# verses

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Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for {other kinds of} food. Even the Israelites started crying again and said, "If only we had meat to eat!


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Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had?


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The people would go around and gather it, then grind it in a handmill or crush it in a mortar. They would cook it in a pot or make round loaves of bread out of it. It tasted like rich pastry made with olive oil.


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Moses heard people from every family crying at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became very angry, and Moses didn't like it either.


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So he asked, "Lord, why have you brought me this trouble? How have I displeased you that you put the burden of all these people on me?


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Am I their mother? Did I give birth to them? Are you really asking me to carry them in my arms—as a nurse carries a baby—all the way to the land you promised their ancestors with an oath?


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If this is how you're going to treat me, why don't you just kill me? I can't face this trouble anymore."


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The Lord answered Moses, "Bring me 70 Israelite men who you know are leaders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand with you.


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I'll come down and speak with you there. I'll take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will help you take care of the people. You won't have to take care of the people alone.


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Tell the people to get ready for tomorrow. They must be set apart as holy. Then they will eat meat. I, the Lord, heard them crying and saying, 'If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!' So I will give them meat.


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but for a whole month, until it comes out of their ears and they're sick of it. This is because they rejected the Lord who is here among them and cried in front of him, asking, 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?' "


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But Moses said, "Here I am with 600,000 foot soldiers around me. Yet, you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!'


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Would they have enough if all the flocks and herds were butchered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?"


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The Lord asked Moses, "Is there a limit to the Lord's power? Now you will see whether or not my words come true."


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Moses went out and told the people what the Lord said. He gathered 70 of the leaders of the people and had them stand around the tent.


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Then the Lord came down in the {column of} smoke and spoke with him. He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the 70 leaders. When the Spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied, but they never prophesied again.


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Two men, named Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were on the list with the other leaders but hadn't gone with them to the tent. The Spirit came to rest on them, too, and they prophesied in the camp.


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So Joshua, son of Nun, who had been Moses' assistant ever since he was a young man, spoke up and said, "Stop them, sir!"


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But Moses asked him, "Do you think you need to stand up for me? I wish all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them."


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The Lord sent a wind from the sea that brought quails and dropped them all around the camp. There were quails on the ground about three feet deep as far as you could walk in a day in any direction.


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All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered the quails. No one gathered less than 60 bushels. Then they spread the quails out all around the camp.


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While the meat was still in their mouths—before they had even had a chance to chew it—the Lord became angry with the people and struck them with a severe plague.


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That place was called Kibroth Hattaavah Graves of Those Who Craved {Meat} because there they buried the people who had a strong craving {for meat}.


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They asked, "Did the Lord speak only through Moses? Didn't he also speak through us?" The Lord heard their complaint.


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Suddenly, the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "All three of you come to the tent of meeting." So all three of them came.


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Then the Lord came down in the column of smoke and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called to Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.


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He said, "Listen to my words: When there are prophets of the Lord among you, I make myself known to them in visions or speak to them in dreams.


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I speak with him face to face, plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of the Lord. Why weren't you afraid to criticize my servant Moses?"


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When the smoke left the tent, Miriam was covered with an infectious skin disease. She was as white as snow. Aaron turned to her and saw she was covered with the disease.


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The Lord replied to Moses, "If her own father had spit in her face, wouldn't she be excluded from the community for seven days? She must be put in isolation outside the camp for seven days. Then she can be brought back."


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So Miriam was put in isolation outside the camp for seven days. The people didn't break camp until she was brought back.


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"Send men to explore Canaan, which I'm giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of their ancestors' tribes."


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So at the Lord's command, Moses sent these men from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.


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These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. But Moses gave Hoshea, son of Nun, the name Joshua.


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When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he told them, "Go through the Negev and then into the mountain region.


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Is the soil rich or poor? Does the land have trees or not? Do your best to bring back some fruit from the land." (It was the season when grapes were beginning to ripen.)


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They went through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived. They are descendants of Anak. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)


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When they came to the Eshcol Valley, they cut off a branch with only one bunch of grapes on it. They carried it on a pole between two of them. They also brought some pomegranates and figs.


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So they called that valley Eshcol Bunch of Grapes because of the bunch of grapes the Israelites cut off there.


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They came back to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. They gave their report and showed them the fruit from the land.


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This is what they reported to Moses: "We went to the land where you sent us. It really is a land flowing with milk and honey. Here's some of its fruit.


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But the people who live there are strong, and the cities have walls and are very large. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.


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The Amalekites live in the Negev. The Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the mountain region. And the Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and all along the Jordan River."


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Caleb told the people to be quiet and listen to Moses. Caleb said, "Let's go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it."


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So they began to spread lies among the Israelites about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored is one that devours those who live there. All the people we saw there are very tall.


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We saw Nephilim there. (The descendants of Anak are Nephilim.) We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that's how we must have looked to them."


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Then all the people in the Israelite community raised their voices and cried out loud all that night.


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Why is the Lord bringing us to this land—just to have us die in battle? Our wives and children will be taken as prisoners of war! Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"


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Immediately, Moses and Aaron bowed with their faces touching the ground in front of the whole community of Israel assembled there.


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At the same time, two of those who had explored the land, Joshua (son of Nun) and Caleb (son of Jephunneh), tore their clothes in despair.


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If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us. This is a land flowing with milk and honey!


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Don't rebel against the Lord, and don't be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don't be afraid of them."


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But when the whole community of Israel talked about stoning Moses and Aaron to death, they all saw the glory of the Lord {shining} at the tent of meeting.


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The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to trust me in spite of all the miraculous signs I have done among them?


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I'll strike them with a plague, I'll destroy them, and I'll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are."


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But Moses said to the Lord, "What if the Egyptians hear about it? (You used your power to take these people away from them.)


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What if the Egyptians tell the people who live in this land? Lord, they have already heard that you are with these people, that they have seen you with their own eyes, that your column of smoke stays over them, and that you go ahead of them in a column of smoke by day and in a column of fire by night.


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But if you kill all these people at the same time, then the nations who have heard these reports about you will say,


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'The Lord wasn't able to bring these people into the land he promised them, so he slaughtered them in the desert.'


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'The Lord...patient, forever loving .He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience .He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children...for their parents' sins to the third and fourth generation .'


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By your great love, please forgive these people's sins, as you have been forgiving them from the time they left Egypt until now."


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none of the people who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I did in Egypt and in the desert will see the land which I promised their ancestors. They have tested me now ten times and refused to obey me.


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But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has wholeheartedly followed me, I'll bring him to the land he already explored. His descendants will possess it.


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(The Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys.) Tomorrow you must turn around, go back into the desert, and follow the road that goes to the Red Sea."


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"How long must I put up with this wicked community that keeps complaining about me? I've heard the complaints the Israelites are making about me.


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So tell them, 'As I live, declares the Lord, I solemnly swear I will do everything to you that you said I would do.


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Your bodies will drop dead in this desert. All of you who are at least 20 years old, who were registered and listed, and who complained about me will die.


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I raised my hand and swore an oath to give you this land to live in. But none of you will enter it except Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).


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You said your children would be taken as prisoners of war. Instead, I will bring them into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it.


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Your children will be shepherds in the desert for 40 years. They will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies dead in the desert.


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For 40 days you explored the land. So for 40 years—one year for each day—you will suffer for your sins and know what it means for me to be against you.'


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I, the Lord, have spoken. I swear I will do these things to all the people in this whole wicked community who have joined forces against me. They will meet their end in this desert. Here they will die!"


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They died because they had returned and made the whole community complain about Moses by spreading lies about the land.


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Of all the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua (son of Nun) and Caleb (son of Jephunneh) survived.


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When Moses told these things to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly, as if someone had died.


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Early the next morning they headed into the mountain region. They said, "We have sinned. Now we'll go to the place the Lord promised."


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The Amalekites and Canaanites are there, and you will die in battle. Now that you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you."


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But they headed into the mountain region anyway, even though the ark of the Lord's promise and Moses stayed in the camp.


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The Amalekites and Canaanites who lived there came down from those mountains, attacked the Israelites, and defeated them at Hormah.


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you may bring offerings by fire to the Lord. They may be burnt offerings or any other kind of sacrifice. They may be offered to fulfill a vow, as a freewill offering, or as one of your festival offerings. They may be cattle, sheep, or goats—offerings that are a soothing aroma to the Lord.


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Whoever brings the offering must also give the Lord a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of olive oil.


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With each sheep or goat for the burnt offering or any other sacrifice, also give an offering of one quart of wine.


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"Suppose you sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering to the Lord or make any other kind of sacrifice—to keep a vow or as a fellowship offering.


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Also give an offering of two quarts of wine. It is an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.


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All native-born Israelites must do it this way when they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.


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"Suppose foreigners are visiting you or living among you in future generations. If they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, they must do as you do.


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There is one law for the whole assembly: for you and foreigners who are living with you. It is a permanent law for future generations. As far as the Lord is concerned, you and foreigners are the same.


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Shape one part of your dough into a ring the same way you do with the contribution you make from the threshing floor.


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"Suppose you unintentionally do something wrong by not obeying all these commands the Lord gave Moses.


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(Everything the Lord commanded you through Moses holds as true for generations to come as it did the day the Lord gave the commands.)


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If it was unintentional and no one else knows about it, the whole community must sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord, along with the proper grain and wine offerings, and a male goat as an offering for sin.


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The priest will make peace with the Lord for the whole community of Israel. Then they will be forgiven because the wrongdoing was unintentional and they brought these two offerings to the Lord for their sin: an offering by fire and an offering for sin.


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So the whole community of Israel will be forgiven, including foreigners who are living among them, since all the people were involved in the unintentional wrongdoing.


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"If one person unintentionally does something wrong, a one-year-old female goat must be sacrificed as an offering for sin.


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The priest will offer the sacrifice to make peace with the Lord for that person, and that person will be forgiven.


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You must give the same instructions to everyone who does something wrong unintentionally, whether they are native-born Israelites or not.


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"But any native-born Israelite or foreigner who deliberately does something wrong insults the Lord and must be excluded from the people.


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That person has despised the word of the Lord and broken the Lord's command. He must be excluded completely. He remains guilty."


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "This man must be put to death. The whole community must take him outside the camp and stone him."


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So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.


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"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: For generations to come they must wear tassels on the corners of their clothes with violet threads in each tassel.


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Whenever you look at the threads in the tassel, you will remember all the Lord's commands and obey them. Then you won't do whatever you want and go after whatever you see, as if you were chasing after prostitutes.


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Korah (son of Izhar), Dathan and Abiram (sons of Eliab), and On (son of Peleth) dared to challenge Moses. (Korah was a descendant of Kohath and Levi. Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben.)


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These four men were joined by 250 Israelite men, well-known leaders of the community, chosen by the assembly.


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They came together to confront Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You've gone far enough! Everyone in the whole community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"


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Then he said to Korah and all his followers, "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him, who is holy, and who it is that he will allow to come near him. Only the person the Lord chooses will be allowed to come near him.


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and put burning coals and incense in them in the Lord's presence. Then the Lord will choose the man who is holy. You've gone far enough!"


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Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the community of Israel? The Lord has brought you near himself to do the work for his tent and stand in front of the community to serve them.


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So you and all your followers have joined forces against the Lord! Who is Aaron that you should complain about him?"


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Isn't it enough that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey only to kill us in the desert? Do you also have to order us around?


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Certainly you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us any fields and vineyards to own. Do you think you can still pull the wool over our eyes? We won't come."


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Moses became angry and said to the Lord, "Don't accept their offering. I haven't taken anything from them, not even a donkey. And I haven't mistreated any of them."


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Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow you and all your followers must come into the Lord's presence. Aaron will also be there with you.


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Each man will take his incense burner and put incense in it. They will offer all 250 incense burners to the Lord. Then you and Aaron offer your incense burners."


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So each man took his incense burner, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.


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When Korah had gathered all his followers—those who opposed Moses and Aaron—at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole group.


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Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said, "O God, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?"


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He said to the community, "Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Don't touch anything that belongs to them, or you'll be swept away because of all their sins."


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So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children.


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Moses said, "This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it wasn't my idea:


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But if the Lord does something totally new—if the ground opens up, swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive to their graves—then you'll know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt."


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and the earth opened up to swallow them, their families, the followers of Korah, and all their property.


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They went down alive to their graves with everything that belonged to them. The ground covered them, and so they disappeared from the assembly.


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All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their screams. They thought the ground would swallow them, too.


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"Tell Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, to take the incense burners out of the fire and scatter the coals and incense somewhere else, because the incense burners have become holy.


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The incense burners of these men who sinned and lost their lives are holy, because they were offered to the Lord. Hammer them into thin metal sheets to cover the altar. This will be a sign to the Israelites."


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So the priest Eleazar took the bronze incense burners which had been brought by those who had been burned to death. The incense burners were then hammered into thin metal sheets to cover the altar,


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following the command that the Lord had given through Moses. The bronze-covered altar will remind Israel that no one but a descendant of Aaron can come near to burn incense to the Lord. Everyone else will die like Korah and his followers.


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The next day the whole community of Israel complained to Moses and Aaron. They said, "You have killed the Lord's people."


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The community came together to confront Moses and Aaron. When they turned toward the tent of meeting, they saw the smoke covering it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.


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"Get away from these people, and let me destroy them in an instant!" Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground.


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Moses said to Aaron, "Take your incense burner, put burning coals from the altar and incense in it, and go quickly into the community to make peace with the Lord for the people. The Lord is showing his anger; a plague has started."


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Aaron took his incense burner, as Moses told him, and ran into the middle of the assembly, because the plague had already begun among the people. He put incense on the incense burner to make peace with the Lord for the people.


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By the time Aaron came back to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the plague had stopped.


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"Speak to the Israelites, and get 12 staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Write each man's name on his staff.


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Write Aaron's name on the staff for Levi because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe.


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The staff from the man I choose will begin to grow. In this way I will silence the frequent complaints the Israelites make against you and Aaron."


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So Moses spoke to the Israelites. Their leaders gave him 12 staffs, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Aaron's staff was among them.


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The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aaron's staff for the tribe of Levi had not only begun to grow, but it had also blossomed and produced ripe almonds.


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Moses brought out the staffs from the Lord's presence and showed them to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Put Aaron's staff back in front of the words of my promise, and keep it there as a sign to warn any other rebels. Then you will stop their complaints about me, and they won't die."


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The Lord said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your family will be responsible for any sins against the holy place. You and your sons will also be responsible for any sins you commit when you work as priests.


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Bring the other Levites from your ancestor's tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise.


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They will work for you, doing whatever work is necessary for the whole tent. But they must not come near the altar or the furnishings in the holy place, or they will die, and you will die, too.


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They will join you and do whatever work is necessary for the tent of meeting, including all the maintenance work for the tent. But no one else may come near you.


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"You must be in charge of the work done at the holy place and at the altar. Then I won't show my anger against the Israelites again.


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I have chosen the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to the Lord to do whatever work is necessary at the tent of meeting.


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Only you and your sons may do the work of priests—everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near {the holy place to do this work} must die."


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The Lord said to Aaron, "I am putting you in charge of all the contributions given to me. I am giving you and your descendants all the holy gifts from the Israelites as your share. These contributions will always be yours.


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That part of the most holy offerings which is not burned belongs to you. It may come from a grain offering, an offering for sin, or a guilt offering. Whatever is brought to me as a most holy offering will belong to you and your sons.


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"The contributions that come as gifts taken from the offerings presented by the Israelites are also yours. I am giving these to you, your sons, and your daughters. They will always be yours. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat them.


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"I am also giving you the first of the produce they give the Lord: the best of all the olive oil and the best of the new wine and fresh grain.


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The first of all produce harvested in their land that they bring to the Lord is yours. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat it.


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Every firstborn male, human or animal, that is brought to the Lord is yours. But you must buy back every firstborn son and the firstborn male of any unclean animal.


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When they are one month old, you must buy them back at the fixed price of two ounces of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.


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"But you must never buy back a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat. They are holy. Throw the blood from these animals against the altar, and burn the fat as an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.


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I am giving you, your sons, and your daughters all the holy contributions the Israelites bring to the Lord. These contributions will always be yours. It is an everlasting promise of salt in the Lord's presence for you and your descendants."


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The Lord said to Aaron, "You will have no land or property of your own as the other Israelites will have. I am your possession and your property among the Israelites.


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"I am giving the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting.


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The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they'll suffer the consequences of their sin and die.


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Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for their own sins. This is a permanent law for future generations. They will own no property as the other Israelites will.


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Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to the Lord—one-tenth of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them, 'They will own no property as the other Israelites do.' "


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"Speak to the Levites and say to them: You will take one-tenth of the Israelites' income which I'm giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to the Lord.


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Your contribution will be considered to be grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.


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So you, too, will contribute one-tenth of your income to the Lord out of all that you receive from the Israelites' income. You will give the Lord's contribution to the priest Aaron.


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"Also tell them: When you contribute the best part, your contribution will be considered to be produce from the threshing floor or winepress.


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So you and your households may eat it anywhere, because it's the wages you receive for your work at the tent of meeting.


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When you contribute the best part, you won't suffer the consequences of any sin. You won't be dishonoring the holy offerings given by the Israelites, and you won't die."


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"This is what the Lord's teachings have commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red cow that is perfect, with no defects. Also, it must never have worn a yoke.


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The priest Eleazar will take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting.


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The priest will take some cedar wood, a hyssop sprig, and some red yarn and throw them onto the burning cow.


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The priest must then wash his clothes and his body. After that, he may go into the camp. But he will be unclean until evening.


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The person who burned the calf must also wash his clothes and his body. He, too, will be unclean until evening.


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"A man who is clean will collect the ashes from the cow and put them in a clean place outside the camp. They will be kept by the community of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin.


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The person who collected the ashes from the cow must also wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. This will be a permanent law for the Israelites and for the foreigners who live with them.


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The unclean person must use this water on the third day and the seventh day to take away his sin. Then he will be clean. But if he doesn't use this water on the third day and the seventh day, he will not be clean.


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Whoever touches the dead body of a human being and doesn't use this water to take away his sin makes the Lord's tent unclean. That person must be excluded from Israel, because the water that takes away uncleanness wasn't sprinkled on him. He is unclean; his uncleanness stays with him.


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"These are your instructions for when a person dies in a tent: Everyone who goes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be unclean for seven days.


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"Whoever is outdoors and touches someone who was killed or has died naturally or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave will be unclean for seven days.


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"{This is what you must do} for people who become unclean from touching a dead body. Put some of the ashes from the red cow that was burned as an offering for sin into a container. Then pour fresh water on them.


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A person who is clean will take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and all the people who were in the tent {with the dead body}. He must also sprinkle any person who has touched a human bone or a grave and any person who has touched someone who has been killed or who has died naturally.


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A person who is clean will sprinkle these types of unclean people on the third day and the seventh day. On the seventh day the clean person will finish taking away their sins. Then they must wash their clothes and bodies, and in the evening they will be clean.


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But if the person who becomes unclean doesn't have his sin taken away, that person must be excluded from the assembly. He has made the holy place of the Lord unclean. The water to take away uncleanness wasn't sprinkled on him. He is unclean.


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This will be a permanent law for them. "Whoever sprinkles the water to take away uncleanness must wash his clothes. And whoever touches this water will be unclean until evening.


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Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and the person who touches it will be unclean until evening."


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In the first month the whole community of Israel came into the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.


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The people complained to Moses and said, "If only we had died when the other Israelites died in the Lord's presence!


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Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us into this terrible place? This is no place to plant crops. Even figs, grapes, and pomegranates won't grow here. And there's no water to drink!"


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Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.


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"Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink."


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Then Moses and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock and said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?"


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Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank.


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But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "You didn't trust me! You didn't show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I'm giving them."


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This was the oasis of Meribah Complaining, where the Israelites complained about the Lord and where he showed them he was holy.


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Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. He said, "This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardships we've had.


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Our ancestors went to Egypt, and we lived there for many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our ancestors.


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When we cried out to the Lord, he heard us, sent a messenger, and brought us out of Egypt. "Now we're here in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.


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Please let us go through your country. We won't go through any of your fields or vineyards, or drink any of the water from your wells. We'll stay on the king's highway and never leave it until we've passed through your territory."


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But the Edomites answered, "You may not pass through our country. If you try, we'll come out and attack you."


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The Israelites replied, "We'll stay on the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we'll pay for it. We want to pass through on foot. That's all."


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But the Edomites said, "You may not pass through." Then they came out and attacked with many well-armed troops.


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Since the Edomites refused to let Israel go through their territory, the Israelites turned around and went a different way.


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"Aaron must now join his ancestors {in death}, since he cannot enter the land I'm giving the Israelites. This is because you both rebelled against my command at the oasis of Meribah.


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Take off Aaron's priestly clothes, and put them on his son Eleazar. Then Aaron will die there and join {his ancestors}."


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Moses took off Aaron's priestly clothes and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.


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When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were coming on the road to Atharim, he fought them and took some of them as prisoners.


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Then the Israelites made this vow to the Lord: "If you will hand these people over to us, we'll destroy their cities because you've claimed them."


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The Lord listened to the Israelites and handed the Canaanites over to them. They destroyed the Canaanites and their cities. So they called the place Hormah Claimed for Destruction.


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Then they moved from Mount Hor, following the road that goes to the Red Sea, in order to get around Edom. The people became impatient on the trip


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and criticized God and Moses. They said, "Why did you make us leave Egypt—just to let us die in the desert? There's no bread or water, and we can't stand this awful food!"


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So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people. They bit the people, and many of the Israelites died.


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The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we criticized the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord so that he will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake, and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."


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So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the bronze snake after they were bitten, and they lived.


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They moved from there and set up camp on the other side of the Arnon Valley in the desert that extends into Amorite territory. (The Arnon Valley is the border between Moab and the Amorites.)


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This is how it's described in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: "...Waheb in Suphah and the valleys,


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Arnon and the slopes of the valleys that go down to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab ."


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From there they went to Beer Well. This is the well where the Lord said to Moses, "Gather the people, and I will give them water."


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the well dug by princes, dug out by the nobles of the people with their scepters and staffs." From the desert they went to Mattanah,


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"Let us go through your country. We won't go through any of your fields or vineyards or drink any of the water from your wells. We'll stay on the king's highway until we've passed through your territory."


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Sihon wouldn't let Israel pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his troops and came out into the desert to attack Israel. When Sihon's troops came to Jahaz, they fought against Israel.


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But Israel defeated them in battle and took possession of their land from the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River. {They stopped at} the border of the Ammon because it was fortified.


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Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had fought the former king of Moab and had taken all his land up to the Arnon Valley.


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Fire came out of Heshbon, flames from Sihon's city. They destroyed Ar of Moab, the rulers of Arnon's worship sites.


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How horrible it is for you, Moab! You are destroyed, you people of the god Chemosh. Chemosh let his sons become refugees and he let his daughters become prisoners of King Sihon of the Amorites.


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But we shot the Amorites full of arrows. From Heshbon to Dibon they all died. We destroyed everyone and everything between Nophah and Medeba."


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After Moses sent spies to Jazer, the Israelites captured its cities and villages and forced out the Amorites who were there.


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Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of him. I'll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon."


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The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.


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Then the Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho, on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River.


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The Moabites were very afraid because there were so many Israelites. Besides, the Moabites couldn't stand these people.


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So the Moabites said to the leaders of Midian, "All those people will eventually eat up everything around us the same way an ox eats up the grass in a field." At that time Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab.


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He sent messengers to summon Balaam, son of Beor, who was at Pethor, on the Euphrates River, in the land where his people lived. Balak's message was, "A nation has just come here from Egypt. They've spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me.


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Please come and curse these people for me, because they are too strong for me. Maybe then I'll be able to defeat them and force them out of the country. I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed."


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The leaders of Moab and Midian left, taking money with them to pay for Balaam's services. They came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.


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"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I'll report to you what the Lord tells me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.


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'Some people have just come from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I'll be able to fight them and force them out.' "


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When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, because the Lord has refused to let me go with you."


