Feb 21 - Joshua 21-24
Joshua
1And the leaders of the families of Levi approached Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, the son of Nun, and the rulers of the extended families of each of the tribes of the sons of Israel2And they spoke to them at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, and they said, "The Lord instructed, by the hand of Moses, that cities should be given to us as habitations, with their suburbs to nourish our cattle.3And so the sons of Israel gave cities and their suburbs from their possessions, in accord with the order of the Lord4And the lot went out for the family of Kohath, of the sons of Aaron, the priest, from the tribes of Judah and Simeon and Benjamin: thirteen cities5And to the remainder of the sons of Kohath, that is, to the Levites who were left over, there went, from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan, and from the one half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities6And next the lot went out to the sons of Gershon, so that they would receive, from the tribes of Issachar and Asher and Naphtali, and from the one half tribe of Manasseh at Bashan: the number of thirteen cities7And to the sons of Merari, by their families, from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Zebulun, there went twelve cities8And so the sons of Israel gave cities and their suburbs to the Levites, just as the Lord instructed by the hand of Moses, distributing to each by lot9From the tribes of the sons of Judah and Simeon, Joshua gave cities, whose names are these10to the sons of Aaron, of the families of Kohath of the stock of Levi, (for the first lot went out for them,11the city of Arba, the father of Anak, which is called Hebron, on the mountain of Judah, and its surrounding suburbs12Yet truly, the fields and its villages he had given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as a possession13Therefore, he gave to the sons of Aaron the priest, Hebron as a city of refuge, as well as its suburbs, and Libnah, with its suburbs14and Jattir, and Eshtemoa15and Holon, and Debir16and Ain, and Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, with their suburbs: nine cities from two tribes, just as has been said17Then, from the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, he gave Gibeon, and Geba18and Anathoth, and Almon, with their suburbs: four cities19All the cities together of the sons of Aaron, the priest, were thirteen, with their suburbs20Yet truly, the remainder of the families of the sons of Kohath, of the stock of Levi, were given this possession21from the tribe of Ephraim, Shechem, one of the cities of refuge, with its suburbs, on mount Ephraim, and Gezer22and Kibzaim, and Beth-horon, with their suburbs, four cities23and from the tribe of Dan, Elteke and Gibbethon24and Aijalon and Gath-Rimmon, with their suburbs, four cities25then, from the one half tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and Gath-Rimmon, with their suburbs, two cities26All the cities were ten, with their suburbs; these were given to the sons of Kohath, of the lesser degree27Likewise, to the sons of Gershon, of the stock of Levi, from the one half tribe of Manasseh, went Golan in Bashan, one of the cities of refuge, and Bosra, with their suburbs, two cities28also, from the tribe of Issachar, Kishion, and Daberath29and Jarmuth, and Engannim, with their suburbs, four cities30then, from the tribe of Asher, Mishal and Abdon31and Helkath and Rehob, with their suburbs, four cities32likewise, from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, one of the cities of refuge, and Hammoth-Dor, and Kartan, with their suburbs, three cities33All the cities of the families of Gershon were thirteen, with their suburbs34Then, to the sons of Merari, Levites of the lesser degree, by their families, were given, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and Kartah35and Dimnah and Nahalal, four cities with their suburbs36from the tribe of Reuben, beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho, Bezer in the wilderness, one of the cities of refuge, Misor and Jazer,37and Jethson and Mephaath, four cities with their suburbs;38from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth of Gilead, one of the cities of refuge, and Mahanaim39and Heshbon and Jazer, four cities with their suburbs.40All the cities of the sons of Merari, by their families and extended families, were twelve41And so all the cities of the Levites, in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel, were forty-eight42with their suburbs, each distributed by families43And the Lord God gave to Israel all the land that he had sworn he would deliver to their fathers. And they possessed it, and they lived in it44And he gave them peace with all the surrounding nations. And none of their enemies dared to stand against them; instead, they were brought under their sovereignty45Indeed, not so much as one word that he had promised to provide for them was left empty; instead, everything was fulfilled
1In the same time, Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the one half tribe of Manasseh2And he said to them: "You have done all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, instructed you. You have also obeyed me in all things3Neither have you forsaken your brothers during this long time, even to the present day, keeping the orders of the Lord your God4Therefore, since the Lord your God has given your brothers peace and quiet, just as he promised: return, and go into your tents and into the land of your possession, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, delivered to you beyond the Jordan5And may you continue to observe attentively, and to work to fulfill, the commandment and the law that Moses, the servant of the Lord, instructed to you, so that you may love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commandments, and cling to him, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.6And Joshua blessed them, and he sent them away. And they returned to their tents7Now to the one half tribe of Manasseh, Moses had given a possession in Bashan. And therefore, to the one half that was left over, Joshua gave a lot among the remainder of their brothers across the Jordan, in the western region. And when he had blessed them and dismissed them to their tents8he said to them: "Return to your settlements with much substance and wealth, with silver and gold, brass and iron, and a multitude of garments. Divide the spoils of your enemies with your brothers.9And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the one half tribe of Manasseh returned, and they went away from the sons of Israel at Shiloh, which is situated in Canaan, so that they might enter into Gilead, the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the order of the Lord, by the hand of Moses10And when they had arrived at the hills of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, they built an altar of immense magnitude beside the Jordan11And when the sons of Israel