

Matthew 16:21–28 (NIV84)

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” ²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”