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When they came to Balaam, they said to him, "This is what Balak, son of Zippor, says: Don't let anything keep you from coming to me.


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I will make sure you are richly rewarded, and I will do whatever you ask. Please, come and curse these people for me."


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But Balaam answered Balak's servants, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I couldn't disobey the command of the Lord my God no matter whether the request was important or not.


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Now, why don't you stay here tonight, as the others did, and I'll find out what else the Lord may have to tell me."


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That night God came to Balaam and said, "If these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."


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God became angry that he was going. So the Messenger of the Lord stood in the road to stop him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants.


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When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn, the donkey turned off the road into a field. Balaam hit the donkey to get it back on the road.


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Where the road went through the vineyards, it was narrow, with stone walls on both sides. Now the Messenger of the Lord stood there.


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When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord, it moved over and pinned Balaam's foot against the wall. So Balaam hit the donkey again.


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Then the Messenger of the Lord moved ahead and stood in a narrower place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left.


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When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam. Balaam became so angry he hit the donkey with his stick.


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Then the Lord made the donkey speak, and it asked Balaam, "What have I done to make you hit me three times?"


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The donkey said to Balaam, "I'm your own donkey. You've always ridden me. Have I ever done this to you before?" "No," he answered.


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Then the Lord let Balaam see the Messenger of the Lord who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. So Balaam knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground.


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The Messenger of the Lord asked him, "Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I've come here to stop you because the trip you're taking is evil.


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The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey."


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Balaam said to the Messenger of the Lord, "I've sinned. I didn't know you were standing there in the road to stop me. If you still think this trip is evil, I'll go back."


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The Messenger of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but say only what I tell you." So Balaam went with Balak's princes.


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When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir Moab, in the region of the Arnon Valley, right on the border of Moab.


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Balak said to Balaam, "Why didn't you come when I summoned you? You knew I'd be able to reward you."


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Balaam replied, "Well, I've come to you now. But I can't say whatever I want to. I can only say what God tells me to say."


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Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats, and sent some of the meat to Balaam and the princes who were with him.


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The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the Israelites' camp.


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Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering while I'm gone. Maybe the Lord will come and meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." Then Balaam went off to a higher place where there were no trees.


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God came to him, and Balaam said, "I have set up seven altars, and I offered a bull and a ram on each altar."


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So he went back to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with all the princes of Moab.


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Then Balaam delivered this message: "Balak brought me from Aram. The king of Moab summoned me from the eastern mountains. 'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said. 'Come, condemn Israel.'


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How can I curse those whom God hasn't cursed? How can I condemn those whom the Lord hasn't condemned?


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I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, I look at them from the hills. I see a nation that lives by itself, people who do not consider themselves to be like other nations.


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The descendants of Jacob are like specks of dust. Who can count them or number even one-fourth of the people of Israel? Let me die the death of innocent people. Let my end be like theirs."


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Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you've done is bless them!"


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Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, where you can see the Israelites. You will see only some of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there."


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So he took him to the Field of Zophim on top of Mount Pisgah, where he built seven altars. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar.


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He came to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"


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God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn't change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.


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He doesn't want any trouble for the descendants of Jacob. He sees no misfortune for the people of Israel. The Lord their God is with them, praised as their king.


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No spell can curse the descendants of Jacob. No magic can harm the people of Israel. Now it will be said of Jacob and Israel: 'See what God has done!'


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Here is a nation that attacks like a lioness and is as ferocious as a lion. It doesn't lie down until it eats its prey and drinks the blood of its victim."


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Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Maybe God wants you to curse them for me from there."


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When Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, he didn't look for omens as he had done before. He turned toward the desert,


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and he delivered this message: "This is the message of Balaam, son of Beor. This is the message of the man whose eyesight is clear.


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This is the message of the one who hears the words of God, has a vision from the Almighty, and falls {into a trance} with his eyes open:


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Your tents spread out like rivers, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars by the water.


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Water will flow from their buckets, and their crops will have plenty of water. Their king will be greater than Agag, and their kingdom will be considered the best.


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The God who brought them out of Egypt has the strength of a wild bull. He will devour nations that are his enemies, crush their bones, and pierce them with arrows.


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His people lie down {and} rest like a lion. They are like a lioness. Who dares to disturb them? Those who bless you will be blessed! Those who curse you will be cursed!"


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Balak became angry with Balaam. He clapped his hands and said, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them three times.


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Get out of here! Go home! I said I'd reward you richly, but the Lord has made you lose your reward."


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'Even if Balak would give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I couldn't disobey the Lord's command no matter how good or bad the request might seem to me. I must say only what the Lord says.'


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Even though I'm going back to my people, I'll give you some advice. I'll tell you what these people will do to your people in the days to come."


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Then Balaam delivered this message: "This is the message of Balaam, son of Beor. This is the message of the man whose eyesight is clear.


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This is the message of the one who hears the words of God, receives knowledge from the Most High, has a vision from the Almighty, and falls {into a trance} with his eyes open:


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I see someone who is not here now. I look at someone who is not nearby. A star will come from Jacob. A scepter will rise from Israel. He will crush the heads of the Moabites and destroy all the people of Sheth.


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Then Balaam saw the Amalekites and delivered this message: "Amalek was first among the nations, but in the end it will be destroyed."


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Then he saw the Kenites and delivered this message: "You have a permanent place to live. Your nest is built in a rock.


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But it is destined to be burned, you {descendants of} Cain, when Assyria takes you as prisoners of war."


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Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus. They will conquer Assyria and Eber. But they, too, will be totally destroyed."


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who invited the people to the sacrifices offered to their gods. The people ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped these gods.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people, and execute them in broad daylight in the Lord's presence. This will turn the Lord's anger away from Israel."


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So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you must kill the men who have joined in worshiping the god Baal of Peor."


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One of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman to his brothers. He did this right in front of Moses and the whole community of Israel while they were crying at the entrance to the tent of meeting.


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Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, saw this. So he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand,


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and went into the tent after the Israelite man. He drove the spear through the man and into the woman's body. Because of this, the plague that the Israelites were experiencing stopped.


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"Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, turned my fury away from the Israelites. Since he stood up for me, I didn't have to stand up for myself and destroy them.


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My promise is that he and his descendants will be priests permanently because he stood up for his God and he made peace with the Lord for the Israelites."


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The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu. (Salu was the leader of a family from Simeon.)


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The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi, daughter of Zur. (Zur was the head of a family from the Midianite tribes.)


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because they treated you as enemies. They plotted to trick you in the incident that took place at Peor. They used their sister Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed on the day of the plague caused by the incident at Peor."


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"Take a census of the whole community of Israel by households. List those who are at least 20 years old and eligible for military duty."


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So Moses and the priest Eleazar spoke to the Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho. They said,


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"Take a census of those at least 20 years old, as the Lord commanded Moses." These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:


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Reuben was Israel's firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu,


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and Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. (It was Dathan and Abiram, men chosen by the community, who defied Moses and Aaron's authority. They joined Korah's followers when they defied the Lord's authority.


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The ground opened up and swallowed them along with Korah. They and their followers died when the fire consumed the 250 men. This was a warning.


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The families descended from Simeon were the family of Nemuel, the family of Jamin, the family of Jakin,


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The families descended from Gad were the family of Zephon, the family of Haggi, the family of Shuni,


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The families descended from Judah were the family of Shelah, the family of Perez, and the family of Zerah.


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The families descended from Zebulun were the family of Sered, the family of Elon, and the family of Jahleel.


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(Zelophehad, son of Hepher, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.)


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The families descended from Ephraim were the family of Shuthelah, the family of Beker, and the family of Tahan.


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These were the families of Ephraim's descendants. The total number of men was 32,500. These were the families descended from Joseph.


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The families descended from Benjamin were the family of Bela, the family of Ashbel, the family of Ahiram,


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The families descended from Asher were the family of Imnah, the family of Ishvi, and the family of Beriah.


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Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals {from the census} in giving land to each tribe.


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But the land must be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors.


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The families descended from Levi were listed as the family of Gershon, the family of Kohath, and the family of Merari.


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These were the families of Levi: the Libnite family, the Hebronite family, the Mahlite family, the Mushite family, and the Korahite family. Kohath was the ancestor of Amram.


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The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amram's children: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.


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The total number of all the {Levite} males at least one month old was 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.


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Moses and the priest Eleazar added up the total number of Israelites on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.


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Among them there wasn't a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai.


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The Lord had said, "They must all die in the desert." The only ones left were Caleb (son of Jephunneh) and Joshua (son of Nun).


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The daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, grandson of Gilead, descendant of Machir, whose father was Manasseh, belonged to the families of Manasseh, son of Joseph. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They came


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to Moses and stood in front of him, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the whole community at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They said,


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"Our father died in the desert. He was not a part of Korah's followers who joined forces against the Lord. He died for his own sin and left no sons.


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Why should our father's name be allowed to die out in his family because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."


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"Zelophehad's daughters are right. You must give them property of their own among their father's relatives. Turn their father's property over to them.


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If he has no uncles, give his property to the nearest relative in his family, and that relative will take possession of it. This will be a rule for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses."


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The Lord said to Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Mountains, and take a look at the land I will give the Israelites.


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You both rebelled against my command in the Desert of Zin. You didn't show the people how holy I am when they were complaining at the oasis." (This was the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)


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"Lord, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone. Please appoint someone over the community


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who will lead them in and out {of battle} so that the Lord's community will not be like sheep without a shepherd."


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So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit, and place your hand on him.


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Make him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community, and give him his instructions in their presence.


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He will stand in front of the priest Eleazar, who will use the Urim to make decisions in the Lord's presence. At his command Joshua and the whole community of Israel will go into battle. And at his command they will return."


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Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand in front of the priest Eleazar and the whole community.


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"Give this command to the Israelites: Be sure to bring me my offerings at the right times. They are my food. They are offerings by fire, a soothing aroma.


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These are the offerings by fire that you must bring to the Lord. Every day you must bring as a daily burnt offering two one-year-old lambs that have no defects.


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{With each of them} also bring a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of virgin olive oil.


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This is the daily burnt offering which was established on Mount Sinai. This offering is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.


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Also bring a wine offering of one quart of wine for each lamb. Pour it out to the Lord in a holy place.


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Offer the other lamb at dusk along with the same grain offering and wine offering as you brought in the morning. This is an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord.


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"On the day of worship offer two one-year-old lambs that have no defects, a grain offering of 16 cups of flour mixed with olive oil, and the wine offering that goes with it.


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This burnt offering is for every day of worship in addition to the daily burnt offerings and the wine offerings that go with them.


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"On the first of every month bring the Lord a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects.


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With each bull there will be a grain offering of 24 cups of flour mixed with olive oil, with each ram a grain offering of 16 cups of flour mixed with olive oil,


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and with each one-year-old lamb a grain offering of 8 cups of flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.


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The wine offering that goes with each bull will be 2 quarts of wine, with each ram 1 1/2 quarts of wine, and with each lamb 1 quart of wine. This will be the monthly burnt offering for every month of the year.


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In addition to the daily burnt offering with its wine offering, one male goat must be offered to the Lord as an offering for sin.


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The fifteenth of this same month is a pilgrimage festival. For seven days you must eat only unleavened bread.


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Instead, bring the Lord an offering by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects.


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Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each bull, 16 cups for each ram,


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Bring all these offerings on each of the seven days. They are food. They are offerings by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord. They will be offered in addition to the daily burnt offering and the wine offering that goes with it.


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"During the Festival of Weeks, you must have a holy assembly. On that day you must not do any regular work. Bring the Lord your new grain offering, the first produce harvested from your fields.


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Bring a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to the Lord—two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs.


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Offer these animals that have no defects along with their wine offerings, in addition to the daily burnt offerings and their grain offerings."


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{The Lord continued,} "On the first day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. It is a day for {the trumpets to sound} a fanfare.


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As a burnt offering, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects.


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Offer these in addition to the monthly burnt offering with its grain offering, and the daily burnt offerings with their proper grain offerings and wine offerings. They are a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the Lord.


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"On the tenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must humble yourselves. You must not do any work.


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As a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, bring one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects.


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Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin (in addition to the {other} offering for sin to make peace with the Lord) and the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.


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"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. Instead, celebrate a festival to the Lord for seven days.


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As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring 13 young bulls, 2 rams, and 14 one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects.


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Along with them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring 24 cups for each of the 13 bulls, 16 cups for each of the 2 rams,


text:
Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin in addition to the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.


text:
Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for each of the bulls, rams, and lambs.


text:
As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, bring one bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects.


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Along with them bring the proper amount of grain offerings and wine offerings for the bull, the ram, and the lambs.


text:
"These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord at your festivals. They are the offerings you must bring in addition to the offerings for anything you vowed to give to the Lord, your freewill offerings, your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your wine offerings, and your fellowship offerings."


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If a man makes a vow to the Lord that he will do something or swears an oath that he won't do something, he must not break his word. He must do everything he said he would do.


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"A young girl, who still lives in her father's house, might make a vow to the Lord that she will do something or swear an oath that she won't do something.


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But if her father objects when he hears about it, her vow or oath doesn't have to be kept. The Lord will free her {from this vow or oath} because her father objected.


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"An unmarried woman might make a vow that she will do something or carelessly promise that she won't do something. When she marries,


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But if her husband objects when he hears about it, he can cancel the vow or promise she made. The Lord will free her {from this vow or promise}.


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"A married woman might make a vow that she will do something or swear an oath that she won't do something.


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Her husband may hear about it but may say nothing and not object. Then her vow or oath must be kept.


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But if her husband cancels it when he hears about it, nothing she said in her vow or oath has to be kept. Her husband has canceled it, and the Lord will free her {from this vow or oath}.


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"A husband decides whether or not his wife has to keep any vow to do something or any oath to do without something.


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If he says nothing to her about it day after day, this means he's decided that she must keep her vow or oath. She must keep it because he said nothing to her when he heard about it.


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These are the laws the Lord gave Moses for husbands and wives, and for fathers with young daughters still living at home.


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"Get even with the Midianites for what they did to the Israelites. After that you will join your ancestors {in death}."


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Moses said to the people, "Some of your men must get ready to go to war against the Midianites. The Lord will use them to get even with Midian.


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Then Moses sent them off to war, 1,000 men from each tribe along with Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar. Phinehas took with him the holy articles and the trumpets for the fanfare.


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Among those killed were the five kings of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They also killed Balaam, son of Beor, in battle.


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The Israelites took the Midianite women and children as prisoners of war. They also took all their animals, their livestock, and their valuables as loot.


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and brought the prisoners of war, the loot, and everything to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the community of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.


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Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the commanders of the companies and battalions, who were returning from battle.


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"Remember, they were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the incident that took place at Peor. The Lord's community experienced a plague at that time.


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"Everyone who killed a person or touched a dead body must stay outside the camp seven days. You and your prisoners of war must use the ritual water on the third and seventh days in order to take away your sin.


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Then the priest Eleazar said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is what the Lord's teachings told Moses to do:


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anything that won't burn—must be put through fire in order to make it clean. Then it must also be put through the ritual water in order to take away its sin. Whatever might burn must {only} be put through the ritual water.


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"You, the priest Eleazar, and the heads of the families of the community need to count all the loot, including the people and animals you captured.


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Collect a tax for the Lord. From the soldiers who served in the war collect one out of every 500 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.


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Collect all these things from the soldiers' half of the loot, and give them to the priest Eleazar as a contribution to the Lord.


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From the Israelites' half of the loot, collect one out of every 50 things. This includes people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and every other kind of animal. Give them to the Levites who are in charge of the work done at the Lord's tent."


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Half of it went to the soldiers who served in the war. Of the 337,500 sheep and goats they received,


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From the Israelites' half Moses collected one out of every 50 things, including people and animals, as the Lord commanded him. Then he gave all this to the Levites who were in charge of the work done at the Lord's tent.


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Then the officers from the military divisions, the commanders of the companies and battalions of men, came to Moses.


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They said to him, "Sir, we have counted all the soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing.


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So we have brought as gifts to the Lord the gold jewelry that each of us found—arm bands, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and pendants. We offer them to make peace with the Lord."


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Moses and the priest Eleazar took the gold from the commanders and brought it into the Lord's presence at the tent of meeting as a reminder to the Israelites.


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The tribes of Reuben and Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw that the regions of Jazer and Gilead were a good place for livestock.


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the land that the Lord won for the community of Israel, is a good place for livestock. Gentlemen, we have livestock.


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Moses asked the tribes of Gad and Reuben, "Are you going to stay here while the rest of the Israelites go to war?


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They went as far as the Eshcol Valley and saw the land. But then they discouraged the rest of the Israelites from entering the land that the Lord had given them.


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'None of the people 20 years old or older, who came from Egypt, will see the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath. This is because they didn't wholeheartedly follow me.'


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Only Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite) and Joshua (son of Nun) will get to see the land. This is because they wholeheartedly followed the Lord.


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Since the Lord was angry with the Israelites, he made them wander in the desert for 40 years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in the Lord's presence was gone.


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"You're just like your parents! You're a bunch of sinners trying to make the Lord angry with Israel again.


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If you turn away from him, he will abandon all these people in the desert. You would be responsible for their destruction."


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Then the tribes of Gad and Reuben came up to Moses and said, "Allow us to build stone fences for our livestock and cities for our families here.


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Then we'll be ready {to march} in battle formation ahead of the other Israelites until we have brought them to their land. Meanwhile our families will live in walled cities, safe from the other people who live here.


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We won't take possession of any land on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west and beyond. We already have our land here, east of the Jordan."


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Moses answered, "Do what you have said. In the Lord's presence have all your armed men get ready for battle.


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and the land is conquered. Then you may come back. You will have fulfilled your military duty to the Lord and Israel. This land will be your own property in the Lord's presence.


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"If you don't do all these things, you will be sinning against the Lord. You can be sure that you will be punished for your sin.


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Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our other animals will stay here in the cities of Gilead.


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So Moses gave orders about them to the priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the family heads of the tribes of Israel.


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Moses told them, "If the tribes of Gad and Reuben get ready for battle in the Lord's presence and cross the Jordan River with you and you conquer the land, give them Gilead as their own property.


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If they don't get ready for battle and go with you, the land they will take possession of must be in Canaan with yours."


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We will enter Canaan as armed troops in the Lord's presence, but the land we will take possession of is here, east of the Jordan."


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So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.


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Nebo, Baal Meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. These are the names they gave the cities they rebuilt.


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The descendants of Machir, son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, captured it, and forced out the Amorites who were there.


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Then Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured the settlements in Gilead. He called them Havvoth Jair Settlements of Jair.


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This is a list of all the places where the Israelites set up camp after they left Egypt in organized groups under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.


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At the Lord's command Moses wrote down the places where they went as they traveled. This is the list:


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They moved from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. The Israelites boldly left in full view of all the Egyptians.


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The Egyptians were burying all their firstborn sons, whom the Lord had killed in a mighty act of judgment on their gods.


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They moved from Etham and turned back to Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon, and set up camp near Migdol.


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They moved from Pi Hahiroth and went through the middle of the sea into the desert. After they traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they set up camp at Marah.


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They moved from Marah and came to Elim. Elim had 12 springs and 70 palm trees, so they set up camp there.


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They moved from Alush and set up camp at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.


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At the Lord's command the priest Aaron went up on Mount Hor. He died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites had left Egypt.


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(The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, which was in Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.)


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They moved from the Abarim Mountains and set up camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.


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They set up camp on the plains of Moab along the Jordan. Their camp extended from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.


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As you advance, force out all the people who live there. Get rid of all their stone and metal idols, and destroy all their places of worship.


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Divide the land among your families by drawing lots. Give more land to larger families and less land to smaller ones. The land must be given to each family by drawing lots. Divide it among your ancestors' tribes.


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"'But if you do not force out those who live in the land, they will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will constantly fight with you over the land you live in.


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"Give the Israelites these instructions. When you enter Canaan, the land that will be given to you as your inheritance has these borders:


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"The southern side includes part of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. In the east the southern border starts from the end of the Dead Sea


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and turns south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then goes past Zin and ends at Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon.


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From Shepham the border goes down to Riblah, east of Ain, and continues along the eastern slope of the Sea of Galilee.


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Then the border goes along the Jordan River so that it ends at the Dead Sea. "This will be your land and the borders around it."


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Moses commanded the Israelites, "This is the land you will divide by drawing lots. The Lord has commanded that this land will be given to the nine-and-a-half tribes.


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The households from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have already received their land.


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"These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you: the priest Eleazar and Joshua, son of Nun.


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Kemuel, son of Shiphtan, the leader of the tribe of Ephraim; (Manasseh and Ephraim are Joseph's descendants.)


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"Tell the Israelites to give the Levites some cities from their own property. They must also give the Levites the pastureland around those cities.


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Then the Levites will have cities to live in and pastureland for their cattle, the flocks they own, and any other animals they have.


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Outside the city measure off 3,000 feet on the east side, 3,000 feet on the south side, 3,000 feet on the west side, and 3,000 feet on the north side, with the city in the center. This will be their pastureland around the city.


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"Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of refuge. You must allow murderers to escape to these cities. In addition, you must also give the Levites 42 other cities.


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The cities you give the Levites from the property of the other Israelites must be given based on the amount of land each tribe owns. Take more cities from larger tribes and fewer from smaller tribes."


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select certain cities to be places of refuge. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may run to them.


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These cities will be places of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death. So anyone accused of murder will not have to die until he has had a trial in front of the community.


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These six cities will be places of refuge for Israelites, foreigners, and strangers among you. Anyone who unintentionally kills another person may flee to these cities.


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"But if any of you uses an iron weapon to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death.


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If any of you picks up a stone as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death.


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Or if any of you picks up a piece of wood as a weapon and uses it to kill another person, you are a murderer. Murderers must be put to death.


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The relative who can avenge the death must make sure a murderer is put to death. When he catches up with the murderer, he must kill him.


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or if you beat your enemy to death with your bare hands, you must be put to death. You are a murderer. The relative who can avenge the death must kill you when he catches up with you, because you are a murderer.


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"But suppose you accidentally kill someone who wasn't your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but didn't mean to kill him.


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Or suppose you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you didn't know the person was there, he wasn't your enemy, and you weren't trying to harm him.


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Then the community must use these rules in order to decide if you {are innocent} or if the dead person's relative can avenge the death.


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{If you are innocent,} the community must protect you from that relative. They must take you back to the city of refuge you fled to. You must live there until the death of the chief priest who was anointed with the holy oil.


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If the relative who can avenge the death finds you outside the city of refuge and kills you, the relative is not guilty of murder.


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Accused murderers must stay in their city of refuge until the death of the chief priest. They may go back to their own property only after his death.


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"Whoever kills another person will be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of more than one witness. No one can be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.


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"Never accept a cash payment in exchange for the life of a convicted murderer who has been given the death penalty. Murderers must be put to death.


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"An accused murderer who has fled to a city of refuge must never go back and live on his own land before the death of the chief priest. Don't accept a cash payment to allow him to do this.


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"You must not pollute the land where you live. Murder is what pollutes the land. The land where a murder was committed can never make peace with the Lord except through the death of the murderer.


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The heads of the households whose families were descended from Gilead, son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh (families of Joseph's descendants), came and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the other Israelite households.


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They said, "Sir, the Lord commanded you to give the Israelites their land by drawing lots. The Lord also commanded you to give the land of our relative Zelophehad to his daughters.


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Suppose they marry men from the other tribes of Israel. Their land will be taken away from that of our ancestors and added to the land of the tribe they marry into. Then we will have lost part of our land.


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When the Israelites' jubilee year comes, their land will be added to that of the tribe they married into. Then part of the land of our ancestors' tribe will be gone."


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This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they want to, but only within a family of their ancestor's tribe.


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In this way no land of the Israelites will pass from one tribe to another. Every Israelite must keep the tribal land inherited from his ancestors.


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A woman who inherits land in any of the tribes of Israel may marry a man from any family in her ancestor's tribe. In this way every Israelite keeps the land inherited from his ancestors.