had heard of it, and certain messengers had reported to them that the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh had built an altar in the land of Canaan, upon the hills of the Jordan, facing the sons of Israel12they all assembled at Shiloh, so that they might go up and battle against them13And in the interim, they sent to them, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest14and ten leaders with him, one from each tribe15And they went to the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them16"All the people of the Lord declare this: What is this transgression? Why have you forsaken the Lord, the God of Israel, by building a sacrilegious altar, and by withdrawing from the worship of him17Is it a small thing to you that you have sinned with Baal of Peor, and that the stain of that crime continues among us, even to the present day? And many of the people have fallen18And yet you have forsaken the Lord today, and tomorrow his wrath will rage against all of Israel19But if you consider the land of your possession to be unclean, cross over to the land in which is the tabernacle of the Lord, and live among us. But do not withdraw from the Lord, and from our fellowship, by building an altar contrary to the altar of the Lord our God20Did not Achan, the son of Zerah, go against the commandment of the Lord, and so his wrath was laid over all the people of Israel? And he was only one man. If only he had perished in his wickedness alone!21And the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh responded to the leaders of the delegation from Israel22"The Lord, the almighty God, the Lord, the almighty God, he knows, and also Israel will understand: If we have constructed this altar with intent of transgression, let him not preserve us, but instead punish us immediately23And if we have acted with a mind so that we might present upon it holocausts, and sacrifice, and victims of peace offerings, let him inquire and judge24Instead, we have acted with this greater thought and design, that we would say: Tomorrow your sons will say to our sons: ‘What is there between you and the Lord, the God of Israel25The Lord has stationed the river Jordan as the border between us and you, O sons of Reuben, O sons of Gad. And therefore, you have no part in the Lord.’ And by this occasion, your sons would turn away our sons from the fear of the Lord. And so we sought something better26and we said: Let us build us an altar, not for holocausts, and not to offer victims27but as a testimony between us and you, and between our descendents and your progeny, so that we may serve the Lord, and so that it may be our right to offer holocausts, and victims, and peace offerings, and so that tomorrow your sons may not say to our sons: ‘You have no part in the Lord.28And if they decide to say this, they shall respond to them: ‘Behold, the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for holocausts, and not for sacrifice, but instead as a testimony between us and you.29May this wickedness be far from us, such that we would withdraw from the Lord, and would forsake his paths, by constructing an altar to offer holocausts, and sacrifices, and victims, contrary to the altar of the Lord our God, which was built before his tabernacle.30And when Phinehas, the priest, and the leaders of the delegation who were with him, had heard this, they were pleased. And they accepted very willingly the words of the sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of the one half tribe of Manasseh31And Phinehas, the priest, the son of Eleazar, said to them: "Now we know that the Lord is with us. For you are a stranger to this transgression. And so you have freed the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.32And he returned with the leaders, from the sons of Reuben and of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, into the parts of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And he reported to them33And the word pleased all who heard it. And the sons of Israel praised God, and they no longer said that they would go up against them, and fight, and destroy the land of their possession34And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar that they had built: Our testimony that the Lord himself is God
1Now a long time passed, after the Lord had given peace to Israel by subjecting all the surrounding nations. And Joshua was now old and very advanced in age.2Joshua called all of Israel, and those greater by birth, and the leaders and rulers and teachers, and he said to them: "I am elderly and advanced in age3And you yourselves discern all that the Lord your God has done with all the surrounding nations, in what manner he himself has fought for you4And now, since he has divided to you by lot all the land, from the eastern part of the Jordan even to the great sea, and yet many nations still remain5the Lord your God will destroy them, and he will take them away before your face, and you shall possess the land, just as he has promised you6Even so, be strengthened and be careful that you observe all the things that have been written in the book of the law of Moses, and that you do not turn aside from them, neither to the right, nor to the left7Otherwise, after you have entered to the Gentiles, who will be among you in the future, you might swear by the name of their gods, and serve them, and adore them8Instead, cling to the Lord your God, just as you have done even to this day9And then the Lord God will take away, in your sight, nations that are great and very robust, and no one will be able to withstand you10One of you shall pursue a thousand men of the enemies. For the Lord your God himself will fight on your behalf, just as he promised11Even so, be very diligent and careful in this: that you love the Lord your God12But if you choose to cling to the errors of these nations that live among you, and to mix with them by marriage, and to join with them by friendship13even now, know this: that the Lord your God will not wipe them away before your face. Instead, they shall be a pit and a snare to you, and a stumbling block at your side, and stakes in your eyes, until he takes you away and scatters you from this excellent land, which he has delivered to you14Lo, today I am entering the way of the entire earth, and you shall know with all your mind that, out of all the words that the Lord has promised to fulfill for you, not one will pass by unfulfilled15Therefore, just as he has fulfilled in deed what he has promised, and all prosperous things have arrived, so will he bring upon you whatever evils were threatened, until he takes you away and scatters you from this excellent land, which he has delivered to you16when you will have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which he has formed with you, and will have served strange gods, and will have adored them. And then the fury of the Lord will rise up quickly and speedily against you, and you will be taken away from this excellent land, which he has delivered to you.