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Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins on their father's side of the family.


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They married within the families of the descendants of Manasseh, son of Joseph. So their land stayed in the tribe of their father's family.


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These are the commands and rules the Lord gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.


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This is the speech Moses gave in the desert east of the Jordan River, on the plains, near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and near Laban, Hazeroth, and Di Zahab. He spoke to all the Israelites.


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On the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year {after they had left Egypt}, Moses told the Israelites everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them.


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This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.


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The Israelites were east of the Jordan River in Moab when Moses began to review God's teachings. This is what he said:


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Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.


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I'm giving you this land. Enter, and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to you, their descendants."


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The Lord your God has made your population increase so that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky.


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May the Lord God of your ancestors make you a thousand times more numerous, and may he bless you as he has promised.


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From each of your tribes, choose some men who are wise, intelligent, and experienced, and I'll appoint them to be your leaders."


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So I took the heads of your tribes who were wise and experienced men and made them officers for each of your tribes. I put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people.


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Also at that time I gave these instructions to your judges: "Hear the cases that your people bring. Judge each case fairly, no matter whether it is {a dispute} between two Israelites or {a dispute} between an Israelite and a non-Israelite.


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Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that's too hard for you, and I will hear it."


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So we left Mount Horeb, as the Lord our God had commanded. We traveled through all that vast and dangerous desert you saw on the way to the mountain region of the Amorites. At last we came to Kadesh Barnea.


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Then I said to you, "We have come to the mountain region of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.


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The Lord your God is giving you this land. Go ahead! Take possession of it, as the Lord God of your ancestors told you. Don't be afraid or terrified."


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All of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead of us to gather information about the land for us. Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we'll come to."


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They took some of the region's fruit with them and brought it back to us. They reported, "The land that the Lord our God is giving us is good."


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You complained in your tents and said, "The Lord hates us! That's why he brought us out of Egypt. He wanted to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us!


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Where are we going anyway? Our own men have discouraged us by saying, 'The people there are taller and stronger than we are. The cities are big with sky-high walls! We even saw the people of Anak there.' "


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The Lord your God, who is going ahead of you, will fight for you as you saw him fight for you in Egypt


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and in the desert." There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as parents carry their children. He carried you wherever you went until you came to this place.


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who went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He appeared in a column of fire at night and in a column of smoke during the day to show you which route to take.


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except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give the land that he set his feet on to him and his descendants, because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord."


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But your assistant Joshua, son of Nun, will go there. Encourage him, because he will help Israel take possession of the land.


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Although you thought the little children would be captured in war, your children, who are still too young to know the difference between good and evil, will enter that land. I will give it to them, and they will take possession of it.


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You responded, "We have sinned against the Lord. We'll go and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us to do." Each of you armed yourself for war, thinking you could easily invade the mountain region.


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But the Lord said to me, "Tell them, 'Don't go and fight, because I won't be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.' "


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The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They defeated you, chasing you from Seir all the way to Hormah.


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We went back into the desert, following the road that goes to the Red Sea as the Lord had told me. For a long time we traveled around the region of Mount Seir.


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Give the people these instructions: 'You're going to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They'll be afraid of you, but be very careful.


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Don't start a fight with them, because I'm not giving you any of their land—not even enough to stand on. I've given Esau's descendants the region of Mount Seir as their property.


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The Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched over you as you traveled through this vast desert. For 40 years now the Lord your God has been with you, and you haven't needed a thing.


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So we passed by our relatives, the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir. We turned off the road that goes through the plains to Elath and Ezion Geber and took the road that goes through the desert of Moab.


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The Lord said to me, "Don't bother the people of Moab or start a war with them. I'm not giving you any of Ar as your property. I have given it to the descendants of Lot."


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The Emites used to live there. These people were as strong, as numerous, and as tall as the people of Anak.


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The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau claimed their land, wiped them out, and took their place, as Israel did in the land that the Lord gave them.


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Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered River. During that time all our soldiers from that generation died, as the Lord had sworn they would.


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When you come near the Ammonites, don't bother them or start a fight with them. I'm not giving you any of the land that I have already given to the descendants of Lot as their property."


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This land was thought of as the land of the Rephaim who used to live there, but the Ammonites called them Zamzummim.


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These people were as strong, as numerous, and as tall as the people of Anak. But the Lord wiped them out before the Ammonites came so that the Ammonites claimed their land and took their place.


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The Lord did the same thing for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir. Before the descendants of Esau came, he wiped out the Horites so that Esau's descendants claimed their land and took their place. Esau's descendants are still there today.


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The same thing happened to the Avvites who lived in villages as far away as Gaza. The Caphtorites, who came from Crete, wiped them out and took their place.


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{The Lord continued,} "Now break camp. Cross the Arnon Valley. I'm going to hand King Sihon of Heshbon, the Amorite, over to you. Fight him, and take possession of his country.


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Today I will start to make all the people under heaven terrified of you. When they hear about you, they will tremble and shake because of you."


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From the desert of Kedemoth, I sent messengers to King Sihon of Heshbon with the following offer of peace:


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"If you allow us to travel through your country, we'll go straight through and won't ever leave the road.


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as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us. We'll keep going until we cross the Jordan River into the land the Lord our God is giving us."


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But King Sihon of Heshbon wouldn't allow us to pass through. The Lord your God made him stubborn and overconfident in order to hand him over to you, as he has now done.


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The Lord said to me, "I have begun to give you Sihon and his country. Go ahead! Take possession of his land."


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At that time we captured all his cities and claimed them for God by destroying men, women, and children. There were no survivors.


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From Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley and the city in that valley as far as Gilead, no city had walls that could keep us out. The Lord our God gave us all of them.


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But the Lord our God had forbidden you to go anywhere near the land of the Ammonites. So you didn't enter the land along the bank of the Jabbok River or capture the cities in the mountains.


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Next we turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came to fight us at Edrei.


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The Lord said to me, "Don't be afraid of him. I'll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon."


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So the Lord our God also handed King Og of Bashan and all his troops over to us. We defeated him, leaving no survivors.


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At that time we captured all of his cities. There wasn't a city we didn't take. We captured a total of 60 cities—the whole territory of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.


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All of these cities were fortified with high walls and double-door gates with bars across the gates. We also captured a large number of unwalled villages.


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We claimed them all for God, destroying every city, including men, women, and children—as we did to King Sihon of Heshbon.


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We took the land of the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon.


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We took all of the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salcah and Edrei, cities of Og's kingdom in Bashan.


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(Of the Rephaim only King Og of Bashan was left. His bed was made of iron and was more than 13 feet long and 6 feet wide. It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)


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At that time we took possession of this land. I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad the land north of Aroer near the Arnon Valley and half of the mountain region of Gilead with its cities.


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I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan ruled by Og to half of the tribe of Manasseh. (The whole territory of Argob in Bashan used to be called the land of the Rephaim.


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Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole territory of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites. The settlements in Bashan he named Havvoth Jair after himself. This is still their name today.)


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I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad some of Gilead from the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley is the border) to the Jabbok River, which is the border of Ammon.


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Their land included the plains around the Jordan River. The western border was the river, from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea), which is near Mount Pisgah on the east.


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I gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh this command: "The Lord your God has given you this land so that you can take possession of it. All your soldiers must be ready for battle when they cross {the Jordan River} ahead of the other Israelites.


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I know you have a lot of livestock. Your wives, children, and livestock must stay here in the cities that I gave you.


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Your soldiers will go with the other Israelites until they take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then they will have a place to rest as you have. After that each of you may go back to the land I gave you."


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I also gave Joshua this command: "You have seen with your own eyes everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all of the kingdoms on the other side {of the Jordan River} where you're going.


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"Almighty Lord, you have {only} begun to show me how great and powerful you are. What kind of god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and the mighty acts you have done?


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Please let me go over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan River—those beautiful mountains in Lebanon."


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The Lord was angry with me because of you, so he wouldn't listen to me. He said, "That's enough out of you! Don't talk to me anymore about this.


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Go to the top of Mount Pisgah, and look west, north, south, and east. You may look at the land, but you will never cross the Jordan River.


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Give instructions to Joshua. Encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people across {the Jordan River}, and he will help them take possession of the land you see."


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Israel, listen to the laws and rules I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you will live and be able to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord God of your ancestors is giving you.


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Never add anything to what I command you, or take anything away from it. Then you will be able to obey the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.


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With your own eyes you saw what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed everyone among you who worshiped the god Baal while you were at Peor.


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I have taught you laws and rules as the Lord my God commanded me. You must obey them when you've entered the land and taken possession of it.


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Faithfully obey these laws. This will show the people of the world your wisdom and insight. When they hear about all these laws, they will say, "What wise and insightful people there are in this great nation!"


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What great nation ever had their gods as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we pray to him?


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Or what other great nation has such fair laws and rules as all these teachings I am giving you today?


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However, be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you don't forget the things which you have seen with your own eyes. Don't let them fade from your memory as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.


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Never forget the day you stood in front of the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord had said to me, "Assemble the people in front of me, and I will let them hear my words. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live on earth, and they will teach their children the same thing."


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So you came and stood at the foot of the mountain, which was on fire with flames shooting into the sky. It was dark, cloudy, and gloomy.


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The Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard a voice speaking but saw no one. There was only a voice.


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The Lord told you about the terms of his promise, the ten commandments, which he commanded you to do. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets.


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The Lord also commanded me to teach you the laws and rules you must obey after you cross {the Jordan River} and take possession of the land.


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that you don't become corrupt and make your own carved idols. Don't make statues that represent men or women,


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Don't let yourselves be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, the stars, or anything else. The Lord your God has given them to all people everywhere.


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But you are the people the Lord brought out of Egypt, the iron smelter, in order to make you his own people as you still are today.


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The Lord was angry with me because of you. So the Lord your God took an oath that I wouldn't cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property.


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I'm going to die in this land and not cross the Jordan River, but you're going to go across and take possession of that good land.


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Be careful that you don't forget the promise that the Lord your God made to you. Don't make your own carved idols or statues that represent anything the Lord your God has forbidden.


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Even when you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in that land, don't become corrupt and make carved idols or statues that represent anything. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: If you do this thing that the Lord your God considers evil, making him furious,


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you will quickly disappear from the land you're going to possess on the other side of the Jordan River. You won't live very long there. You'll be completely wiped out.


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The Lord will scatter you among the people of the world, and only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will force you to live.


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There you will worship wooden and stone gods made by human hands. These gods can't see, hear, eat, or smell.


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But if you look for the Lord your God when you are among those nations, you will find him whenever you search for him with all your heart and with all your soul.


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When you're in distress and all these things happen to you, then you will finally come back to the Lord your God and obey him.


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The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that he swore he would keep.


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Search the distant past, long before your time. Start from the very day God created people on earth. Search from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened before, or has anything like it ever been heard of?


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Or has any god ever tried to come and take one nation away from another for himself? The Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to do this for you in Egypt. He did this using plagues, miraculous signs, amazing things, and war. He did his great and awe-inspiring deeds in front of you.


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He let you hear his voice from heaven so that he could instruct you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard him speak from the column of fire.


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Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants, he was with you as he brought you out of Egypt by his great power.


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He forced nations greater and stronger than you out of your way to bring you into their land and give it to you. This land is your own possession today.


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Remember today, and never forget that the Lord is God in heaven above and here on earth. There is no other god.


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Obey his laws and commands which I'm giving you today. Then things will go well for you and your descendants. You will live for a long time in the land. The Lord your God is giving you the land for as long as you live.


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Those who unintentionally killed someone whom they had never hated could flee to one of these cities and save their lives.


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The cities were Bezer on the desert plateau for the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead for the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan for the tribe of Manasseh.


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He gave these to the people when they were east of the Jordan River in the valley near Beth Peor, in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. Moses and Israel defeated him after they left Egypt.


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They took possession of his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites who were east of the Jordan River.


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It included all the plains on the east side of the Jordan River as far as the Dead Sea at the foot of the slopes of Mount Pisgah.


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Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Israel, listen to the laws and rules I'm telling you today. Learn them and faithfully obey them.


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I stood between the Lord and you to tell you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and didn't go up on the mountain. The Lord said:


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"Never use the name of the Lord your God carelessly. The Lord will make sure that anyone who uses his name carelessly will be punished.


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The seventh day is the day of worship dedicated to the Lord your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your oxen, your donkeys—all of your animals—even the foreigners living in your city must never do any work {on that day}. In this way your male and female slaves can rest as you do.


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Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out of there. This is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the day of worship.


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"Honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live for a long time, and things will go well for you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.


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"Never desire to take your neighbor's wife away from him. "Never long for your neighbor's household, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him."


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These are the commandments the Lord spoke to your whole assembly on the mountain. He spoke in a loud voice from the fire, the cloud, and the gloomy darkness. Then he stopped speaking. He wrote the commandments on two stone tablets and gave them to me.


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But when you heard the voice coming from the darkness and saw the mountain blazing with fire, all the leaders and heads of your tribes came to me.


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You said, "The Lord our God has let us see how great and glorious he is. We've heard his voice come from the fire. Today we've seen that people can live even if God speaks to them.


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Why should we die? This great fire will consume us! If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God, we'll die!


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{Moses,} go and listen to everything that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We'll listen and obey."


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When the Lord heard the words that you spoke to me, he said, "I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good.


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If only they would fear me and obey all my commandments as long as they live! Then things would go well for them and their children forever.


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But you stay here with me. I will give you all the commands, laws, and rules that you must teach them to obey in the land which I'm giving them to possess."


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Follow all the directions the Lord your God has given you. Then you will continue to live, life will go well for you, and you will live for a long time in the land that you are going to possess.


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These are the commands, laws, and rules the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. Obey them after you enter the land and take possession of it.


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As long as you live, you, your children, and your grandchildren must fear the Lord your God. All of you must obey all his laws and commands that I'm giving you, and you will live a long time.


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Listen, Israel, and be careful to obey these laws. Then things will go well for you and your population will increase in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your ancestors promised you.


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Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you're at home or away, when you lie down or get up.


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The Lord your God will bring you into the land and give it to you, as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This land will have large, prosperous cities that you didn't build.


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Your houses will be filled with all kinds of things that you didn't put there. You will have cisterns that you didn't dig and vineyards and olive trees that you didn't plant. After you have eaten all that you want,


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If you do, the Lord your God will become very angry with you and will wipe you off the face of the earth, because the Lord your God, who is with you, is a God who does not tolerate rivals.


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Do what the Lord considers right and good. Then things will go well for you, and you will enter and take possession of that good land which the Lord promised to your ancestors with an oath.


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In the future your children will ask you, "What do these regulations, laws, and rules which the Lord our God commanded you mean to you?"


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Tell them, "We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of there.


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Right before our eyes the Lord did miraculous signs and amazing things that were spectacular but terrible for Egypt, Pharaoh, and his whole family.


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The Lord led us out of there to bring us here and give us this land he promised to our ancestors with an oath.


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The Lord our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear him. These laws are for our own good as long as we live so that he will preserve our lives. It's still true today.


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This is how we'll have the Lord's approval: If we faithfully obey all these laws in the presence of the Lord our God, as he has commanded us."


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The Lord your God will bring you to the land you're about to enter and take possession of. He will force many nations out of your way: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven nations larger and more powerful than you.


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When the Lord your God gives them to you and you defeat them, destroy every one of them because they have been claimed by the Lord. Don't make any treaties with them or show them any mercy.


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Never marry any of them. Never let your daughters marry their sons or your sons marry their daughters.


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These people will turn your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the Lord will get very angry with you and will quickly destroy you.


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But this is what you must do to these people: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols.


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You are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. He chose you to be his own special possession out of all the nations on earth.


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The Lord set his heart on you and chose you, even though you didn't outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations.


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You were chosen because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. So he used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh (the king of Egypt).


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Keep in mind that the Lord your God is {the only} God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands.


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But he sends destruction to pay back everyone who hates him. He never takes long to pay back anyone who hates him.


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If you listen to these rules and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his promise to you and be merciful to you, as he swore to your ancestors.


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He will love you, bless you, and increase the number of your descendants. He will bless you with children. He will bless your land with produce: grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will bless your herds with calves, and your flocks with lambs and kids. This will all happen in the land the Lord will give you, as he swore to your ancestors.


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You will be blessed more than any other people. Your men and women will be able to have children, and your animals will be able to have offspring.


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The Lord will keep you from having any kind of illness. He will not strike you with any of the terrible diseases you experienced in Egypt. Instead, he will strike all those who hate you.


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You must destroy all the people the Lord your God hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you.


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You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things the Lord did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. He will do the same thing to all the people you're afraid of.


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The Lord your God will spread panic among them until they all die. There will be no one left—not even those who were hiding from you.


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Don't be afraid of them, because the Lord your God is with you. He is a great and awe-inspiring God.


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Little by little he will force these nations out of your way. You won't be able to wipe them out quickly. Otherwise, you would be overrun with wild animals.


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The Lord your God will hand these people over to you and will throw them into a great panic until they're destroyed.


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He will hand their kings over to you, and no one on earth will even remember their names. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all.


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Burn their idols. Don't ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to the Lord your God.


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Never bring a disgusting idol into your house. If you do, you and the idol will be destroyed. Consider it detestable and disgusting. It must be destroyed."


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Be careful to obey every command I give you today. Then you will live, and your population will increase. You will enter and take possession of the land that the Lord promised to your ancestors with an oath.


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Remember that for 40 years the Lord your God led you on your journey in the desert. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey his commands.


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So he made you suffer from hunger and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had seen before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that the Lord speaks.


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Learn this lesson by heart: The Lord your God was disciplining you as parents discipline their children.


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The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. It is a land with rivers that don't dry up. There are springs and underground streams flowing through the valleys and hills.


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The land has wheat and barley, grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates. The land has honey and olive trees for olive oil.


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The land will have enough food for you, and you will have everything you need. The land has rocks with iron ore, and you will be able to mine copper ore in the hills.


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Be careful that you don't forget the Lord your God. Don't fail to obey his commands, rules, and laws that I'm giving you today.


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When this happens, be careful that you don't become arrogant and forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.


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He was the one who led you through that vast and dangerous desert—a thirsty and arid land, with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He was the one who made water come out of solid rock for you.


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He was the one who fed you in the desert with manna, which your ancestors had never seen. He did this in order to humble you and test you. But he also did this so that things would go well for you in the end.


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But remember the Lord your God is the one who makes you wealthy. He's confirming the promise which he swore to your ancestors. It's still in effect today.


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I warn you today that if you forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, and if you serve them and bow down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.


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The Lord is going to destroy other nations as you enter the land. You will be destroyed like them if you don't obey the Lord your God.


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Listen, Israel, you're about to cross the Jordan River. You'll be forcing out nations that are larger and stronger than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls.


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Their people are tall and strong. They're descendants of Anak. You know all about them. You've also heard it said, "Who can oppose the descendants of Anak?"


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Realize today that the Lord your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a raging fire. He will wipe them out and will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as the Lord promised you.


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When the Lord your God expels these people in front of you, don't say to yourselves, "Because we've been living right, the Lord brought us here to take possession of this land." No, it's because these nations are so wicked that the Lord is forcing them out of your way.


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It's not because you've been living right or because you're so honest that you're entering to take possession of their land. It's because these people are so wicked that the Lord your God is forcing them out of your way. It's also because the Lord wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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So understand this: It's not because you've been living right that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with!


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Never forget how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. You've rebelled against the Lord from the day you left Egypt until you came here.


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When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that the Lord made to you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without food or water.


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Then the Lord gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by God himself. On them were written all the words that the Lord spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.


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At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets with his promise on them.


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He told me, "Leave right away. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined {everything}. They've quickly turned from the way I commanded them to live. They've made an idol for themselves."


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Leave me alone! I'll destroy them and wipe their name off the earth. Then I'll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are."


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So I turned and went down the mountain while it was still burning with fire. I was carrying the two tablets with the promise on them.


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Then I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made a statue of a calf for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way the Lord commanded you to live.


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Once again I threw myself down in front of the Lord. I went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights because of the sin you committed. You did what the Lord considered evil and made him furious.


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I was terrified of the Lord's anger and fury. He was so angry he wanted to destroy you. But once more the Lord listened to me.


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The Lord also became very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him. But at that time I prayed for Aaron, too.


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I took that sinful calf you made and burned it. I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that flowed down the mountain.


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When the Lord sent you from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go and take possession of the land I'm giving you." But you rebelled against the word of the Lord your God. You didn't believe him or obey him.


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I threw myself down in front of the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights because the Lord said he would destroy you.


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I prayed to the Lord and said, "Almighty Lord, don't destroy your people. They belong to you. You saved them by your great power and used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.


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Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people.


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Otherwise, the country we left will say, "The Lord wasn't able to bring them to the land he promised them. He hated them. That's why he brought them out—to let them die in the desert."


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They are your people. They belong to you. You used your great strength and powerful arm to bring them out {of Egypt}.


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At that time the Lord said to me, "Cut two {more} stone tablets like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain. Also make an ark out of wood.


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I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. Then you will put them in the ark."


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I made an ark out of acacia wood. I cut two {more} stone tablets like the first ones. I carried the two tablets up the mountain.


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The Lord wrote on these tablets the same words as before, the ten commandments. He had spoken these words to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. Then the Lord gave them to me.


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I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made. They are still there, where the Lord commanded me to put them.


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The Israelites moved from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest.


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They moved from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with rivers that don't dry up.


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At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord's promise, to stand in the Lord's presence when they serve him as priests, and to praise his name, as they still do today.


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This is why the tribe of Levi has no land of their own as the other tribes have. The Lord your God is their only possession, as he promised them.


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I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again the Lord listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.


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The Lord said to me, "Lead the people on their journey. They will enter and take possession of the land I will give them, as I swore to their ancestors."


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Israel, what does the Lord your God want you to do? He wants you to fear him, follow all his directions, love him, and worship him with all your heart and with all your soul.


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Remember that the sky, the highest heaven, the earth and everything it contains belong to the Lord your God.


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The Lord set his heart on your ancestors and loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you, their descendants, out of all the people of the world.


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The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring God. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe.


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He makes sure orphans and widows receive justice. He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes.


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He is your glory. He is your God, who did for you these spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds you saw with your own eyes.


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When your ancestors went to Egypt, there were 70 of them. Now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.


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Remember today the discipline you learned from the Lord your God. ({I'm not talking} to your children. They didn't see or experience any of this.) You saw and experienced his great power—his mighty hand and powerful arm.


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You saw the miraculous signs and deeds he did in Egypt to Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) and to his whole country.


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You saw what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots. He drowned them in the Red Sea when they pursued you. So the Lord destroyed them forever.


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You also saw what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben. In the middle of all the Israelites the ground opened up and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and every living creature with them.


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Obey all the commands I'm giving you today. Then you will have the strength to enter and take possession of the land once you've crossed {the Jordan River}.


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Then you will also live for a long time in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors and their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey.


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The land you're about to enter and take possession of isn't like the land you left in Egypt. There you used to plant your seed, and you had to water it like a vegetable garden.


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If you faithfully obey the commands that I'm giving you today, love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,


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I will send rain on your land at the right time, both in the fall and in the spring. Then you will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil.


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The Lord will become angry with you. He'll shut the sky so that there'll be no rain. Then the ground won't grow any crops, and you'll quickly disappear from this good land the Lord is giving you.


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Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind. {Write them down,} tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder.


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Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you're at home or away, when you lie down or get up.


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Then you and your children will live for a long time in this land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors—as long as there's a sky above the earth.


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Faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his directions, and be loyal to him.


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Then the Lord will force all these people out of your way. Then you will take possession of {the land belonging to} people taller and stronger than you.


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I will give you every place on which you set foot. Your borders will be from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.


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No one will be able to stop you. As the Lord your God promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land.


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You'll be cursed if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God, if you turn from the way I'm commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew.


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When the Lord your God brings you into the land you're about to enter, recite the blessing from Mount Gerizim and the curse from Mount Ebal.


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(These mountains are on the west side of the Jordan, beyond the road that goes west, in the region of the Canaanites who live on the plains facing Gilgal, next to the oak trees of Moreh.)


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You're about to cross the Jordan River to enter and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take possession of it and live there,


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Here are the laws and rules you must faithfully obey in the land that the Lord God of your ancestors is giving you as your own. You must obey them as long as you live in the land.


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Completely destroy all the worship sites on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every large tree. The people you're forcing out worship their gods in these places.


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Tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, burn their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, cut down their idols, and wipe out the names of their gods from those places.


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The Lord your God will choose a place out of all your tribes to live and put his name. Go there and worship him.


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Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats.


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There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and enjoy everything you've worked for, because the Lord your God has blessed you.


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Never worship in the way that it's being done here today, where everyone does whatever he considers right.


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But you will cross the Jordan River and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own property. He will give you peace from all your enemies around you so that you will live securely.


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Then the Lord your God will choose a place where his name will live. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, and all the best offerings you vow to bring to the Lord.


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Enjoy yourselves in the presence of the Lord your God along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites. (The Levites live in your cities because they have no land of their own as you have.)


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Instead, sacrifice them {only} at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. There you must do everything I command you.


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In whatever city you live, you may slaughter and eat as much meat as you want from what the Lord your God has blessed you with. Clean and unclean people may eat it as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer.


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You may not eat {the Lord's offerings} in your cities. Those offerings are: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil; the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, or goats; the offerings you vow to bring; your freewill offerings; and your contributions.


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Instead, you, your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of the Lord your God enjoy everything you've worked for.


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The Lord your God will expand your {country's} borders as he promised. You will say, "I'm hungry for meat." Then eat as much meat as you want.


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If the place the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that the Lord has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this.


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However, be sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat.


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If you don't eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what the Lord considers right.


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Take the holy things and the offerings you have vowed to bring, and go to the place the Lord will choose.


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Sacrifice the meat and the blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat.


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Be sure you obey all these instructions I'm giving you. Then things will always go well for you and your descendants because you will be doing what the Lord your God considers good and right.


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The Lord your God will destroy the nations where you're going and force them out of your way. You will take possession of their land and live there.


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After they've been destroyed, be careful you aren't tempted to follow their customs. Don't even ask about their gods and say, "How did these people worship their gods? We want to do what they did."


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Never worship the Lord your God in the way they worship their gods, because everything they do for their gods is disgusting to the Lord. He hates it! They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.


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One of your people, claiming to be a prophet or to have prophetic dreams, may predict a miraculous sign or an amazing thing.


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What he predicts may even take place. But don't listen to that prophet or dreamer if he says, "Let's worship and serve other gods." (Those gods may be gods you've never heard of.)


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The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you really love him with all your heart and with all your soul.


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Worship the Lord your God, fear him, obey his commands, listen to what he says, serve him, and be loyal to him.


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That prophet or dreamer must be put to death because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. He was trying to lead you away from following the directions the Lord your God gave you. You must get rid of this evil.


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Your own brother, son, or daughter, the wife you love, or your best friend may secretly tempt you, saying, "Let's go worship other gods." (Those gods may be gods that you and your ancestors never knew.


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They may be the gods of the people around you, who live near or far, from one end of the land to the other.)


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Don't be influenced by any of these people or listen to them. Have no pity on them. Don't feel sorry for them or protect them.


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You must put them to death. You must start the execution. Then all the other people will join you in putting them to death.


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Stone them to death because they were trying to lead you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.


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All Israel will hear about it and be afraid. Then no one among you will ever do such a wicked thing again.


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You may hear that the residents in one of the cities which the Lord your God is giving you to live in


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have been led away from the Lord your God by worthless people. You may hear that these people have been saying, "Let's worship other gods." (Those gods may be gods you've never heard of.)


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Then make a thorough investigation. If it is true, and you can prove that this disgusting thing has been done among you,


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you must kill the residents of that city with swords and destroy that city and everyone in it, including the animals, because they are claimed by God.


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Gather their goods into the middle of the city square. Then burn their city and all their goods as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. It must remain a mound of ruins and never be rebuilt.


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Don't ever take any of the things claimed for destruction. Then the Lord will stop being angry and will show you mercy. In his mercy he will make your population increase, as he swore to your ancestors.


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The Lord your God will do this if you listen to him, obey all the commands that I'm giving you today, and do what he considers right.


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You are the children of the Lord your God. So when someone dies, don't {mourn} by cutting yourselves or shaving bald spots on your head.


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You are people who are holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the people who live on earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his own special possession.


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But some animals chew their cud, while others have completely divided hoofs. You may not eat these {kinds of} animals. They include camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. (Although they chew their cud, they don't have divided hoofs. They are unclean for you.)


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Also, you may not eat pigs. (Although their hoofs are divided, they don't chew their cud.) Never eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.


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Here's what you may eat of every creature that lives in the water: You may eat any creature that has fins and scales.


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Never eat any creature that dies naturally. You may give it to the foreigners who live in your cities, and they may eat it. You may also sell it to foreigners who are visiting. But you are people who are holy to the Lord your God. Never cook a young goat in its mother's milk.


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Eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and eat the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats in the presence of the Lord your God in the place he will choose to put his name. Then you will learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live.


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But the place the Lord your God will choose to put his name may be too far away. He may bless you with so much that you can't carry a tenth of your income that far.


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If so, exchange the tenth part of your income for silver. Take the silver with you, and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.


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Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor—whatever you choose. Then you and your family will eat and enjoy yourselves there in the presence of the Lord your God.


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Never forget to take care of the Levites who live in your cities. They have no land of their own as you have.


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Foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come to eat all they want. The Levites may also come because they have no land of their own as you have. Then the Lord your God will bless you in whatever work you do.


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This is what you will do: If you've made a loan, don't collect payment on the debt your neighbor still owes you. Don't demand that your neighbor or relative pay you, because the {time} for suspending payments on debts has been proclaimed in the Lord's honor.


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You may demand that a foreigner pay, but don't collect payment on the debt another Israelite still owes you.


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In any case, there shouldn't be any poor people among you, because the Lord your God will certainly bless you in the land he is giving you as your own possession.


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He will bless you only if you listen carefully to the Lord your God and faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you today.


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The Lord your God will bless you, as he promised. You will make loans to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any of them. You will rule many nations, but no nation will ever rule you.


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This is what you must do whenever there are poor Israelites in one of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.


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Be generous to these poor people, and freely lend them as much as they need. Never be hard-hearted and tight-fisted with them.


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When the seventh year—the year when payments on debts are canceled—is near, you might be stingy toward poor Israelites and give them nothing. Be careful not to think these worthless thoughts. The poor will complain to the Lord about you, and you will be condemned for your sin.


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Be sure to give to them without any hesitation. When you do this, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you work for and set out to do.


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There will always be poor people in the land. That's why I command you to be generous to other Israelites who are poor and needy.


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Whenever Hebrew men or women are sold to you as slaves, they will be your slaves for six years. In the seventh year you must let them go free.


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Generously give them provisions—sheep from your flocks, grain from your threshing floor, and wine from your winepress. Be as generous to them as the Lord your God has been to you.


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Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God freed you. That's why I'm giving you this command today.


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But suppose a male slave says to you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is happy with you.


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Then take an awl and pierce it through his ear lobe into a door, and he will be your slave for life. Do the same to a female slave {if she doesn't want to leave}.


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If you have to let your slave go free, it won't be a hardship for you. It would have cost you twice as much to hire someone to do the same work for those six years. Besides, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.


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You must dedicate every firstborn male from your herds and flocks to the Lord your God. Never use a firstborn ox for work, and never shear a firstborn sheep.


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Every year you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the Lord your God in the place the Lord will choose.


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But if an animal is lame or blind or has any other serious defect—never sacrifice it to the Lord your God.


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Eat it in your city. Clean and unclean people may eat them together as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer.


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Honor the Lord your God by celebrating Passover in the month of Abib. In the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt at night.


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Slaughter an animal from your flock or herd as the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God. Do this at the place where the Lord will choose for his name to live.


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Never eat leavened bread with the meat from this sacrifice. Instead, for seven days you must eat unleavened bread at this festival. (It is the bread of misery because you left Egypt in a hurry.) Eat this bread so that, as long as you live, you will remember the day you left Egypt.


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There should be no yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. Never leave until morning any of the meat you slaughter on the evening of the first day.


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You're not allowed to slaughter the animals for Passover in any of the cities the Lord your God is giving you.


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Instead, slaughter your animals for Passover in the place where the Lord your God will choose for his name to live. Do this in the evening as the sun goes down. This is the same time you did it when you left Egypt.


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Cook the meat, and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. In the morning you may go back to your tents.


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For six days eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day hold a religious assembly dedicated to the Lord your God. Don't do any work that day.


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Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God. Bring a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.


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Enjoy yourselves in the presence of the Lord your God along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites who live in your cities, the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. Enjoy yourselves at the place the Lord your God will choose for his name to live.


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After you have gathered the grain from your threshing floor and made your wine, celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days.


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Enjoy yourselves at the festival along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities.


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For seven days you will celebrate this festival dedicated to the Lord your God in the place he will choose. You will enjoy yourselves, because the Lord your God will bless all your harvest and all your work.


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Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths. But no one may come into the presence of the Lord without an offering.


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Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city that the Lord your God is giving you. They are to judge the people fairly.


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Never pervert justice. Instead, be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right.


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Strive for nothing but justice so that you will live and take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you.


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When you build the altar for the Lord your God, never plant beside it any tree dedicated to the goddess Asherah.


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Never offer an ox or a sheep that has a defect or anything seriously wrong with it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. That would be disgusting to him.


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In one of the cities the Lord your God is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what the Lord considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of the Lord's promise


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by worshiping and bowing down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.


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When you are told about it, investigate it thoroughly. If it's true and it can be proven that this disgusting thing has been done in Israel,


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then bring the man or woman who did this evil thing to the gates of your city, and stone that person to death.


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The person can only be sentenced to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but no one should ever be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness.


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The witnesses must start the execution, then all the other people will join them in putting the person to death. You must get rid of this evil.


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There may be a case that is too hard for you to decide. It may involve murder, assault, or a dispute—any case which may be brought to court in your cities. Take this case to the place that the Lord your God will choose.


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Go to the Levitical priests and the judge who is serving at that time. Ask for their opinion, and they will give you their verdict


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at the place that the Lord will choose. Do what they tell you. Follow all their instructions carefully,


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and do what they tell you to do in their verdict. Do exactly what they tell you to do in their decision.


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If anyone deliberately disobeys the priest (who serves the Lord your God) or the judge, that person must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel.


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You will enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take possession of it and live there. You will say, "Let's have our own king like all the other nations around us."


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Be sure to appoint the king the Lord your God will choose. He must be one of your own people. Never let a foreigner be king, because he's not one of your own people.


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The king must never own a large number of horses or make the people return to Egypt to get more horses. The Lord has told you, "You will never go back there again."


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The king must never have a large number of wives, or he will turn away {from God}. And he must never own a lot of gold and silver.


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When he becomes king, he should have the Levitical priests make him a copy of these teachings on a scroll.


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He must keep it with him and read it his entire life. He will learn to fear the Lord his God and faithfully obey everything found in these teachings and laws.


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Then he won't think he's better than the rest of his people, and he won't disobey these commands in any way. So he and his sons will rule for a long time in Israel.


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The Levitical priests—in fact, the whole tribe of Levi—will receive no land or property of their own like the rest of the Israelites. They will eat what has been sacrificed to the Lord. These sacrifices will be what they receive.


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So the Levites will have no land of their own like the other Israelites. The Lord will be their inheritance, as he promised them.


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This is what the people owe the priests whenever they sacrifice an ox, a sheep, or a goat: the shoulder, jaws, and stomach.


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Also, give them the first produce harvested: grain, new wine, olive oil, and the first wool you shear from your sheep.


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Out of all your tribes, the Lord your God has chosen the Levites and their descendants to do the work of serving in the name of the Lord forever.


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A Levite from any of your cities in Israel may come from where he has been living to the place the Lord will choose. He may come as often as he wants


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and may serve in the name of the Lord his God like all the other Levites who do their work in the Lord's presence.


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If he does, he'll get the same amount of food as they do, in addition to what he gets from selling his family's goods.


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When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, never learn the disgusting practices of those nations.


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You must never sacrifice your sons or daughters by burning them alive, practice black magic, be a fortuneteller, witch, or sorcerer,


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Whoever does these things is disgusting to the Lord. The Lord your God is forcing these nations out of your way because of their disgusting practices.


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These nations you are forcing out listen to fortunetellers and to those who practice black magic. But the Lord your God won't let you do anything like that.


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This is what you asked the Lord your God to give you on the day of the assembly at Mount Horeb. You said, "We never want to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this raging fire again. If we do, we'll die!"


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So I will send them a prophet, an Israelite like you. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.


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But any prophet who dares to say something in my name that I didn't command him to say or who speaks in the name of other gods must die."


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If a prophet speaks in the Lord's name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then it didn't come from the Lord. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.


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The Lord your God will destroy all the nations that are living in the land that he's giving you. You will force them out and live in their cities and houses.


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Provide a route to each of these cities and divide the land that the Lord your God is giving you into three regions. Whoever kills someone may run to one of these cities.


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A person who unintentionally kills someone he never hated in the past may run to one of these cities to save his life.


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Suppose two people go into the woods to cut wood. As one of them swings the ax to cut down a tree, the head flies off the handle, hits, and kills the other person. The one who accidentally killed the other person may run to one of these cities and save his life.


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Otherwise, in a rage the relative who has the authority to avenge the death will pursue him. If the place is too far away, the relative may catch up with him and take his life even though he didn't deserve the death penalty, because in the past he never hated the person he killed.


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The Lord your God may expand your country's borders as he promised your ancestors with an oath. He may give you the whole land he promised to give them.


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He may do this because you faithfully obey all these commands I am now giving you—to love the Lord your God and follow his directions as long as you live. If this happens, you may add three more cities of refuge to these three.


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That way, innocent people won't be killed in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you won't be guilty of murder.


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Suppose someone hates another person, waits in ambush for him, attacks him, takes his life, and runs to one of these cities.


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If someone does this, the leaders of your city must send for that person. They must take him from that city and hand him over to the relative who has the authority to avenge the death. He must die.


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They must have no pity on him. The guilt of murdering an innocent person must be removed from Israel. Then things will go well for Israel.


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Never move your neighbor's original boundary marker on any property in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.


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One witness is never enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.


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The two people involved must stand in the Lord's presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time.


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The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite,


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When the rest of the people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you.


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Have no pity on him: {Take} a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.


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When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Don't be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.


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He should tell them, "Listen, Israel, today you're going into battle against your enemies. Don't lose your courage! Don't be afraid or alarmed or tremble because of them.


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The Lord your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory."


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The officers should tell the troops, "If you have built a new house but not dedicated it, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will dedicate it.


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If you have planted a vineyard and not enjoyed the grapes, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will enjoy the grapes.


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If you are engaged to a woman but have not married her, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will marry her."


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The officers should also tell the troops, "If you are afraid or have lost your courage, you may go home. Then you won't ruin the morale of the other Israelites."


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If they accept it and open {their gates} to you, then all the people there will be made to do forced labor and serve you.


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But take the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the city, including all its goods, as your loot. You may enjoy your enemies' goods that the Lord your God has given you.


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This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away which don't belong to the nations nearby.


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However, you must not spare anyone's life in the cities of these nations that the Lord your God is giving you as your property.


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You must claim the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for the Lord and completely destroy them, as the Lord your God has commanded you.


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Otherwise, they will teach you to do all the disgusting things they do for their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God.


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This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Don't harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade.


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You may destroy trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may cut them down and use them in your blockade until you capture the city.


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This is what you must do if you find a murder victim lying in a field in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder,


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your leaders and judges must go and measure the distance from the body to each of the neighboring cities.


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When it has been determined which city is nearest the body, the leaders from that city must choose a heifer that has never been put to work and never worn a yoke.


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The leaders of that city will bring the heifer down to a river, to a location where the land hasn't been plowed or planted. At the river they must break the heifer's neck.


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The priests, the descendants of Levi, must come forward. The Lord your God has chosen them to serve him as priests and to bless people in the Lord's name. Their decision is final in all cases involving a disagreement or an assault.


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All the leaders from the city which was nearest the murder victim must wash their hands over the dead heifer.


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Lord, make peace with your people Israel, whom you freed. Don't let the guilt of this unsolved murder remain among your people Israel." Then there will be peace with the Lord despite the murder.


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This is how you will get rid of the guilt of an unsolved murder by doing what the Lord considers right.


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When you go to war with your enemies and the Lord your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive.


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and no longer wear the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. Then she may live in your house and mourn {the loss of} her father and mother for one month. After that, you may sleep with her. Then you will become husband and wife.


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But if it happens that you are no longer pleased with her, let her go wherever she wants. You must never sell her or mistreat her as if she were a slave, since you've already had sex with her.


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A man might have two wives and love one but not the other. Both wives might have children, and the firstborn son might belong to the wife that the man doesn't love.


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When the day comes for the father to give his sons their inheritance, he can't treat the son of the wife he loves as if that son were the firstborn. This would show a total disregard for the real firstborn (the son of the wife he doesn't love).


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Instead, he must recognize the son of the wife he doesn't love as the firstborn. He must give that son a double portion of whatever he owns. That son is the very first son he had. The rights of the firstborn son are his.


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Parents might have a stubborn and rebellious son who doesn't obey them. Even though they punish him, he still won't listen to them.


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They will say to the leaders of the city, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He won't obey us. He eats too much and is a drunk."


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All the men of the city should stone him to death. You must get rid of this evil. When all Israel hears about it, they will be afraid.


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never leave his dead body hung on a pole overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone whose body is hung on a pole is cursed by God. The land that the Lord your God is giving you must never become unclean.


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If you see another Israelite's ox or sheep out where it doesn't belong, don't pretend that you don't see it. Make sure you take it back.


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If the owner doesn't live near you or you don't know who owns it, take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then give it back.


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Do the same if you find a donkey, some clothes, or anything else that another Israelite may have lost. Don't pretend that you don't know what to do.


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If you see another Israelite's donkey or ox lying on the road, don't pretend that you don't see it. Make sure you help him get it back on its feet.


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A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women's clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the Lord your God.


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Whenever you're traveling and find a nest containing chicks or eggs, this is what you must do. If the mother bird is sitting on the nest, never take her with the chicks.


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You may take the chicks, but make sure you let the mother go. Then things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time.


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Whenever you build a new house, put a railing around the edge of the roof. Then you won't be responsible for a death at your home if someone falls off the roof.


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Never plant anything between the rows in your vineyard. Otherwise, you will have to give everything that grows there to the holy place. This includes the crop you planted and the grapes from the vineyard.


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Then he might make up charges against her and ruin her reputation by saying, "I married this woman. But when I slept with her, I found out she wasn't a virgin."


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The girl's father and mother must go to the city gate where the leaders of the city are and submit the evidence that their daughter was a virgin.


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The girl's father will tell the leaders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he doesn't like her.


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Now he has made up charges against her. He says he found out that my daughter wasn't a virgin. But here's the evidence!" Then the girl's parents must spread out the cloth in front of the leaders of the city.


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They will fine him 2 1/2 pounds of silver and give it to the girl's father. The husband ruined the reputation of an Israelite virgin. She will continue to be his wife, and he can never divorce her as long as he lives.


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they must take the girl to the entrance of her father's house. The men of her city must stone her to death because she has committed such a godless act in Israel: She had sex before marriage, while she was still living in her father's house. You must get rid of this evil.


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If a man is caught having sexual intercourse with a married woman, both that man and the woman must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel.


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This is what you must do when a man has sexual intercourse with a virgin who is engaged to another man. If this happens in a city,


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take them to the gate of the city and stone them to death. The girl must die because she was in a city and didn't scream for help. The man must die because he had sex with another man's wife. You must get rid of this evil.


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Don't do anything to the girl. She has not committed a sin for which she deserves to die. This is like the case of someone who attacks and murders another person.


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The man found the girl out in the country. She may have screamed for help, but no one was there to rescue her.


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the man who had sexual intercourse with her must give the girl's father 1 1/4 pounds of silver, and she will become his wife. Since he raped her, he can never divorce her as long as he lives.


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A man whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off may never join the assembly of the Lord.


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A man born from an illicit union may not join the assembly of the Lord. No descendant of his may join the assembly of the Lord for ten generations.


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Ammonites or Moabites may not join the assembly of the Lord. Not one descendant of theirs may join the assembly of the Lord for ten generations.


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They cannot join because they didn't greet you with food and water on your trip from Egypt. They even hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you.


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But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam. Instead, he turned Balaam's curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.


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Never consider the Edomites disgusting. They're your relatives. Never consider the Egyptians disgusting. You once were foreigners living in their country.


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When you're at war and have set up camp to fight your enemies, stay away from anything that will make you unclean.


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If one of your men becomes unclean from a nocturnal emission, he must go outside the camp and stay there.


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You must carry a pointed stick as part of your equipment. When you go outside to squat, dig a hole with it. When you're done, cover up your excrement.


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The Lord your God moves around in your camp to protect you and hand your enemies over to you. So your camp must always be holy. This way, the Lord will never see anything offensive among you and turn away from you.


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Let him stay with you {and live} among your people wherever he chooses, in any of your cities that seems best to him. Never mistreat him.


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Never bring gifts or money earned by prostitution into the house of the Lord your God as an offering you vowed to give. These earnings are disgusting to the Lord your God.


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You may charge a foreigner interest, but not an Israelite. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do once you've entered the land and taken possession of it.


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If you make a vow to the Lord your God, don't avoid keeping it. The Lord your God expects you to keep it. You would be guilty of a sin if you didn't.


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Make sure you do what you said you would do {in your vow}. You freely chose to make your vow to the Lord your God.


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If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you like until you're full. But never put any in your basket.


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If you go into your neighbor's grain field, you may pick grain by hand. But never use a sickle to cut your neighbor's grain.


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This is what you must do if a husband writes out a certificate of divorce, gives it to his wife, and makes her leave his house. (He divorced her because he found out something indecent about her and she no longer pleased him.)


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her first husband is not allowed to marry her again. She has become unclean. This would be disgusting in the Lord's presence. Don't pollute with sin the land that the Lord your God is giving you as your property.


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A man who has recently been married will be free from military duty or any other public service. For one year he is free to stay at home and make his new wife happy.


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Never let a family's handmill for grinding flour—or even part of a handmill—be taken to guarantee a loan. The family wouldn't be able to prepare food in order to stay alive.


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Whoever kidnaps another Israelite must die. The kidnapper must die, whether he treated the other person like a slave or sold him. You must get rid of this evil.


text:
Guard against outbreaks of serious skin diseases. Be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical priests instruct you. Make sure you do what I commanded them.


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Make sure you bring it back to him at sunset. When he wears his coat to bed {that night}, he'll bless you. You will have done the right thing in the presence of the Lord your God.


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Don't withhold pay from hired workers who are poor and needy, whether they are Israelites or foreigners living in one of your cities.


text:
Pay them each day before sunset because they are poor and need their pay. Otherwise, they will complain to the Lord about you, and you will be condemned for your sin.


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Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime.


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Never deprive foreigners and orphans of justice. And never take widows' clothes to guarantee a loan.


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Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God freed you from slavery. So I'm commanding you to do this.


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This is what you must do when you're harvesting wheat in your field. If you forget to bring in one of the bundles of wheat, don't go back to get it. Leave it there for foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.


text:
When you harvest olives from your trees, never knock down all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows.


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When you pick the grapes in your vineyard, don't pick all of them. Leave some for foreigners, orphans, and widows.


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This is what you must do whenever {two} people have a disagreement that is brought into court. The judges will hear the case and decide who's right and who's wrong.


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If the person who's in the wrong deserves to be beaten, the judge will order him to lie down. Then the judge will have him beaten with as many lashes as the crime deserves.