1And Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and he called those greater by birth, and the leaders and judges and teachers. And they stood in the sight of the Lord2And he spoke to the people in this way: "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Your fathers lived, in the beginning, across the river: Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor. And they served strange gods3Then I brought your father Abraham from the parts of Mesopotamia, and I led him into the land of Canaan. And I multiplied his offspring4and I gave to him Isaac. And to him, I gave again Jacob and Esau. And I gave mount Seir to Esau as a possession. Yet truly, Jacob and his sons descended into Egypt5And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I struck Egypt with many signs and portents6And I led you and your fathers away from Egypt, and you arrived at the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen, as far as the Red Sea7Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. And he stationed a darkness between you and the Egyptians, and he led the sea over them, and he covered them. Your eyes saw all that I did in Egypt, and you lived in the wilderness for a long time8And I led you into the land of the Amorite, who was living beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and you put them to death9Then Balak, the son of Zippor, the king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel. And he sent and called for Balaam, the son of Beor, so that he might curse you10And I was not willing to listen to him, but on the contrary, I blessed you through him, and I freed you from his hand11And you crossed over the Jordan, and you arrived at Jericho. And the men of that city fought against you: the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And I delivered them into your hands12And I sent wasps before you. And I drove them from their places, the two kings of the Amorites, but not by your sword, and not by your bow13And I gave you a land, in which you did not labor, and cities, which you did not build, so that you might live in them, and vineyards and olive groves, which you did not plant.14Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him with a perfect and very sincere heart. And take away the gods that your fathers served in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve the Lord15But if it seems evil to you that you would serve the Lord, a choice is given to you. Choose today what pleases you, and whom you ought to serve above all else, either the gods that your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.16And the people responded, and they said: "Far be it from us that we would forsake the Lord, and serve foreign gods17The Lord our God himself led us and our fathers away from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude. And he accomplished immense signs in our sight, and he preserved us along the entire way by which we journeyed, and among all the people through whom we passed18And he cast out all the nations, the Amorite, the inhabitant of the land that we entered. And so, we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.19And Joshua said to the people: "You will not be able to serve the Lord. For he is a holy and powerful God, and he is jealous, and he will not ignore your wickedness and sins20If you leave behind the Lord, and you serve foreign gods, he will turn himself, and he will afflict you, and he will overthrow you, after all the good that he has offered to you.21And the people said to Joshua, "By no means will it be as you are saying, but we will serve the Lord.22And Joshua said to the people, "You yourselves are witnesses, that you have chosen the Lord so that you may serve him." And they answered, "We are witnesses.23"Now therefore," he said, "take away strange gods from among yourselves, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.24And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord our God, and we will be obedient to his precepts.25Therefore, on that day, Joshua struck a covenant, and he set before the people at Shechem the precepts and the judgments26He also wrote all these things in the volume of the law of the Lord. And he took a very great stone, and he stationed it under the oak that was in the Sanctuary of the Lord27And he said to all the people, "Lo, this stone shall be to you as a testimony, which has heard all the words of the Lord that he has spoken to you, lest perhaps, afterward, you might choose to deny it, and to lie to the Lord your God.28And he dismissed the people, each one to their own possession29And after these things, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old30And they buried him within the borders of his possession at Timnath-Serah, which is situated on mount Ephraim, before the northern side of mount Gaash31And Israel served the Lord during all the days of Joshua, and of the elders who lived for a long time after Joshua, and who had known all the works of the Lord that he had accomplished in Israel32And the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel had brought from Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in a portion of the field that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred young female sheep, and so it was in the possession of the sons of Joseph33Likewise, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, died. And they buried him at Gibeah, which belongs to Phinehas, his son, and which was given to him on mount Ephraim