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Forty lashes may be given, but no more. If an Israelite were given more than that, he would be publicly humiliated.


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When brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother must marry her and sleep with her. He must do his duty as her brother-in-law.


text:
Then the first son she has will carry the dead brother's name so that his name won't die out in Israel.


text:
But if the man doesn't want to marry his brother's widow, she must go to the leaders of the city at the city gate. She must say, "My brother-in-law refuses to let his brother's name continue in Israel. He doesn't want to do his duty as my brother-in-law."


text:
Then the leaders of the city must summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying that he doesn't want to marry her,


text:
his brother's widow must go up to him in the presence of the leaders. She must take off one of his sandals and spit in his face. She must make this formal statement: "This is what happens to a man who refuses to continue his brother's family line."


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This is what you must do when two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from the man who is beating him. If she tries to stop the fight by grabbing the other man's genitals,


text:
Use accurate and honest weights and measures. Then you will live for a long time in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.


text:
They attacked you when you were tired and exhausted and killed all those who were lagging behind. They weren't afraid of God.


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So when the Lord your God gives you peace from all your enemies around you in the land that he is giving you as your own property, don't forget to erase every memory of the Amalekites from the earth.


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Soon you will enter and take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you as your property. When you have settled there,


text:
take some of the first produce harvested from the fields in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket. Then go to the place where the Lord your God will choose for his name to live.


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Go to the priest who is serving at that time, and tell him, "I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land that the Lord is giving us, as he swore to our ancestors."


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Then the priest will take the basket from you and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.


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You will make this formal statement in the presence of the Lord your God: "My ancestors were wandering Arameans. There were only a few of them when they went to Egypt and lived as foreigners. But then they became a great, powerful, and large nation.


text:
We cried out to the Lord God of our ancestors, and he heard us. He saw our misery, suffering, and oppression.


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Then the Lord used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring us out of Egypt. He used spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds, miraculous signs, and amazing things.


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So now I've brought the first produce harvested from the fields you gave me, Lord." You will place the basket in the presence of the Lord your God and bow down in front of him.


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Then you, the Levites, and the foreigners who live among you can enjoy all the good things which the Lord your God has given you and your family.


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Every third year is the year when you will store a tenth of that year's crops {in your houses}. During that year distribute what you have stored to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows in your cities, and they may eat all they want.


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When you have distributed all that was stored, say to the Lord your God, "Nothing is left of the holy offering stored in my house. I distributed it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows as you commanded me. I disobeyed none of your commands, and I didn't forget to do what you commanded.


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I didn't eat any of this holy offering while I was in mourning. I didn't distribute any of it while I was unclean. I didn't offer any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God. I have done everything you commanded me.


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Look down from your holy place in heaven. Bless your people Israel and the land flowing with milk and honey that you have given us, as you promised with an oath to our ancestors."


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Today the Lord your God is commanding you to obey these laws and rules. You must faithfully obey them with all your heart and with all your soul.


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Today you have declared that the Lord is your God and that you will follow his directions, obey his laws, commands, and rules, and listen to him.


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Today the Lord has declared that you are his people, his own special possession, as he told you. But you must be sure to obey his commands.


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Then he will place you high above all the other nations he has made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor, and you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.


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"The day you cross the Jordan River and enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and cover them with plaster.


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The Lord God of your ancestors is giving you a land flowing with milk and honey, as he promised you. After you're in that land, write all the words of these teachings on the stones.


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After you cross the Jordan River, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, and cover them with plaster, following the command I'm giving you today.


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Build an altar of stones there dedicated to the Lord your God. Don't use an iron chisel on the stones.


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You must use uncut stones to build the altar of the Lord your God. Sacrifice burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God.


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Sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat them there, and enjoy yourselves in the presence of the Lord your God.


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Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, "Be quiet and listen, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.


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After you cross the Jordan River, these are the tribes that will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.


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These are the tribes that will stand on Mount Ebal to announce the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.


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"Whoever has a carved or metal statue, anything disgusting to the Lord that was made by a craftsman, and sets it up in secret will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever leads blind people in the wrong direction will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever deprives foreigners, orphans, or widows of justice will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever has sexual intercourse with his father's wife will be cursed. He has disgraced his father." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever has sexual intercourse with his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever has sexual intercourse with his mother-in-law will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever accepts money to kill an innocent person will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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"Whoever doesn't obey every word of these teachings will be cursed." Then all the people will say amen.


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Carefully obey the Lord your God, and faithfully follow all his commands that I'm giving you today. If you do, the Lord your God will place you high above all the other nations in the world.


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These are all the blessings that will come to you and stay close to you because you obey the Lord your God:


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You will be blessed. You will have children. Your land will have crops. Your animals will have offspring. Your cattle will have calves, and your flocks will have lambs and kids.


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The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction but run away from you in seven directions.


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The Lord will bless your barns and everything you do. The Lord your God will bless you in the land that he is giving you.


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You will be the Lord's holy people, as he promised you with an oath. He will do this if you obey the commands of the Lord your God and follow his directions.


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Then all the people in the world will see that you are the Lord's people, and they will be afraid of you.


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The Lord will give you plenty of blessings: You will have many children. Your animals will have many offspring. Your soil will produce many crops in the land the Lord will give you, as he swore to your ancestors.


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The Lord will open the heavens, his rich storehouse, for you. He will send rain on your land at the right time and bless everything you do. You will be able to make loans to many nations but won't need to borrow from any.


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The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.


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Obey the Lord your God, and faithfully follow all his commands and laws that I am giving you today. If you don't, all these curses will come to you and stay close to you:


text:
You will be cursed. You will have few children. Your land will have few crops. Your cattle will be cursed with few calves, and your flocks will have few lambs and kids.


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The Lord will send you curses, panic, and frustration in everything you do until you're destroyed and quickly disappear for the evil you will do by abandoning the Lord.


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The Lord will send one plague after another on you until he wipes you out of the land you're about to enter and take possession of.


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The Lord will strike you with disease, fever, and inflammation; heat waves, drought, scorching winds, and ruined crops. They will pursue you until you die.


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The Lord will let your enemies defeat you. You will attack them from one direction but run away from them in seven directions. You will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms in the world.


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Your dead bodies will be food for all the birds and wild animals. There will be no one to scare them away.


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The Lord will strike you with the same boils that plagued the Egyptians. He will strike you with hemorrhoids, sores, and itching that won't go away.


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You will grope in broad daylight as blind people grope in their blindness. You won't be successful in anything you do. As long as you live, you will be oppressed and robbed with no one to rescue you.


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You will be engaged to a woman, but another man will have sex with her. You will build a house, but you won't live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you won't enjoy the grapes.


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Your ox will be butchered as you watch, but you won't eat any of its meat. You will watch as your donkey is stolen from you, but you'll never get it back. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue it.


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You will watch with your own eyes as your sons and daughters are given to another nation. You will strain your eyes looking for them all day long, but there will be nothing you can do.


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People you never knew will eat what your land and your hard work have produced. As long as you live, you will know nothing but oppression and abuse.


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The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with severe boils that can't be cured. The boils will cover your whole body from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.


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The Lord will lead you and the king you choose to a nation that you and your ancestors never knew. There you will worship gods made of wood and stone.


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You will become a thing of horror. All the nations where the Lord will send you will make an example of you and ridicule you.


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You will plant many crops in your fields, but harvest little because locusts will destroy your crops.


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You will plant vineyards and take care of them, but you won't drink any wine or gather any grapes, because worms will eat them.


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You will have olive trees everywhere in your country but no olive oil to rub on your skin, because the olives will fall off the trees.


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You will have sons and daughters, but you won't be able to keep them because they will be taken as prisoners of war.


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The {standard of living for the} foreigners who live among you will rise higher and higher, while your {standard of living} will sink lower and lower.


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They will be able to make loans to you, but you won't be able to make loans to them. They will be the head, and you will be the tail.


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All these curses will come to you. They will pursue you and stay close to you until you're destroyed, because you didn't obey the Lord your God or follow his commands and laws, which I'm giving you.


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So you will serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you. You will serve them even though you are already hungry, thirsty, naked, and in need of everything. The Lord will put a heavy burden of hard work on you until he destroys you.


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The Lord will bring against you a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth. The nation will swoop down on you like an eagle. It will be a nation whose language you won't understand.


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They'll eat the offspring of your animals and the crops from your fields until you're destroyed. They'll leave you no grain, no new wine, no olive oil, no calves from your herds, and no lambs or kids from your flocks. They'll continue to do this until they've completely ruined you.


text:
They will blockade all your cities until the high, fortified walls in which you trust come down everywhere in your land. They'll blockade all the cities everywhere in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.


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Because of the hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade, you will eat the flesh of your own children, the sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you.


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Even the most tender and sensitive man among you will become stingy toward his brother, the wife he loves, and the children he still has left.


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He will give none of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all that he has left, because of the hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade of all your cities.


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The most tender and sensitive woman among you—so sensitive and tender that she wouldn't even step on an ant—will become stingy toward the husband she loves or toward her own son or daughter.


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She won't share with them the afterbirth from her body and the children she gives birth to. She will secretly eat them out of dire necessity, because of the hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade of your cities.


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You might not faithfully obey every word of the teachings that are written in this book. You might not fear this glorious and awe-inspiring name: the Lord your God.


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If so, the Lord will strike you and your descendants with unimaginable plagues. They will be terrible and continuing plagues and severe and lingering diseases.


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The Lord will also bring you every kind of sickness and plague not written in this Book of Teachings. They will continue until you're dead.


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At one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky. But only a few of you will be left, because you didn't obey the Lord your God.


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At one time the Lord was more than glad to make you prosperous and numerous. Now the Lord will be more than glad to destroy you and wipe you out. You will be torn out of the land you're about to enter and take possession of.


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Then the Lord will scatter you among all the people of the world, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve gods made of wood and stone that neither you nor your ancestors ever knew.


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Among those nations you will find no peace, no place to call your own. There the Lord will give you an unsettled mind, failing eyesight, and despair.


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Your life will always be hanging by a thread. You will live in terror day and night. You will never feel sure of your life.


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In the morning you'll say, "If only it were evening!" And in the evening you'll say, "If only it were morning!" You'll talk this way because of the things that will terrify you and because of the things you'll see.


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The Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships on a journey that I said you would never take again. There you will try to sell yourselves as slaves to your enemies, but no one will buy you.


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These are the terms of the promise that the Lord commanded Moses to give to the Israelites in Moab. This was in addition to the promise the Lord gave them at Mount Horeb.


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Moses summoned all the people of Israel and said to them: You've seen with your own eyes everything that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his whole country.


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But to this day the Lord hasn't given you a mind that understands, eyes that see, or ears that hear.


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You ate no bread and drank no wine or liquor. I did this so that you would know that I am the Lord your God.


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When you came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight us, but we defeated them.


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We took their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh as their property.


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All of you are standing here today in the presence of the Lord your God. The heads of your tribes, your leaders, your officers, and all the men of Israel are here.


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Your children, your wives, and the foreigners who cut wood and carry water in your camp are also here.


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You are ready to accept the terms and conditions of the promise that the Lord your God is giving you today.


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With this promise the Lord will confirm today that you are his people and that he is your God. This is what he told you, and this is what he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath.


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It is for those of you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and also for those who are not here today.


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Make sure there is no man, woman, family, or tribe among you today who turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of those nations. Make sure that no one among you is the source of this kind of bitter poison.


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Someone may hear the conditions of this promise. He may think that he is so blessed that he can say, "I'll be safe even if I go my own stubborn way. After all, {the Lord would never} sweep away well-watered ground along with dry ground."


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The Lord will never be willing to forgive that person, because the Lord's burning anger will smolder against him. All the curses described in this book will happen to him. The Lord will erase {every memory of} that person's name from the earth.


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And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster based on all the conditions of the promise written in this Book of the Teachings.


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Then the next generation of your children and foreigners who come from distant countries will see the plagues that have happened in this land and the diseases the Lord sent here.


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They will see all the soil poisoned with sulfur and salt. Nothing will be planted. Nothing will be growing. There will be no plants in sight. It will be as desolate as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, cities the Lord destroyed in fierce anger.


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Then all the other nations in the world will ask, "Why has the Lord done this to their land? Why is he so angry?"


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The answer will be, "Because they abandoned the promise of the Lord God of their ancestors. He made this promise to them when he brought them out of Egypt.


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They worshiped other gods and bowed down to them. These were gods they never heard of, gods the Lord didn't permit them to have.


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In his fierce anger and fury the Lord uprooted these people from their land and deported them to another country, where they still are today."


text:
Some things are hidden. They belong to the Lord our God. But the things that have been revealed in these teachings belong to us and to our children forever. We must obey every word of these teachings.


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All these blessings and curses I have spoken about will happen to you. Take them to heart when you are among all the nations where the Lord your God will scatter you.


text:
If you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, doing everything I command you today,


text:
he will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you from all the nations of the world where he will scatter you.


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Even if you are scattered to the most distant country in the world, the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back from there.


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The Lord your God will bring you to the land your ancestors owned. You will take possession of it, and the Lord will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors were.


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The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants. You will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will live.


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Then the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies, those who hate you and persecute you.


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The Lord your God will give you many blessings in everything you do: You will have many children. Your animals will have many offspring. Your soil will produce many crops. The Lord will again delight in making you as prosperous as he made your ancestors.


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He will do this if you obey him and follow his commands and laws that are written in this Book of Teachings and return to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.


text:
It's not in heaven. You don't have to ask, "Who will go to heaven to get this command for us so that we can hear it and obey it?"


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This command isn't on the other side of the sea. You don't have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it for us so that we can hear it and obey it?"


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No, these words are very near you. They're in your mouth and in your heart so that you will obey them.


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This is what I'm commanding you today: Love the Lord your God, follow his directions, and obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, your population will increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you're about to enter and take possession of.


text:
But your hearts might turn away, and you might not listen. You might be tempted to bow down to other gods and worship them.


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If you do, I tell you today that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live for a long time in the land that you're going to take possession of when you cross the Jordan River.


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I call on heaven and earth as witnesses today that I have offered you life or death, blessings or curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants will live.


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Love the Lord your God, obey him, and be loyal to him. This will be your way of life, and it will mean a long life for you in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


text:
"I'm 120 years old now, and I'm not able to lead you anymore. Besides, the Lord has told me that I cannot cross the Jordan River.


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The Lord your God is the one who will cross the river ahead of you. He will destroy those nations as you arrive, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua will also cross the river ahead of you, as the Lord told you.


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The Lord will do to those nations what he did to King Sihon and King Og of the Amorites and to their lands when he destroyed them.


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Be strong and courageous. Don't tremble! Don't be afraid of them! The Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He won't abandon you or leave you."


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Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous. You will go with these people into the land that the Lord will give them, as he swore to their ancestors. You will help them take possession of the land.


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The Lord is the one who is going ahead of you. He will be with you. He won't abandon you or leave you. So don't be afraid or terrified."


text:
Moses wrote down these teachings and gave them to the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the Lord's promise and to all the leaders of Israel.


text:
Then Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seventh year you must cancel debts. At that time, during the Festival of Booths,


text:
all the Israelites will come into the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. Read these teachings so that they can hear them.


text:
Assemble the men, women, and children, as well as the foreigners who live in your cities. Have them listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and faithfully obey every word of these teachings.


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Their children, who don't know these teachings, must hear them and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land that you are going to take possession of when you cross the Jordan River."


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The Lord said to Moses, "The time of your death is coming soon. Call for Joshua. Both of you come to the tent of meeting, and I will give him his instructions." Moses and Joshua came to the tent of meeting.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Soon you are going to lie down in death with your ancestors. When these people enter the land and are living among the foreigners there, they will chase after foreign gods as though they were prostitutes. They will abandon me and reject the promise I made to them.


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On that day I will become angry with them. I will abandon them and turn away from them. They will be destroyed, and many terrible disasters will happen to them. On that day they will ask, 'Haven't these disasters happened to us because our God isn't with us?'


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On that day I will certainly turn away from them because of all the evil they've done in turning to other gods.


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"Write down this song, teach it to the Israelites, and have them sing it. This song will be a witness for me against the Israelites.


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I will bring them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. When they have eaten all they want and have become fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will despise me and reject my promise.


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When many terrible disasters happen to them, this song will testify against them, because it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know what their hearts are set on doing, even now before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them."


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The Lord gave this command to Joshua, son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, because you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you."


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"Take this Book of Teachings, and put it next to the ark of the promise of the Lord your God, where it will be a witness against you.


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I know how rebellious you are. You are impossible to deal with. While I am alive and still with you, you are rebelling against the Lord. How much more rebellious will you be after I die?


text:
Assemble all the leaders of your tribes and your officers in front of me. As they listen, I will speak these words and call on heaven and earth to testify against them.


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I know that after I die you will become thoroughly corrupt and turn from the way I have commanded you to live. In the days to come disasters will happen to you because you will make the Lord furious by doing what he considers evil."


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Let my teachings come down like raindrops. Let my words drip like dew, like gentle rain on grass, like showers on green plants.


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He is a rock. What he does is perfect. All his ways are fair. He is a faithful God, who does no wrong. He is honorable and reliable.


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He recognizes that his people are corrupt. To their shame they are no longer his children. They are devious and scheming.


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Is this how you repay the Lord, you foolish and silly people? Isn't he your Father and Owner, who made you and formed you?


text:
Remember a time long ago. Think about all the past generations. Ask your fathers to remind you, and your leaders to tell you.


text:
When the Most High gave nations their land, when he divided the descendants of Adam, he set up borders for the tribes corresponding to the number of the sons of Israel.


text:
He found his people in a desert land, in a barren place where animals howl. He guarded them, took care of them, and protected them because they were helpless.


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Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreads its wings to catch them, and carries them on its feathers,


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He made them ride on the heights of the earth and fed them with the produce of the fields. He gave them honey from rocks and olive oil from solid rock.


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They ate cheese from cows and drank milk from sheep and goats. He gave them fat from lambs, rams from the stock of Bashan, male goats, and the best wheat. They drank the blood-red wine of grapes.


text:
Jeshurun got fat and disrespectful. (You got fat! You were stuffed! You were gorged!) They abandoned the God who made them and treated the rock of their salvation like a fool.


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They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him because they worshiped worthless idols.


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They sacrificed to demons that are not God, to gods they never heard of. These were new gods, who came from nearby, gods your ancestors never worshiped.


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He said, "I will turn away from them and find out what will happen to them. They are devious people, children who can't be trusted.


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They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him because they worshiped worthless idols. So I will use those who are not my people to make them jealous and a nation of godless fools to make them angry.


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My anger has started a fire that will burn to the depths of hell. It will consume the earth and its crops and set the foundations of the mountains on fire.


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They will be starved by famines and ravaged by pestilence and deadly epidemics. I will send vicious animals against them along with poisonous animals that crawl on the ground.


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Foreign wars will kill off their children, and even at home there will be horrors. Young men and young women alike will die as well as nursing babies and gray-haired men.


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But I didn't want their enemies to make me angry. I didn't want their opponents to misunderstand and say, 'We won this victory! It wasn't the Lord who did all this!' "


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How could one person chase a thousand or two people make ten thousand flee? Their rock used these people to defeat them and the Lord gave them no help.


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Their grapevines come from the vineyards of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous, and their clusters are bitter.


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I will take revenge and be satisfied. In due time their foot will slip, because their day of disaster is near. Their doom is coming quickly.


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The Lord will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees that their strength is gone and that no one is left, neither slaves nor free people.


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Where are the gods who ate the fat from their sacrifices and drank the wine from their wine offerings? Let them come to help you! Let them be your refuge!"


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See, I am the only God. There are no others. I kill, and I make alive. I wound, and I heal, and no one can rescue you from my power.


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I will sharpen my flashing sword and take justice into my own hands. Then I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back those who hate me.


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My arrows will drip with blood from those who were killed and taken captive. My sword will cut off the heads of the enemy who vowed to fight.


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Joyfully sing with the Lord's people, you nations, because he will take revenge for the death of his servants. He will get even with his enemies and make peace for his people's land.


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he said to them, "Pay attention to all these warnings I've given you today. Then you will command your children to faithfully obey every word of these teachings.


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Don't think these words are idle talk. They are your life! By these words you will be able to live for a long time in the land that you are going to take possession of when you cross the Jordan River."


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"Go into the Abarim Mountains, to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho. Take a look at the land of Canaan that I'm giving the Israelites as their own property.


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On this mountain where you're going, you will die and join your ancestors in death, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor.


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This is because both of you were unfaithful to me at the oasis of Meribah at Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. You didn't show the Israelites how holy I am.


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He said, "The Lord came from Sinai. For his people he rose from Seir {like the sun}. He appeared like sunshine from Mount Paran. He came with tens of thousands of holy ones. On his right was a raging fire for them.


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You certainly love your people. All your holy ones are in your hands. They bow at your feet to receive your instructions.


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The Lord was king of Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled together with all the tribes of Israel.


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This is what he said about the tribe of Judah: "Hear the cry of Judah, O Lord, and bring them to their people. They must defend themselves. Help them against their enemies."


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About the tribe of Levi he said, "Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful people. You tested your people at Massah. You quarreled with them at the oasis of Meribah.


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They said that they didn't know their father and mother. They didn't recognize their own brothers. They didn't acknowledge their own children. But they obeyed your word and were faithful to the terms of your promise.


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They teach Jacob your rules and give Israel your teachings. They burn incense for you to smell and sacrifice burnt offerings on your altar.


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Lord, bless them with strength and be pleased with the work they do. Break the backs of those who attack them and hate them so that they can never get up again."


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About the tribe of Benjamin he said, "The Lord's beloved people will live securely with him. The Lord will shelter them all day long, since he, too, lives on the mountain slopes."


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About the tribes of Joseph he said, "May the Lord bless their land with {water,} the best gift heaven can send, with dew and deep springs below the ground.


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May the Lord bless their land with crops, the best gift the sun can give, the best produce of each month,


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and the most plentiful crops of the earth. May the Lord bless their land with the favor of the one who was in the burning bush. May these blessings come to the tribes of Joseph. May they crown the people who are like princes in Israel.


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They will be as majestic as a firstborn bull. Their horns will be like the horns of a wild ox. They will use them to push away nations including those at the ends of the earth. The tens of thousands from the tribe of Ephraim and the thousands from the tribe of Manasseh will be like this."


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About the tribe of Zebulun he said, "People of Zebulun, enjoy yourselves when you go to war, and you people of Issachar, enjoy yourselves when you stay at home.


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They will invite nations to their mountain, and there they will offer the proper sacrifices. They will be nourished by the abundance from the seas and the treasures hidden in the sand."


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About the tribe of Gad he said, "Blessed is the one who gives the people of Gad more land. They wait there like a lion. They can tear off an arm or a head.


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They chose the best land for themselves. Indeed, a commander's piece of land was reserved for them. They were leaders of the people and did for Israel what the Lord considers fair and honorable."


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About the tribe of Dan he said, "The people of Dan are a lion cub. Out of Bashan they pounce {on their enemies}."


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About the tribe of Naphtali he said, "The people of Naphtali enjoy the Lord's favor and are filled with the Lord's blessings. They will take possession of the lake and the land south of it."


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About the tribe of Asher he said, "The people of Asher are the most blessed of the sons of Israel. May they be the Israelites' favorite tribe and wash their feet in olive oil.


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May the locks and bolts of your gates be made of iron and copper. May your strength last as long as you live.


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"There's no one like your God, Jeshurun! He rides through the heavens to help you. In majesty he rides through the clouds.


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The eternal God is your shelter, and his everlasting arms support you. He will force your enemies out of your way and tell you to destroy them.


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So Israel will live securely. Jacob's spring will be {left} alone in a land of grain and new wine. Dew will drip from Israel's skies.


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You are blessed, Israel! Who is like you, a nation saved by the Lord? He is a shield that helps you and a sword that wins your victories. Your enemies will come crawling to you, and you will stomp on their backs."


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Then Moses went up on Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab. He went to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land. He could see Gilead as far as Dan,


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all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the territory of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,


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Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I said I would give it to their descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you may not go there."


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Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight never became poor, and he never lost his physical strength.


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The Israelites mourned for Moses in the plains of Moab for 30 days. Then the time of mourning for him was over.


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Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him. The Israelites obeyed him and did what the Lord had commanded through Moses.


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He was the one the Lord sent to do all the miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his whole country.


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Moses used his mighty hand to do all the spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds that were seen by all the Israelites.


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"My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must cross the Jordan River into the land that I am going to give the people of Israel.


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Your borders will be the desert {on the south}, nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) {on the north}, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west.


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No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you.


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Be strong and courageous, because you will help these people take possession of the land I swore to give their ancestors.


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"Only be strong and very courageous, faithfully doing everything in the teachings that my servant Moses commanded you. Don't turn away from them. Then you will succeed wherever you go.


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Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed.


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"I have commanded you, 'Be strong and courageous! Don't tremble or be terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' "


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"Go through the camp. Tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give you.' "


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"Remember what the Lord's servant Moses commanded you. Moses said, 'The Lord your God will give you this land—a place to rest.'


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Your wives, children, and livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River. However, all your best soldiers must march in battle formation ahead of your relatives. You must help your relatives


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take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give them. Then they will have a place to rest like you do. After that, you may go back and take possession of the land east of the Jordan River which the Lord's servant Moses gave you."


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Whoever rebels against your authority or does not obey your orders will be put to death. Just be strong and courageous!"


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From Shittim Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two men as spies. He told them, "Go, look at that country, especially the city of Jericho." So they went to Jericho and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab to spend the night there.


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The king of Jericho was told, "Some Israelites have entered the city tonight. They came to gather information about our land."


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So the king of Jericho sent messengers to Rahab, who told her, "Bring out the men who came to your house. They came here to gather information about the entire land."


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But the woman had already taken the two men inside and hidden them. So she said, "Yes, the men did come here. But I didn't know where they had come from.


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When it was dark and the gate was just about to close, they left. I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you'll catch up with them."


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The king's men pursued them on the road leading to a shallow place to cross the Jordan River. As soon as the king's men had left, the gate was closed.


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She said to them, "I know the Lord will give you this land. Your presence terrifies us. All the people in this country are deathly afraid of you.


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We've heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you left Egypt. We've also heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites, who ruled east of the Jordan River. We've heard how you destroyed them for the Lord.


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When we heard about it, we lost heart. There was no courage left in any of us because of you. The Lord your God is the God of heaven and earth.


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Please swear by the Lord that you'll be as kind to my father's family as I've been to you. Also give me some proof


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that you'll protect my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and their households, and that you'll save us from death."


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The men promised her, "We pledge our lives for your lives. If you don't tell anyone what we're doing here, we'll treat you kindly and honestly when the Lord gives us this land."


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So she let them down by a rope from her window since her house was built into the city wall. (She lived in the city wall.)


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She told them, "Go to the mountains so that the men who are pursuing you will not find you. Hide there for three days until they return to Jericho. Then you can go on your way."


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The men told her, "We will be free from the oath which you made us swear, {if you tell anyone what we're doing here}.


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When we invade your land, tie this red cord in the window through which you let us down. Also, gather your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into your house.


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Whoever leaves your house will be responsible for his own life. We will be free from that responsibility. But we will take responsibility if anyone inside your house is harmed.


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The men went to the mountains and stayed there for three days until the king's men returned to Jericho. The king's men had searched for them all along the road but had not found them.


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Then the two spies came down out of the mountains, crossed the Jordan River, and returned to Joshua, son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them.


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They told Joshua, "The Lord has given us the whole country. The people who live there are deathly afraid of us."


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Joshua got up early the next morning. He and all the Israelites left Shittim. They came to the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.


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They told the people, "As soon as you see the ark of the promise of the Lord your God and the Levitical priests who carry it, break camp and follow them.


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However, stay about half a mile behind them. Don't come any closer to them so that you will know which way to go because you have not gone this way before."


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Joshua told the people, "Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy because tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you."


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Joshua also told the priests, "Take the ark of the promise, and go ahead of the people." They did as they were told.


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Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.


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Order the priests who carry the ark of the promise, 'When you step into the water of the Jordan River, stand there.' "


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Joshua continued, "This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly force the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites out of your way.


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Watch the ark of the promise of the Lord of the whole earth as it goes ahead of you into the Jordan River.


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The priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, will stand in the water of the Jordan. Then the water flowing from upstream will stop and stand up like a dam."


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So they broke camp to cross the Jordan River. The priests who carried the ark of the promise went ahead of the people.


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(The Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest season.) When the priests who were carrying the ark came to the edge of the Jordan River and set foot in


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the water, the water stopped flowing from upstream. The water rose up like a dam as far away as the city of Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. Then the people crossed from the east side {of the Jordan River} directly opposite Jericho.


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The priests who carried the ark of the Lord's promise stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.


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Order them to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests' feet stood firmly. Take the stones along with you, and set them down where you will camp tonight."


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He said to them, "Go to the middle of the Jordan River in front of the ark of the Lord your God. Each man must take a stone on his shoulder, one for each tribe of Israel.


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This will be a sign for you. In the future your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?'


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You should answer, 'The water of the Jordan River was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord's promise. When the ark crossed the Jordan, the river stopped flowing. These stones are a permanent reminder for the people of Israel.' "


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The people of Israel did as Joshua had ordered. They took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. They took them from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.


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Joshua also set 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan River, where the priests who carried the ark of the promise had stood. The stones are still there today.


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The priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan. They stood there until everything the Lord had ordered Joshua to tell the people had been carried out. This was as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried to the other side.


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The men of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh did as Moses had told them. They marched across in battle formation ahead of the people of Israel.


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On that day the Lord honored Joshua in the presence of all the Israelites. As long as Joshua lived, the Israelites respected him in the same way they had respected Moses.


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The priests who carried the ark of the Lord's promise came out of the middle of the Jordan. When their feet stepped onto dry land, the water of the Jordan returned to its seasonal flood level.


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On the tenth day of the first month, the people came out of the Jordan River. They made their camp at Gilgal, just east of Jericho.


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He said to the people of Israel, "In the future when children ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?'


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The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed.


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The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life."


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All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan River and all the Canaanite kings along the Mediterranean Sea heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross. So they lost heart and had no courage left to face the people of Israel.


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This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the soldiers had died on the way through the desert after they left Egypt.


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The men who left Egypt had been circumcised. However, the men born later, on the way through the desert, were not circumcised.


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For 40 years the Israelites wandered through the desert until all their soldiers who left Egypt died. They died because they disobeyed the Lord. The Lord swore that he would not let them see this land flowing with milk and honey which he had sworn to give our ancestors.


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The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have removed the disgrace of Egypt from you." So Joshua named the place Gilgal, the name it still has today.


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The people of Israel camped at Gilgal in the Jericho plain. There they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.


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On the day after the Passover, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and roasted grain.


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The day after that, the manna stopped. The people of Israel never had manna again. That year they began to eat the crops that grew in Canaan.


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When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you one of us or one of our enemies?"


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He answered, "Neither one! I am here as the commander of the Lord's army." Immediately, Joshua bowed with his face touching the ground and worshiped. He asked, "Sir, what do you want to tell me?"


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The commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals because this place where you are standing is holy." So Joshua did as he was told.


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Jericho was bolted and barred shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one could enter or leave.


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Seven priests will carry rams' horns ahead of the ark. But on the seventh day you must march around the city seven times while the priests blow their horns.


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When you hear a long blast on the horn, all the troops must shout very loudly. The wall around the city will collapse. Then the troops must charge straight ahead into the city."


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Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests. He said to them, "Pick up the ark of the promise, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns ahead of the Lord's ark."


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After Joshua had given orders to the troops, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns ahead of the Lord marched off as they blew their horns. The ark of the Lord's promise followed them.


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The armed men went ahead of the priests, who blew their horns. The rear guard followed the ark while the priests continued to blow their horns.


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Joshua ordered the troops, "Don't shout, make any noise, or let one word come out of your mouth until I tell you to shout. Then shout!"


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So the Lord's ark went around the city once. Then they went back to the camp and stayed there for the night.


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The seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns were ahead of it. The priests blew their horns as they went. The armed men were ahead of them, and the rear guard followed the Lord's ark while the horns blew continually.


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They went around the city once on the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.


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On the seventh day they got up at dawn. They marched around the city seven times the same way they had done it before. That was the only day they marched around it seven times.


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When they went around the seventh time, the priests blew their rams' horns. Joshua said to the troops, "Shout, because the Lord has given you the city!


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The city has been claimed by the Lord. Everything in it belongs to the Lord. Only the prostitute Rahab and all who are in the house with her will live because she hid the messengers we sent.


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But stay away from what has been claimed by the Lord for destruction, or you, too, will be destroyed by the Lord. If you take anything that is claimed by the Lord, you will bring destruction and disaster on the camp of Israel.


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All the silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron are holy and belong to the Lord. They must go into the Lord's treasury."


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So the troops shouted very loudly when they heard the blast of the rams' horns, and the wall collapsed. The troops charged straight ahead and captured the city.


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They claimed everything in it for the Lord. With their swords they killed men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.


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But Joshua said to the two spies, "Go to the prostitute's house. Bring the woman out, along with everything she has, as you swore you would do for her."


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The spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, everything she had, and even all of her relatives. They gave them a place outside the camp of Israel.


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Then Israel burned the city and everything in it. But they put the silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron into the Lord's treasury.


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Joshua spared the prostitute Rahab, her father's family, and everything she had. She still lives in Israel today because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to look at Jericho.


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At that time Joshua pronounced this curse: "The Lord will curse whoever comes to rebuild the city of Jericho. It will cost him his firstborn son to lay the foundation. It will cost him his youngest son to set up the city doors."


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The people of Israel proved to be disloyal about the things claimed by the Lord. Achan, son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah, and a member of the tribe of Judah, took something that had been claimed by the Lord. So the Lord became angry with the people of Israel.


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Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai. Ai is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, "Go, look at that country." So the men went and looked at Ai.


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They came back to Joshua and told him, "You don't need to send all the troops. Only about two or three thousand men are needed to destroy Ai. Don't tire the troops out by sending all of them. There are only a few troops in Ai."


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The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the city gate to the slope of the stone quarries. Israel's troops lost heart and were scared stiff.


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Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief. They put dust on their heads and bowed down to the ground in front of the Lord's ark. They stayed there until evening.


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Joshua said, "Almighty Lord, why did you bring these people across the Jordan River? Was it to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us? I wish we had been content to live on the other side of the Jordan!


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When the Canaanites and everyone who lives in the land hears about it, they will surround us and remove every memory of us from the earth. What will you do then so that your great name {will be remembered}?"


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Israel has sinned. They have ignored the requirements that I have placed on them. They have taken what I claimed for myself and put it among their own goods. They have not only stolen, but they have also lied.


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"The people of Israel will not be able to defend themselves against their enemies. They will run away from their enemies because the people of Israel are now claimed for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy what I have claimed for myself.


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"Get up! Tell the people, 'Get ready for tomorrow by performing the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: You have what I claimed for myself, Israel. You will not be able to defend yourselves against your enemies until you get rid of what I have claimed.


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In the morning come forward by tribes {to the tent of meeting}. The tribe the Lord selects will come forward by families. Then the family the Lord selects will come forward by households, and the household the Lord selects will come forward man by man.


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The man who is selected, along with everything he has, must be burned because he has {stolen} what the Lord has claimed. He has ignored the Lord's requirements and done a godless thing in Israel.' "


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Joshua got up early in the morning. He had Israel come forward by tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected.


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Then he had the families of Judah come forward, and the family of Zerah was selected. Then he had the family of Zerah come forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected.


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Then he had Zabdi's household come forward man by man, and Achan was selected. Achan from the tribe of Judah was the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah.


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Joshua said to Achan, "Son, give honor and praise to the Lord God of Israel! Tell me what you have done. Don't hide anything from me."


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Then Achan answered Joshua, "It's true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did:


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I saw a fine robe from Babylonia, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one pound among the loot. I wanted them, so I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent with the silver beneath them."


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Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. The loot was buried inside with the silver beneath it.


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They took the loot from the tent and brought it to Joshua and all the people of Israel. Then they laid it out in the presence of the Lord.


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Joshua and all Israel took Achan (son of Zerah), the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, and his tent—everything he had—and brought them to the valley of Achor Disaster.


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Then Joshua said, "Why did you bring this disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!" And all Israel stoned Achan and his family to death. Then they burned the bodies and piled stones over them.


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They made such a large pile of stones over Achan that it is still there today. Then the Lord withdrew his burning anger. For this reason that place is still called the valley of Achor today.


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The Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be terrified or afraid. Take all the troops with you, and march against Ai. I am about to hand the king of Ai, his people, city, and land over to you.


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You will do the same thing to Ai and its king that you did to Jericho and its king. However, you may take its loot and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."


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So Joshua and all the soldiers started to march against Ai. Joshua picked 30,000 of his best soldiers and sent them out at night


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with these orders: "Set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far away from the city. Everyone must be ready.


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I'll approach the city with the rest of the troops. When they come out to attack us as they did the first time, we will run away from them.


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They'll come out after us, and we will lure them away from the city. They'll say, 'They're running away from us just like the first time.' As we run away from them,


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So Joshua sent them out, and they hid. They took their position west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent the night with the troops.


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Joshua got up early in the morning and assembled the troops. Then he and the leaders of Israel led the army to Ai.


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All the troops with him marched until they were near the city. They camped north of Ai with the ravine between them and Ai.


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All the troops were positioned. The main camp was north of the city, and the other troops were hiding west of the city. That night Joshua went down into the middle of the valley.


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When the king of Ai saw the main camp, he and all his troops got up early in the morning. They rushed out toward the plains to meet Israel for battle, just where {Joshua} expected. However, the king didn't know there were troops behind the city waiting to attack him.


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All the troops in the city were called out to chase them. As they chased Joshua, they were lured away from the city.


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Not one man was left in Ai or Bethel; they all went after Israel. So the city was left unprotected as they chased Israel.


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Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out the spear in your hand toward the city, because I am handing Ai over to you." So Joshua held out his spear.


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The men who were hiding got up as soon as he stretched out his hand. They entered the city, captured it, and quickly set it on fire.


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When the men of Ai looked back, they could see the city going up in smoke. They had no place to go, since the Israelites, who had been running toward the desert, had now turned back on them.


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When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men who had been hiding had captured the city and that it was going up in smoke, they turned and attacked the men of Ai.


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The men who had captured the city also came out and attacked them. The men of Ai were caught between the battle lines of Israel. So Israel attacked them on both sides. None of them survived or escaped.


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Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had been pursued. They put them all to death; not one person survived. Then the Israelites went back to Ai and killed everyone left there.


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Joshua did not lower his hand holding the spear until he had completely destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.


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Israel took the loot and the livestock of that city for themselves, as the Lord had commanded Joshua.


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Joshua hung the king of Ai's {dead body} on a pole and left him there until evening. When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take his body down. They threw it in the entrance of the city and made a large pile of stones over it. That pile is still there today.


text:
He built an altar with uncut stones on which no iron chisels had been used. This was as the Lord's servant Moses had commanded the people of Israel in the Book of Moses' Teachings. They made burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on the altar.


text:
There in front of the people of Israel he wrote on stone slabs a copy of the Teachings which Moses had written down.


text:
All the people of Israel, whether foreigners or native Israelites, the leaders, officers, and judges were standing on opposite sides of the ark. They faced the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the Lord's promise. Half of the people were in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal. Right from the beginning, the Lord's servant Moses had commanded the priests to bless the people of Israel this way.


text:
Afterwards, Joshua read all the Teachings—the blessings and curses—as they had all been written down by Moses.


text:
Joshua read {Moses' Teachings} in front of the whole assembly of Israel, including women, children, and foreigners living among them. He did not leave out one word from everything Moses had commanded.


text:
they joined together to fight Joshua and Israel. (They were the kings in the mountains, the foothills, and along the whole Mediterranean coast as far as Lebanon, the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.)


text:
they devised a scheme. They posed as messengers. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys. Their wineskins were old, split, and patched.


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Their sandals were worn-out and repaired, and their clothes were tattered. All their bread was dried out and crumbling.


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They came to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. They told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country. Make a treaty with us right now."


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The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "What if you're living in this area? We wouldn't be able to make a treaty with you."


text:
They responded to Joshua, "We're at your mercy." Joshua asked them, "Who are you, and where did you come from?"


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They answered him, "We came from a country very far away because the Lord your God has become famous. We heard stories about him and everything he did in Egypt.


text:
We also heard everything he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth.


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Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us, 'Take what you need for the trip, and go meet them. Tell them, "We're at your mercy. Make a treaty with us right now." '


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These were new wineskins when we filled them. Look at them now! See how they are splitting! Our clothes and sandals are also worn-out because we have come such a long way."


text:
So Joshua made peace with them by making a treaty which allowed them to live. The leaders of the congregation swore to it with an oath.


text:
But three days after the treaty was made, the Israelites heard that these people were their neighbors and lived with them.


text:
The Israelites broke camp. They came to the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim two days later.


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The Israelites didn't destroy these other people, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel. The whole congregation complained about the leaders.


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But all the leaders said to them, "We have sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel, so we cannot touch them now.


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The leaders said that they should be allowed to live. So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders had said.


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Joshua sent for the people of Gibeon and asked, "Why did you deceive us by saying, 'We live very far away from you,' when you live here with us?


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You are under a curse now. You will always be servants. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."


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They answered Joshua, "We were told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all who live there. We deceived you because we feared for our lives.


text:
But that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation. They served the Lord's altar, wherever he chose to put it. They still serve today.


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King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and claimed it for the Lord the same way he had destroyed Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the people of Israel and were living with them.


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He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors.


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So King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem sent {this message} to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon:


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So the five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon combined their armies. They marched to Gibeon, camped there, and attacked it.


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The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: "Don't abandon us! Come quickly, and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings who live in the mountains have united against us."


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The Lord told Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. None of them can stand up to you."


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The Lord threw the enemy into disorder in front of Israel and defeated them decisively at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that goes to the slope of Beth Horon and continued to defeat them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.


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As they fled from the Israelites down the slope of Beth Horon toward Azekah, the Lord threw huge hailstones on them. More died from the hailstones than from Israelite swords.


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The day the Lord handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord while Israel was watching, "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon!"


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The sun stood still, and the moon stopped until a nation got revenge on its enemies. Isn't this recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set.


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Never before or after this day was there anything like it. The Lord did what a man told him to do, because the Lord fought for Israel.


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But don't stop. Chase your enemies! Cut off their rear guard. Don't let them get back into their own cities, because the Lord your God has handed them over to you."


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Joshua and the Israelites defeated them decisively, almost destroying them. But some who survived got back into the fortified cities.


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Then the whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a single person dared to speak against any of the Israelites.


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When they brought them to Joshua, he called for all the men of Israel. He told the officers who had gone with him, "Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So that's what they did.


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Joshua told them, "Don't be afraid or terrified! Be strong and courageous, because this is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you're fighting against."


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When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take them down from the poles. Then they threw them into the cave where they had been hiding and put large stones over the mouth of the cave. These stones are still there today.


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That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, and the Israelites killed its people and king with swords. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.


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The Lord also handed Libnah and its king over to Israel. He killed all the people. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Libnah that he had done to the king of Jericho.


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The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel. He captured it on the next day and killed all the people, the same way he had captured Libnah.


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At that time King Horam of Gezer had come to help Lachish. But Joshua killed him and his troops. There were no survivors.


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They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He claimed it for the Lord by destroying it the same way he had destroyed Lachish.


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They captured it and its neighboring villages and killed its king and all the people. There were no survivors, the same as at Eglon. He claimed the city and all its people for the Lord by destroying them.


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He captured it and its king and all its neighboring villages and killed everyone. So they claimed them all for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to Debir and its king that he had done to Hebron and Libnah and their kings.


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So Joshua captured the whole land—the mountains, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes. There were no survivors. He claimed every living creature for the Lord by destroying it, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.


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So Joshua defeated the people from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon.


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Joshua captured all these kings and their territories in one campaign because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.


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King Jabin of Hazor heard {what had happened}. So he sent messengers to King Jobab of Madon and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph.


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He also sent messengers to the northern kings in the mountains, the plains south of Chinneroth, the foothills, and Naphoth Dor in the west,


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the Canaanites from east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Jebusites in the mountains, and the Hivites at the foot of Mount Hermon in Mizpah.


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They came out with all their armies. Their troops were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also had horses and chariots.


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The Lord told Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel. About this time tomorrow they will all be dead. You must disable their horses so that they cannot be used in battle. You must burn their chariots."


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Joshua and all his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs of Merom and attacked the Canaanite armies.


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The Lord handed them over to Israel, and the Israelites defeated them. The Israelites chased them as far as Great Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the valley of Mizpah in the east. There were no survivors.


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Then Joshua turned back and captured Hazor. He killed its king with a sword. (Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.)


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They claimed everyone for the Lord by destroying them with swords. Not one person survived. Joshua also burned Hazor.


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So Joshua captured all these cities and their kings. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them, as the Lord's servant Moses had commanded him.


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The people of Israel took all the loot and livestock from these cities. But they put everyone to death until they were all destroyed. Not one person survived.


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So Joshua carried out what the Lord had commanded his servant Moses and what Moses had commanded him. He did not leave out anything the Lord had commanded Moses.


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Joshua took all this land, the mountains, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the plains, and the mountains and foothills of Israel.


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The land extended from Mount Halak which ascends to Seir as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and killed them.


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Not one city had made a peace treaty with the people of Israel except Gibeon, where the Hivites lived. Israel captured everything in battle.


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The Lord made their enemies stubborn enough to continue fighting against Israel so that he could claim them all for destruction without mercy, as he had commanded Moses.


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At that time Joshua also wiped out the people of Anak in the mountains, in Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and in all the hills of Judah and Israel. Joshua claimed them for the Lord by destroying them and their cities.


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Joshua captured the whole land as the Lord had promised Moses. He gave it to Israel as a possession, dividing it among the tribes. So the land had peace.


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These are the kings of the land east of the Jordan River that the people of Israel defeated. Israel also took possession of their lands from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern plains.


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Sihon was the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon. His rule extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River, which is the border of Ammon. This included the middle of the valley and half of Gilead.


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It included the eastern plains from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) and the road that goes south from Beth Jeshimoth to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.


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The territory of King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei was captured. He was the last of the Rephaim.


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He ruled Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of Geshur and Maacath, and half of Gilead to the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.


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The Lord's servant Moses and the people of Israel defeated them. Then he gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.


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These are the kings of the land west of the Jordan River that Joshua and the people of Israel defeated. {Their lands extended} from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave it as a possession to Israel, dividing it among the tribes.


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It included the mountains, foothills, plains, slopes, desert, and the Negev {that the} Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites {had possessed}. The kings were


text:
Joshua was old, near the end of his life. So the Lord said to him, "You are old, near the end of your life, and there is a lot of land left to be conquered.


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It extends from the Shihor River, east of Egypt, northward as far as the border of Ekron. This is considered to be Canaanite territory, even though there are five Philistine rulers over Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvim people


text:
in the south. This territory includes all the land of the Canaanites as well as Mearah which belongs to Sidon as far as Aphek, the Amorite border.


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It also includes the land of the people of Gebal, all Lebanon eastward from Baal Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to the border of Hamath.


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I will force out of the way of the people of Israel everyone who lives in the mountains from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim and all the people of Sidon. However, you must distribute the land as an inheritance to Israel by drawing lots, as I commanded you.


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Sodivide this land. It will be an inheritance for the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."


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The tribes of Reuben and Gad with half of the tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance east of the Jordan River, since the Lord's servant Moses had already given it to them.


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The border extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley, and the whole plateau from Medeba to Dibon.


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It included all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites up to the border of Ammon. Sihon's capital was Heshbon.


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It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacath, all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah


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(the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan). Og ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was the last of the Rephaim. Moses had defeated them and forced them out.


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But the Israelites did not force out the people of Geshur and Maacath. So they still live in Israel today.


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Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices offered to the Lord God of Israel are what the Levites inherited, as the Lord had promised them.


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Their territory extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley and the whole plateau near Medeba.


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It also included all the cities of the plateau, the whole kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and Midian's leaders—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They were princes of Sihon, who lived in that country.


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Along with these leaders, the people of Israel also killed Balaam, son of Beor, who used black magic.


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The border of Reuben's territory was the Jordan River. This was Reuben's inheritance for its families. It included cities with their villages.


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Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of Ammon as far as Aroer, which is by Rabbah.


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It extended from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the border of Lidbir.


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In the Jordan Valley it included Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The Jordan River served as its western border, extending to the end of the Sea of Galilee.


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Moses gave some land as an inheritance to half of the tribe of Manasseh. It was only for the families of that half of the tribe.


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Their territory extended from Mahanaim and included all of Bashan (the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan) and all 60 settlements of Jair that were in Bashan.


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It also included half of Gilead with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. They were given to half the families of Machir, son of Manasseh, {for their inheritance}.


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Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The Lord God of Israel is what they inherited, as he had promised them.


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This is the land that the people of Israel inherited in Canaan. The priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the heads of Israel's tribes distributed it to the people.


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The land inherited by the nine-and-a-half tribes was determined by drawing lots as the Lord had commanded through Moses.


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Moses had given the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan River. He did not give any land as an inheritance to Levi's tribe,


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because Joseph's descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, formed two tribes. The Levites were not given a share of the land. Joseph's descendants gave the Levites cities to live in with pasturelands for their cattle and everything they had.


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Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, said to him, "You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea about you and me.


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I was 40 years old when the Lord's servant Moses sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. I reported to him exactly what I thought.


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On that day Moses swore this oath: 'The land your feet walked on will be a permanent inheritance for you and your descendants because you were completely loyal to the Lord my God.'


text:
"So look at me. The Lord has kept me alive as he promised. It's been 45 years since Israel wandered in the desert when the Lord made this promise to Moses. So now look at me today. I'm 85 years old.


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Now give me this mountain region which the Lord spoke of that day. You heard that the people of Anak are still there and that they have large, fortified cities. If the Lord is with me, I can force them out, as he promised."


text:
Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel.


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In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the people of Anak. So the land had peace.


text:
The lot was drawn for the families of the tribe of Judah. Their territory extends as far south as the territory of Edom and the desert of Zin.


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and goes south of the Akrabbim Pass. It then passes Zin and goes up south of Kadesh Barnea. From there it goes to Hezron, up to Addar, around to Karka,


text:
and on to Azmon. It comes out at the River of Egypt so that the border ends at the Mediterranean Sea. This is the southern border.


text:
The eastern border is the Dead Sea as far north as the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern border starts from the north end of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan


text:
and goes up to Beth Hoglah. It then passes north to Beth Arabah and goes up to the Rock of Bohan, son of Reuben.


text:
From the valley of Achor, the border goes up to Debir and turns north to the region that faces the Adummim Pass, south of the valley. Then the border passes the Springs of En Shemesh and ends at En Rogel.


text:
It continues up the valley of Ben Hinnom to the south slope of the Jebusite city Jerusalem. It then goes to the top of the mountain that overlooks the valley of Hinnom to the west at the north end of the valley of Rephaim.


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From the top of that mountain the border goes around to the spring of Nephtoah. From there it goes to the cities of Mount Ephron and around to Baalah (now called Kiriath Jearim).


text:
From Baalah the border turns west to Mount Seir and over to the north slope of Mount Jearim (now called Chesalon). Then it goes down to Beth Shemesh and on to Timnah.


text:
From there the border goes on the north side of Ekron and turns to Shikkeron, on to Mount Baalah, and comes out at Jabneel. The border ends at the Mediterranean Sea.


text:
The western border is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. These are the borders around Judah that belong to their families.


text:
Joshua gave Caleb, son of Jephunneh, a share of land among the people of Judah as the Lord had told them. It was Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron). Arba was the father of Anak.


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From there he marched against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir was called Kiriath Sepher.)


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Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to anyone who attacks Kiriath Sepher and captures it."


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Then Othniel, son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, captured it. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife.


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When she came to Othniel, she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"


text:
She answered, "Give me a blessing. Since you've given me some dry land, also give me some springs." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.


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On the farthest edge of the Negev, on the border of Edom, they gave the tribe of Judah 29 cities with their villages: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,


text:
This included all the cities with their villages between Ekron and the Mediterranean Sea and alongside Ashdod.


text:
Added to this were Ashdod and Gaza with their cities and villages as far as the River of Egypt and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.


text:
The two cities of Kiriath Baal (now called Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah with their villages {were given to Judah}.


text:
However, Judah was not able to force out the people of Jebus who lived in Jerusalem. So they still live with Judah in Jerusalem today.


text:
The lot was drawn for Joseph. The border of Joseph's territory goes from the Jordan River at Jericho to the springs of Jericho on the east, through the desert that goes up from Jericho, and through the mountains to Bethel.


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Then it descends west to the border of Japhlet and Lower Beth Horon, on to Gezer, and ends at the Mediterranean Sea.


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This is the territory for the families descended from Ephraim. The eastern border of the land they inherited is from Ataroth Addar to Upper Beth Horon.


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From there the border goes west, with Michmethath on the north. The border then turns east to Taanath Shiloh and passes east to Janoah.


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At Tappuah the border goes west along the Kanah River and ends at the Mediterranean Sea. This is the land given as an inheritance to the families of the tribe of Ephraim


text:
However, they did not force out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites still live in Ephraim today, but they are required to do forced labor.


text:
The lot was drawn for the tribe of Manasseh, because Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn. Machir, Manasseh's firstborn, the ancestor of the people living in Gilead, had received Gilead and Bashan because he was a soldier.


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The land was given to the rest of the families descended from Manasseh, to the descendants of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Joseph's son Manasseh listed by their families.


text:
Zelophehad, son of Hepher, grandson of Gilead, and great-grandson of Machir, whose father was Manasseh, had no sons—only daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


text:
They came to the priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the leaders. They said, "The Lord commanded Moses to give us some land as an inheritance among our male relatives." So they gave them an inheritance among their father's relatives as the Lord had required.


text:
Ten portions of land went to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan River.


text:
These portions were distributed because Manasseh's daughters were given an inheritance along with his sons, while Gilead belonged to Manasseh's other descendants.


text:
Manasseh's border extends from Asher to Michmethath, which faces Shechem. Then the border goes south toward the people who live in En Tappuah.


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(The land of Tappuah belongs to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh, belongs to Ephraim.)


text:
The border then descends southward to the Kanah River. These cities belong to Ephraim, although they are among Manasseh's cities. Manasseh's {southern} border is the river, which ends at the Mediterranean Sea.


text:
What is south {of the river} belongs to Ephraim, and what is north {of it} belongs to Manasseh. So the Mediterranean Sea {is its western border}, Asher its northern border, and Issachar its eastern border.


text:
In Issachar and Asher, Manasseh possessed Beth Shean and Ibleam with their villages and the people living in Dor, En Dor, Taanach, and Megiddo and their villages. The last three are on mountain ridges.


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But Manasseh was not able to take possession of these cities since the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.


text:
When the Israelites became strong enough, they made the Canaanites do forced labor, since they didn't force all of them out.


text:
Joseph's descendants asked Joshua, "Why did you give us only one region for an inheritance? We have a lot of people because the Lord has blessed us."


text:
Joshua replied, "If there are so many of you, go into the forest! Clear ground for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaim if the mountains of Ephraim are too confining for you."


text:
Joseph's descendants responded, "The mountains are not enough for us either. Besides, all the Canaanites living in the valley, in Beth Shean and its villages, and in the valley of Jezreel have chariots made of iron."


text:
Then Joshua said to the descendants of Joseph, {the tribes of} Ephraim and Manasseh, "You are an important and very powerful people. One region is really not enough for you.


text:
The mountain region will be yours as well. It is a forest, so you will have to clear it. All of it will be yours. But you must force out the Canaanites, even though they are strong and have chariots made of iron."


text:
The whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land was under their control.


text:
So Joshua asked the Israelites, "How long are you going to waste time conquering the land which the Lord God of your ancestors has given you?


text:
Choose three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They will survey the land and write a description of it which shows {the borders of} their inheritance. Then they will come back to me.


text:
They will divide the land into seven parts. Judah will stay within its territory in the south, and Joseph's descendants will stay within their territory in the north.


text:
You must describe the seven parts of the land and report to me here. I will draw lots for you here in the presence of the Lord our God.


text:
Levi's tribe has no separate region among you, because their inheritance is to serve the Lord as priests. The tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh have received the inheritance that the Lord's servant Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan River."


text:
As the men got ready to go, Joshua ordered them to write a description of the land. He said, "Go survey the land. Write a description of it, and return to me. Then I will draw lots for you in the presence of the Lord here in Shiloh."


text:
The men surveyed the land. They described it in a book. The land was divided into seven parts according to its cities. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh.


text:
So Joshua drew lots for them in the presence of the Lord in Shiloh. There Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel.


text:
The lot was drawn for the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Their territory lies between Judah's and Joseph's.


text:
Their northern border starts at the Jordan, goes up the slope north of Jericho, west through the mountains, and ends at the desert of Beth Aven.


text:
From there the border goes to the south slope of Luz (now called Bethel). Then the border goes down to Ataroth Addar over the mountains south of Lower Beth Horon.


text:
The border turns and goes around on the west side, south of the mountain that faces Beth Horon, and ends at Kiriath Baal (now called Kiriath Jearim), a city of Judah.


text:
Then the border descends to the foot of the mountain that overlooks the valley of Ben Hinnom, in the north end of the valley of Rephaim. It descends to the valley of Hinnom, to the south slope of the city of Jebus, and down to En Rogel.


text:
Then it turns north and goes to En Shemesh and from there to the region opposite the Adummim Pass. It descends to the Rock of Bohan, son of Reuben.


text:
The border continues to the north slope of Beth Hoglah and ends at the northern bay of the Dead Sea at the south end of the Jordan River. This is its southern border.


text:
The Jordan River is its eastern border. These are the borders surrounding the inheritance given to Benjamin for its families.


text:
These are the 12 cities with their villages that belong to the tribe of Benjamin for its families: Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,


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Zela, Eleph, Jebus (now called Jerusalem), Gibeath, and Kiriath. This is Benjamin's inheritance for its families.


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The second lot was drawn for the families of the tribe of Simeon. Their inheritance was within Judah.


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All the villages around these cities as far as Baalath Beer and Ramath Negev were also included. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon for its families.


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Simeon's inheritance was a part of Judah's because Judah had more land than it needed. So Simeon received its inheritance inside Judah's borders.


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The third lot was drawn for the families descended from Zebulun. The border of their inheritance goes as far as Sarid.


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But from Sarid it turns directly east toward the border of Chisloth Tabor, on to Daberath, and then ascends toward Japhia.


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This also includes Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were 12 cities with their villages.


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The border touches Tabor, Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh and ends at the Jordan River. There were 16 cities with their villages.


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Then it turns east to Beth Dagon and touches Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah El in the north and goes to Beth Emek and Neiel. From there it goes northward to Cabul,


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Then it turns at Ramah and goes on to the fortified city of Tyre. The border then turns to Hosah and ends at the Mediterranean Sea. The territory includes Meheleb, Achzib,


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Their border starts from Heleph at the oak tree at Zaanannim. It continues to Adami Nekeb, Jabneel, to Lakkum, and ends at the Jordan River.


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The border turns west to Aznoth Tabor, and from there to Hukok. It touches Zebulun in the south, Asher in the west, and Judah in the east at the Jordan.


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The border of Dan extended beyond them. Dan's descendants went up and attacked Leshem, captured it, and killed everyone there. They took it, settled there, and renamed the city Dan after their ancestor Dan.


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When they all had finally received the land they were to inherit, the people of Israel also gave land within their territory as an inheritance to Joshua, son of Nun.


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They gave him the city he asked for, as the Lord had instructed them to do. It was Timnath Serah in the mountains of Ephraim. He rebuilt the city and lived there.


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This is the land that the tribes of Israel drew by lot. The priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the families divided the land by drawing lots. They did this in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.


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"Tell the people of Israel, 'Now choose for yourselves the cities of refuge about which I spoke to you through Moses.


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Choose them so that anyone who unintentionally kills someone may run to them. They will be a place of refuge from any relative who can avenge the death.


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"'A person who kills someone accidentally can run to one of these cities. There he will stand at the entrance to the city, where court is held, and present his case to the leaders of that city. Then they will take him into their city and give him a place to live with them.


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"'If the relative who can avenge the death pursues him, the leaders must not hand him over to the relative because he didn't intend to kill the other person. He didn't even hate the person he killed.


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The accused person may remain in that city until he can stand trial in front of the congregation or until whoever is chief priest at that time dies. Then he may go back to his home in the city from which he ran away.' "


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Kedesh in Galilee in the mountains of Naphtali, Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (now called Hebron) in the mountains of Judah were chosen as cities of refuge.


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Bezer on the desert plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh were chosen as cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan River, east of Jericho.


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These are the cities chosen as cities of refuge for all Israelites, including the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may escape to these cities. Then he will not be handed over to the relative who can avenge a death before he stands trial in front of the congregation.


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Then the leaders of the families of Levi came to the priest Eleazar, to Joshua (son of Nun), and to the leaders of the families of the other Israelite tribes


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at Shiloh in Canaan. They said to them, "The Lord commanded through Moses that we should receive cities to live in and pasturelands for our livestock."


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So, as the Lord had instructed, Levi's descendants were given the following cities with pasturelands from the Israelites' inheritance.


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These are the cities for the families of Kohath that were chosen by drawing lots. These descendants of the priest Aaron the Levite received 13 cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.


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The rest of Kohath's descendants received 10 cities from the families of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan and half of the tribe of Manasseh.


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Gershon's descendants received 13 cities from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.


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Merari's descendants received 12 cities for their families from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.


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The Israelites gave these cities with pasturelands to Levi's descendants by drawing lots, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.


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that they gave Aaron's descendants who were from the families of Kohath in the tribe of Levi. Their lot was the first one drawn.


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They gave them Kiriath Arba (Arba was Anak's father) and the pastureland around it. This is the city of Hebron located in the mountains of Judah.


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So they gave the following cities with pasturelands to the descendants of Aaron, the priest. The nine cities from those two tribes were Hebron (a city of refuge for murderers), Libnah,


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Cities were chosen by lot from the tribe of Ephraim to give to the rest of Levi's descendants who were from the families of Kohath.


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These four cities with pasturelands were Shechem (a city of refuge for murderers) in the mountains of Ephraim, Gezer,


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They gave the families of Gershon's descendants, who were in the tribe of Levi, two cities with pasturelands from half of the tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for murderers) and Ashtaroth.


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Four cities with pasturelands were also given to them from the tribe of Issachar: Kishion, Daberath,


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Also three cities with pasturelands were given to them from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for murderers), Hammoth Dor, and Kartan.


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To the families of Merari, who were from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of Zebulun gave four cities with pasturelands: Jokneam, Kartah,


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The tribe of Gad also gave them four cities with pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for murderers), Mahanaim,


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All these cities belonged to the families of Merari. They were the last of the families of Levi. These 12 cities were chosen by lot.


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So the Lord gave Israel the whole land he had sworn to give their ancestors. They took possession of it and settled there.


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The Lord allowed them to have peace on every side, as he had sworn with an oath to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies stood up to them. The Lord handed all their enemies over to them.


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He said to them, "You have done everything the Lord's servant Moses commanded you. You have also obeyed me in everything I commanded you.


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All this time, to this day, you have never deserted your relatives. You have carefully kept the commands of the Lord your God.


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"Now the Lord your God has given your relatives peace, as he promised them. So return home, to the land that is your own possession. It is the land that the Lord's servant Moses gave you east of the Jordan River.


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Carefully follow the commands and teachings that the Lord's servant Moses gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow his directions, and keep his commands. Be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul."


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Moses had given land in Bashan as an inheritance to half of Manasseh, and Joshua had given the other half of the tribe their land with their relatives west of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them.


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He also said to them, "Return to your homes with your vast wealth, large herds of livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and loads of clothing. Divide the loot from your enemies with your relatives."


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So the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh left the rest of the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan. They returned to Gilead. This was their own possession which they had captured as the Lord had instructed them through Moses.


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Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh came to the region of the Jordan that was still in Canaan. They built an altar by the Jordan River. The altar was very large and highly visible.


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The rest of the Israelites heard about it and said, "See there! Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the border of Canaan. It's in the region near the Jordan River on Israel's side."


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When the people of Israel heard about it, the whole congregation of Israel gathered at Shiloh. They intended to wage war against them.


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The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead.


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Ten leaders, one from each tribe in Israel, went with him. Each man was a leader of a household and head of a family division in Israel.


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"All of the Lord's congregation is asking, 'What is this faithless act you have committed against the God of Israel?' Today you have turned away from following the Lord by building an altar for yourselves. Today you have rebelled against the Lord!


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Does the sin we committed at Peor mean nothing to us anymore? Didn't we cleanse ourselves from it? Because of that sin there was a plague on the Lord's congregation!


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You have turned away from following the Lord! Today you rebel against the Lord, and tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.


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If your land is unclean, come over here to the Lord's land. The Lord's tent is standing here. Take some property for yourselves among us. Don't rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves in addition to the altar of the Lord our God.


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Didn't Achan, son of Zerah, act faithlessly with the things claimed by the Lord? Didn't the Lord become angry with the whole congregation of Israel? Achan wasn't the only one who died because of his sin."


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Then the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the divisions of Israel.


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They said, "The Lord is {the only true} God! The Lord is {the only true} God! He knows, so let Israel know! If our act is rebellious or unfaithful to the Lord,


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don't spare us today. If we built an altar with the intention of no longer following him, and if we built it for making burnt offerings, grain offerings, or fellowship offerings, let the Lord punish us.


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"We were worried because of the situation we're in. We thought sometime in the future your children might say to our children, 'What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel?


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The Lord has made the Jordan River a dividing line between us and you, the descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no connection with the Lord!' So your descendants would stop our descendants from worshiping the Lord.


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Then we said, 'Let's build an altar for ourselves. It will not be for burnt offerings or sacrifices,


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but it will stand as a witness between us for generations to come. It will stand as a witness that we may worship in the presence of the Lord with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings.' Then your descendants cannot say to our descendants, 'You have no connection with the Lord!'


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So we thought, if this statement is made to us or to our descendants in the future, we will answer, 'Look at the model of the Lord's altar our ancestors made. They didn't make it for burnt offerings or sacrifices but to stand as a witness between us.'


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It would be unthinkable for us to rebel against the Lord or to turn back today from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices in addition to the altar of the Lord our God that is in front of his tent."


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When the priest Phinehas, the leaders of the congregation, and the heads of the divisions of Israel heard what the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, they were satisfied.


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Then Phinehas, son of the priest Eleazar, said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know the Lord is among us, because you did not commit an unfaithful act against the Lord. Now you have rescued the people of Israel from the Lord's punishment."


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Then Phinehas (son of the priest Eleazar) and the leaders returned from Reuben and Gad in Gilead to Israel in Canaan and gave them the report.


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The people of Israel were satisfied with the report. So they praised God and didn't talk anymore about going to war against Reuben and Gad and destroying the land where they were living.


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The tribes of Reuben and Gad gave the altar a name: Witness Between Us That the Lord Is {the Only True} God.


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A long time afterward, the Lord gave the Israelites peace with all their enemies around them. Joshua was old, near the end of his life.


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So he called all the leaders, chiefs, judges, and officers of Israel together. He said to them, "I am old, near the end of my life.


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You have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all those nations. The Lord your God fought for you!


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I have given you the territory of the nations that still remain as an inheritance for your tribes. This includes the territory of all the nations I have already destroyed from the Jordan River westward to the Mediterranean Sea.


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The Lord your God will expel them right in front of your eyes and force them out of your way. You will take their land as the Lord your God told you.


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Now you must be very strong to keep and to do everything written in the Book of Moses' Teachings. Don't turn away from them.


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Don't get mixed up with the nations left in your territory. Don't ever mention the names of their gods or swear an oath to them. Don't ever serve their gods or bow down to them.


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The Lord has forced important and powerful nations out of your way. Not one person has ever been able to stand up to you.


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One of you used to chase a thousand. That was because the Lord your God was fighting for you, as he had promised you.


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"But if you turn away and go along with the other nations within your {borders}, if you intermarry with them or associate with them,


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then you should know that the Lord your God will never again force these people out of your way. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip laid to your sides, and thorns in your eyes until none of you are left in this good land that the Lord your God has given you.


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"Pay attention, because I will soon die like everyone else. You know with all your heart and soul that not one single promise which the Lord your God has given you has ever failed to come true. Every single word has come true.


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"Every good word the Lord your God has promised you has come true for you. In the same way the Lord will bring about every evil curse until he has destroyed you from this good land that he has given you.


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When you ignore the conditions placed on you by the Lord your God and follow other gods, serve them and bow down to them, the Lord will be angry with you. Then you will quickly disappear from the good land he has given you."


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Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called together Israel's leaders, chiefs, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves to God.


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Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Long ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and served other gods.


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But I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River. I led him through all of Canaan and gave him many descendants. I also gave him Isaac.


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To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the mountains in Seir as his own. However, Jacob and his sons went to Egypt.


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When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea. The Egyptians with their chariots and horsemen chased your ancestors to the Red Sea.


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When your ancestors cried out to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians. He made the sea flow back and cover them. You saw for yourselves what I did to Egypt. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.


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"After that I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived on the east side of the Jordan River. They fought you. However, I handed them over to you. So you took their land, and I destroyed them in front of you.


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Then Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, fought Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you.


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"Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought you. But I handed them over to you.


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I sent hornets ahead of you to force out the two kings of the Amorites ahead of you. These things didn't happen because of your battle skills or fighting ability.


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So I gave you a land that you hadn't farmed, cities to live in that you hadn't built, vineyards and olive groves that you hadn't planted. So you ate all you wanted!


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"Fear the Lord, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord.


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But if you don't want to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the Lord."


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The Lord our God brought us and our ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. He did these spectacular signs right before our eyes. He guarded us wherever we went, especially as we passed through other nations.


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The Lord forced out all the people ahead of us, including the Amorites who lived in this land. We, too, will serve the Lord, because he is our God."


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But Joshua answered the people, "Since the Lord is a holy God, you can't possibly serve him. He is a God who does not tolerate rivals. He will not forgive your rebellious acts and sins.


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If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you. He will destroy you, although he has been so good to you."


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Joshua said to the people, "You have testified that you have chosen to serve the Lord." They answered, "Yes, we have!"


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"Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Turn yourselves entirely over to the Lord God of Israel."


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Joshua wrote these things in the Book of God's Teachings. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree at the Lord's holy place.


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Joshua told all the people, "This stone will stand as a witness for us. It has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It will stand as a witness for you. You cannot deceive your God."


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Israel served the Lord as long as Joshua and the older leaders, who outlived him and who knew everything the Lord had done for Israel, were alive.


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Joseph's bones, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, were buried at Shechem. They were placed in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. The plot was inherited by Joseph's descendants.


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Aaron's son Eleazar also died. He was buried on the hill that had been given to his son Phinehas in the mountains of Ephraim.


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After Joshua's death the Israelites asked the Lord, "Who will go first to fight the Canaanites for us?"


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The tribe of Judah said to the tribe of Simeon, "Come with us into the territory given to us when we drew lots, and together we will fight the people of Canaan. Then we'll go with you into your territory." So the tribe of Simeon went along with Judah.


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Judah's troops went into battle, and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They defeated 10,000 men at Bezek.


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At Bezek they also caught up with Adoni Bezek. They fought him and defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites.


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Adoni Bezek said, "Seventy kings who had their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up food under my table. God has paid me back for what I did to them." Judah's troops brought Adoni Bezek to Jerusalem, where he died.


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The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They killed everyone there and set the city on fire.


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After that, the men of Judah went to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, the Negev, and the foothills.


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Then they went to fight the Canaanites who lived at Hebron. (In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba.) There they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.


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From there Judah's troops went to fight the people living at Debir. (In the past Debir was called Kiriath Sepher.)


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Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to whoever defeats Kiriath Sepher and captures it."


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Then Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, captured it. So Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife.


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The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went with the people of Judah from the City of Palms into the desert of Judah. There they lived with the people of Judah in the Negev near Arad.


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The tribe of Judah went to fight along with the tribe of Simeon, their close relatives. They defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath and claimed it for the Lord by destroying it. So the city was called Hormah Claimed for Destruction.


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The Lord was with the men of Judah so that they were able to take possession of the mountains. But they could not force out the people living in the valley who had chariots made of iron.


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The men of Benjamin did not force out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites still live with the tribe of Benjamin in Jerusalem today.


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The spies saw a man coming out of the city. They told him, "Show us how we can get into the city, and we'll treat you kindly."


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He showed them. So they got into the city and killed everyone there. But they let that man and his whole family go free.


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The man went to the land of the Hittites. There he built a city and called it Luz. The city still has that name today.


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Now, the tribe of Manasseh did not force out the people of Beth Shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, and Megiddo or their villages. The Canaanites were determined to live in this land.


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When the Israelites were strong enough, they made the Canaanites do forced labor. But they did not force all of them out.


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The tribe of Ephraim did not force out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live with them in Gezer.


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The tribe of Zebulun did not force out those who lived at Kitron or Nahalol. So the Canaanites continued to live with them and were made to do forced labor.


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The tribe of Asher did not force out those who lived at Acco or Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.


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The tribe of Naphtali did not force out those who lived at Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. So they continued to live with the Canaanites. But the people of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were made to do forced labor.


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The Amorites forced the tribe of Dan into the mountains and would not let them come down into the valley.


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The Amorites were determined to live at Har Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the tribes of Joseph became stronger, they made the Amorites do forced labor.


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The Messenger of the Lord went from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, "I brought you out of Egypt into the land that I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my promise to you.


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You must never make a treaty with the people who live in this land. You must tear down their altars.' But you didn't obey me. What do you think you're doing?


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So I have this to say, 'I will not force them out of your way. They will be like thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a trap for you.' "


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While the Messenger of the Lord was saying this to all the people of Israel, they began to cry loudly.


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Now, Joshua sent the people of Israel home. So each family went to take possession of the territory they had inherited.


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The people served the Lord throughout Joshua's lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who had outlived him and who had seen all the spectacular works the Lord had done for Israel.


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He was buried at Timnath Heres within the territory he had inherited. This was in the mountains of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.


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That whole generation had joined their ancestors in death. So another generation grew up after them. They had no personal experience with the Lord or with what he had done for Israel.


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The Israelites abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, the God who brought them out of Egypt. They followed the other gods of the people around them. They worshiped these gods, and that made the Lord angry.


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So the Lord became angry with the people of Israel. He handed them over to people who robbed them. He also used their enemies around them to defeat them. They could no longer stand up against their enemies.


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Whenever the Israelites went to war, the power of the Lord brought disaster on them. This was what the Lord said he would do in an oath. So he made them suffer a great deal.


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But the people wouldn't listen to the judges. The Israelites chased after other gods as though they were prostitutes and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors who had obeyed the Lord's commands. They refused to be like their ancestors.


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But when the Lord appointed judges for the Israelites, he was with each judge. The Lord rescued them from their enemies as long as that judge was alive. The Lord was moved by the groaning of those who were tormented and oppressed.


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But after each judge died, the people went back to their old ways and acted more corruptly than their parents. They followed, served, and worshiped other gods. They never gave up their evil practices and stubborn ways.


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The Lord became angry with Israel. He said, "Because the people of this nation have rejected the promise I gave their ancestors and have not obeyed me,


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I will test the people of Israel with these nations to see whether or not they will carefully follow the Lord's ways as their ancestors did."


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So the Lord let these nations stay. He had not handed them over to Joshua or forced them out quickly.


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These are the nations the Lord left behind to test all the Israelites who had not experienced any war in Canaan.


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The Lord left them to teach Israel's descendants about war, at least those who had known nothing about it in the past.


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He left the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to the border of Hamath.


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These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out if they would obey the commands the Lord had given their ancestors through Moses.


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So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.


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The Israelites allowed their sons and daughters to marry these people. Israel also served their gods.


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The people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. They forgot the Lord their God and served other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Asherahs.


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The Lord became angry with the people of Israel. He used King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim to defeat them. So Israel served Cushan Rishathaim for eight years.


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Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord sent a savior to rescue them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz.


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When the Lord's Spirit came over him, he became the judge of Israel. He went out to war. The Lord handed King Cushan Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim over to him, and Othniel overpowered him.


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Once again, the people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. So the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel, because Israel did what the Lord considered evil.


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Eglon got the Ammonites and the Amalekites to help him, and they defeated the Israelites and occupied the City of Palms.


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Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord sent a savior to rescue them. It was Ehud, a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin. (Ehud was the son of Gera.) The people sent him with their tax payment to King Eglon of Moab.


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However, Ehud turned around at the stone idols near Gilgal {and returned to Eglon}. He said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." The king replied, "Keep quiet!" Then all his advisers left the room.


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Ehud came up to him as he sat alone in his room on the roof. He said to the king, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his throne,


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Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right side, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.


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Even the handle went in after the blade. Eglon's fat covered the blade because Ehud didn't pull the dagger out. The blade stuck out in back.


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After Ehud went out, Eglon's advisers came in. They were surprised that the doors were locked. "He must be using the toilet," they said.


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They waited and waited, but Eglon didn't open the doors. So they took the key and opened the door. They were shocked to see their ruler lying on the floor, dead.


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When he arrived there, he blew a ram's horn in the mountains of Ephraim {to summon the troops}. So the troops of Israel came down from the mountains with him, and he led them.


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He told them, "Follow me! The Lord will hand your enemy Moab over to you." They followed him and captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River that led to Moab and refused to let anyone cross.


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The power of Moab was crushed by Israel that day. So there was finally peace in the land for 80 years.


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After Ehud came Shamgar, son of Anath. He killed 600 Philistines with a sharp stick used for herding oxen. So he, too, rescued Israel.


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So the Lord used King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled at Hazor, to defeat them. The commander of King Jabin's army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth Haggoyim.


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The people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. King Jabin had 900 chariots made of iron and had cruelly oppressed Israel for 20 years.


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She used to sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. The people of Israel would come to her for legal decisions.


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Deborah summoned Barak, son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in Naphtali. She told him, "The Lord God of Israel has given you this order: 'Gather troops on Mount Tabor. Take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun with you.


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I will lead Sisera (the commander of Jabin's army), his chariots, and troops to you at the Kishon River. I will hand him over to you.' "


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Deborah replied, "Certainly, I'll go with you. But you won't win any honors for the way you're going about this, because the Lord will use a woman to defeat Sisera." So Deborah started out for Kedesh with Barak.


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Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together at Kedesh. Ten thousand men went to fight under his command. Deborah also went along with him.


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Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites (the descendants of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law). Heber went as far away as the oak tree at Zaanannim near Kedesh and set up his tent.


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So Sisera summoned all his chariots (900 chariots made of iron) and all his troops from Harosheth Haggoyim to come to the Kishon River.


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Then Deborah said to Barak, "Attack! This is the day the Lord will hand Sisera over to you. The Lord will go ahead of you." So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men behind him.


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The Lord threw Sisera, all his chariots, and his whole army into a panic in front of Barak's deadly assault. Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.


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Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth Haggoyim. So Sisera's whole army was killed in combat. Not one man survived.


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Meanwhile, Sisera fled on foot toward the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera did this because King Jabin of Hazor and Heber's family were on peaceful terms.


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When Jael came out {of her tent}, she met Sisera. She told him, "Sir, come in here! Come into my tent. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she hid him under a tent curtain.


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Sisera said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink. I'm thirsty." But instead she gave him milk to drink and covered him up again.


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He said to her, "Stand at the door of the tent. If anyone comes and asks if there has been a man around here, tell them no."


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When Sisera had fallen sound asleep from exhaustion, Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and walked quietly toward him with a hammer in her hand. She hammered the tent peg through his temples into the ground. So Sisera died.


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Barak was still pursuing Sisera. When Jael came out {of her tent}, she met him. She said to him, "Come in! I have something to show you—the man you've been looking for." So Barak went into her tent. He saw Sisera lying there dead with the tent peg through his temples.


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Listen, you kings! Open your ears, you princes! I will sing a song to the Lord. I will make music to the Lord God of Israel.


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O Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the country of Edom, the earth quaked, the sky poured, the clouds burst,


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and the mountains shook in the presence of the Lord God of Sinai, in the presence of the Lord God of Israel.


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In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, roads were deserted. Those who traveled took back roads.


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Villages in Israel were deserted— deserted until I, Deborah, took a stand— took a stand as a mother of Israel.


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When the people chose new gods, war broke out inside the city gates. Not a weapon was seen among 40,000 in Israel.


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Listen to the voices of those singing at the wells. Over and over again they repeat the victories of the Lord, the victories for his villages in Israel. Then the Lord's people went down to the city gates.


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Get up! Get up, Deborah! Get up! Get up and create a song! Barak, attack! Take your prisoners, son of Abinoam.


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Then those mighty men who were left came down. The Lord's people went into battle for me against the mighty soldiers.


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Those who had settled in Amalek's country came down from Ephraim. Benjamin came with its troops after Ephraim. Commanders from Machir went into battle. The officers from Zebulun also went.


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Issachar's commanders were with Deborah. They were also with Barak, sent into the valley under his command. Among Reuben's divisions important men had second thoughts.


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Why did you sit between the saddlebags? Was it to listen to the shepherds playing their flutes? Reuben's divisions of important men had second thoughts.


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Gilead remained east of the Jordan River. And Dan . . . Why did he stay by the ships? Asher sat on the seashore and remained along the inlets.


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Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought. They fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. But they didn't carry off any rich loot.


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"Curse Meroz!" said the Messenger of the Lord. "Bitterly curse those who live there! They did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord and his heroes."


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Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, should be the most blessed woman, the most blessed woman living in a tent.


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She reached for a tent peg with one hand, for a workman's hammer with the other. She struck Sisera. She crushed his head. She shattered and pierced his temples.


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He sank. He fell. He lay between her feet! He sank. He fell between her feet. Where he sank, he fell dead.


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Sisera's mother looked through her window and cried as she peered through the lattice. "Why is his chariot taking so long? Why don't I hear the clatter of his chariots?"


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"They're really finding and dividing the loot: A girl or two for each soldier, colorful clothes for Sisera, colorful, embroidered clothes, and two pieces of colorful, embroidered cloth for the neck of the looter."


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May all your enemies die like that, O Lord. But may those who love the Lord be like the sun when it rises in all its brightness. So the land had peace for 40 years.


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The people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. So the Lord handed them over to Midian for seven years.


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Midian's power was too strong for Israel. The Israelites made hiding places in the mountains, caves, and mountain strongholds {to protect themselves} from Midian.


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The enemy used to camp on the land and destroy the crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to live on—not one sheep, cow, or donkey.


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Like swarms of locusts, they came with their livestock and their tents. They and their camels could not be counted. They came into the land only to ruin it.


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When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help because of what the Midianites had done to them,


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the Lord sent a prophet to them. He said, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I brought you out of Egypt. I took you away from slavery.


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I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of those who oppressed you. I forced people out of your way. I gave you their land.


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I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God. You must never fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you will live.' But you have not obeyed me."


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The Messenger of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash from Abiezer's family. Joash's son Gideon was beating out wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.


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Gideon responded, "Excuse me, sir! But if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles our ancestors have told us about? Didn't they say, 'The Lord brought us out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and has handed us over to Midian."


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The Lord turned to him and said, "You will rescue Israel from Midian with the strength you have. I am sending you."


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Gideon said to him, "Excuse me, sir! How can I rescue Israel? Look at my whole family. It's the weakest one in Manasseh. And me? I'm the least important member of my family."


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Gideon said to him, "If you find me acceptable, give me a sign that it is really you speaking to me.


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Don't leave until I come back. I want to bring my gift and set it in front of you." "I will stay until you come back," he said.


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Then Gideon went into {his house} and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread made with 18 quarts of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. Then he went out and presented them to the Messenger of the Lord under the oak tree.


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The Messenger of the Lord told him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them." Gideon did so.


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Then the Messenger of the Lord touched the meat and the bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared up from the rock and burned the meat and the bread. Then the Messenger of the Lord disappeared.


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That's when Gideon realized that this had been the Messenger of the Lord. So he said, "Lord God! I have seen the Messenger of the Lord face to face."


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So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord. He called it The Lord Calms. To this day it is still in Ophrah, which belongs to Abiezer's family.


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That same night the Lord said to Gideon, "Take a bull from your father's herd, a bull that is seven years old. Tear down your father's altar dedicated to the god Baal and cut down the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah that is next to it.


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Then, in the proper way, build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this fortified place. Take this second bull and sacrifice it as a burnt offering on the wood from the Asherah pole that you have cut down."


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Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him to do. However, he didn't do anything during the day. He was too afraid of his father's family and the men of the city, so he did it at night.


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When the men of the city got up early in the morning, they saw that the Baal altar had been torn down. The Asherah pole next to it had also been cut down. They saw that the second bull had been sacrificed as a burnt offering on the altar that had been built.


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They asked each other, "Who did this?" While they were investigating the matter, someone said, "Gideon, son of Joash, did this."


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Then the men of the city told Joash, "Bring your son out. He must die. He has torn down the Baal altar and cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it."


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But Joash said to everyone standing around him, "You're not going to defend Baal, are you? Do you think you should save him? Whoever defends him will be put to death in the morning. If he's a god, let him defend himself when someone tears down his altar."


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So that day they nicknamed Gideon "Jerubbaal" Let Baal Defend Himself, because they said, "When someone tears down Baal's altar, let Baal defend himself."


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All of Midian, Amalek, and Kedem combined their armies, crossed {the Jordan River}, and camped in the valley of Jezreel.


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Then the Lord's Spirit gave Gideon strength. So Gideon blew the ram's horn to summon Abiezer's family to follow him.


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He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh to summon the people to follow him. The tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali were also summoned to follow him, and they went to meet the enemy in battle.


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I'll place some wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the wool while all the ground is dry, then I'll know that you will rescue Israel through me, as you said."


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And that is what happened. The next morning Gideon got up early. He squeezed out a bowl full of water from the wool.


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Then Gideon said to God, "Don't be angry with me. But let me ask one more thing. Let me make one more test with the wool. Let the wool be dry while all the ground is covered with dew."


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During the night, God did what Gideon asked. The wool was dry, but all the ground was covered with dew.


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Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops with him got up early and camped above En Harod. Midian's camp was north of him at the hill of Moreh in the valley.


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The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men with you for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag and say, 'We saved ourselves.'


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Announce to the troops, 'Whoever is scared or frightened should leave Mount Gilead and go back home.' " So 22,000 men went back home, and 10,000 were left.


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The Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, 'This one will go with you,' he must go with you. And if I say to you, 'This one won't go with you,' he must not go."


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So Gideon took the men down to the water. The Lord said to him, "Separate those who lap water with their tongues like dogs from those who kneel down to drink."


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Three hundred men lapped water with their hands to their mouths. All the rest of the men knelt down to drink water.


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Then the Lord said to Gideon, "With the 300 men who lapped water I will save you and hand Midian over to you. All the other men should go home."


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So Gideon sent the other men of Israel home, but the 300 men who stayed kept all the supplies and rams' horns. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.


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Listen to what people are saying. After that, you will have the courage to go into the camp and attack it." So Gideon and his servant Purah went to the edge of the camp.


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Midian, Amalek, and all of Kedem were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts. There were so many camels that they could not be counted. They were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.


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When Gideon got there, he heard a man telling his friend a dream. The man said, "I had a strange dream. There was a loaf of barley bread rolling around in the camp of Midian. When it got to the command post, the loaf of bread hit that tent so hard that the tent collapsed, turned upside down, and fell flat."


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His friend replied, "That can only be the sword of Gideon, son of Joash, from Israel. God is going to hand Midian and the whole camp over to him."


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When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped the Lord. Then he went back to the camp of Israel and said, "Attack! The Lord will hand Midian's camp over to you."


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Gideon divided the 300 men into three companies. He gave them each rams' horns and jars with torches inside.


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He said to them, "Watch me, and do what I do. When I come to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do.


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When I and those with me blow our rams' horns, then the rest of you around the camp do the same and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon!' "


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Gideon and his 100 men came to the edge of the camp. It was the beginning of the midnight watch just at the change of the guards. They blew their rams' horns and smashed the jars they were holding in their hands.


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The three companies also blew their rams' horns and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the rams' horns in their right hands so that they could blow them. They shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"


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While each man kept his position around the camp, everyone in the Midianite camp began to run away, screaming as they fled.


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The 300 men kept on blowing their rams' horns, and the Lord caused the whole camp of Midian to fight among themselves. They fled as far as Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, and as far as the bank of the stream at Abel Meholah near Tabbath.


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The men of Israel were summoned from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh to help pursue the troops of Midian.


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Gideon also sent messengers to the whole mountain region of Ephraim with this message, "Go into battle against Midian. Capture the watering holes as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River." All the men of Ephraim were also summoned to help. They captured the watering holes as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan River.


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They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders. They killed Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb and kept on pursuing Midian. Then they brought the severed heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan River.


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The men from Ephraim strongly protested Gideon's actions. They said, "Why did you do this to us? You didn't invite us to go fight Midian with you."


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Gideon replied, "I haven't done anything compared with what you have done. Aren't the grapes that Ephraim picked after the harvest better than all the grapes in Abiezer's entire harvest?


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God handed Oreb and Zeeb, Midian's commanders, over to you. What have I done compared with that?" When they heard what Gideon said, they weren't angry with him anymore.


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Gideon and his 300 men headed toward the Jordan River. They were exhausted when they crossed it, but they kept pursuing the enemy.


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So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, "Please give me some food for the men under my command. They're exhausted, and I'm pursuing King Zebah and King Zalmunna of Midian."


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The generals at Succoth replied, "We shouldn't give your army food. You haven't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet."


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Gideon responded, "Alright, then. When the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I'll whip your bodies with thorns and thistles from the desert."


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Then Gideon went to Penuel and asked the people there for the same help. But they gave him the same reply that the men of Succoth gave.


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Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of about 15,000 men. This was all that was left of Kedem's entire army. In the battle, 120,000 soldiers died.


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So Gideon went up Tent Dwellers Road, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and defeated the unsuspecting Midianite army.


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Zebah and Zalmunna fled as Gideon pursued them. He captured King Zebah and King Zalmunna of Midian, and the whole Midianite army panicked.


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and captured a young man from Succoth. He questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the 77 officials and leaders of Succoth.


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Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me when you said, 'We shouldn't give your exhausted men food before you've captured Zebah and Zalmunna.' "


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So Gideon took the leaders of the city and taught them a lesson using thorns and thistles from the desert.


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He asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" They answered, "They were like you. Each one looked like a king's son."


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Gideon replied, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not have to kill you now."


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Then he told Jether, his firstborn son, "Get up and kill them!" But Jether didn't draw his sword. He was afraid because he was only a young man.


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Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up and do it yourself! It's a man's job!" So Gideon got up and killed them. Then he took the half-moon ornaments that were on their camels' necks.


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The men of Israel said to Gideon, "You, then your son, and then your grandson, must rule us. You rescued us from Midian."


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Then Gideon said to them, "Do me a favor. Each of you give me the earrings from your loot." (Their enemies, the Ishmaelites, wore gold earrings.)


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The men of Israel answered, "Yes, we'll give them to you." So they spread out a coat. Each man took the earrings from his loot and dropped them on it.


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The gold earrings Gideon had asked for weighed 40 pounds. This did not include the half-moon ornaments, the earrings, the purple clothes worn by the kings of Midian, and the chains from their camels' necks.


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Then Gideon used the gold to make an idol and placed it in his hometown, Ophrah. All Israel chased after it there as though it were a prostitute. It became a trap for Gideon and his family.


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The power of Midian was crushed by the people of Israel, and Midian never again became a threat. So the land had peace for 40 years during Gideon's life.


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Gideon, son of Joash, died at a very old age. He was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah, the city belonging to Abiezer's family.


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As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel chased after other gods—the Baals—as though they were prostitutes. They made Baal Berith their god.


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The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all the enemies around them.


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And they were not kind to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) despite all the good he had done for Israel.


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Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal Gideon, went to Shechem to see the uncles on his mother's side of the family. He spoke to them and his mother's whole family.


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He said, "Please ask all citizens of Shechem, 'What seems best to you? Do you really want all of Jerubbaal's 70 sons to rule you or just one man? Remember, I'm your own flesh and blood.' "


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His uncles repeated everything he said to all citizens of Shechem. They were persuaded to follow Abimelech because he was their relative.


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So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal Berith. With the silver, Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men to follow him.


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Then he went to his father's home in Ophrah. There he executed his 70 brothers, Jerubbaal's sons. But Jotham, Jerubbaal's youngest son, survived because he hid.


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All the citizens from Shechem and Beth Millo united. They went to the oak tree that was still standing in Shechem and proclaimed Abimelech king.


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When Jotham was told about this, he went to a high spot on Mount Gerizim. He shouted to them, "Listen to me, you citizens of Shechem, so that God might listen to you.


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But the olive tree responded, 'Should I stop producing oil, which people use to honor gods and humans, in order to rule the trees?'


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But the fig tree responded, ,'Should I stop producing my good, sweet fruit in order to rule the trees?'


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But the grapevine responded, 'Should I stop producing my wine, which makes gods and humans happy, in order to rule the trees?'


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But the thornbush responded to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me to be your king, then come and take shelter in my shade. But if not, fire will come out of the thornbush and burn up the cedars of Lebanon.'


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"If you acted with sincerity and integrity when you made Abimelech king, {be happy.} If you treated Jerubbaal and his family well, if you treated him as he deserved, be happy.


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But today you have attacked my father's family. You have executed his 70 sons. You have made Abimelech, who is the son of my father's slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem just because he's your brother.


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So if you are now acting with sincerity and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his family, then be happy with Abimelech and let Abimelech be happy with you.


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But if that's not the case, let fire come out of Abimelech and burn up citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo. Also let fire come out of citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech."


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Then God sent an evil spirit to cause problems between Abimelech and citizens of Shechem. So citizens of Shechem turned against Abimelech.


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God did this so that the bloody violence committed against Jerubbaal's 70 sons would happen to Abimelech and citizens of Shechem. Citizens of Shechem had helped Abimelech execute his brothers.


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So citizens of Shechem set ambushes for Abimelech on top of the mountains. They also robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. This was reported to Abimelech.


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They went into the country and harvested grapes in the vineyards to make wine. Then they made an offering of praise in the temple of their gods. They ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech.


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Gaal (son of Ebed) said, "Who's Abimelech, and who are we, the people of Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn't he Jerubbaal's son, and isn't Zebul his officer? Serve the descendants of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech?


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How I wish I controlled these people! Then I'd get rid of Abimelech. I would tell him, 'Get yourself a big army and come out.' "


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He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech. "Watch out! Gaal (son of Ebed) and his brothers have come to Shechem. They have turned the city against you.


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In the morning, when the sun rises, get up quickly and raid the city. When Gaal and his men come out to attack you, do whatever you want to him."


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Abimelech and all his troops started out at night. He used four companies to set ambushes around Shechem.


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Gaal (son of Ebed) went out and stood at the entrance to the city. Then Abimelech and his troops rose from their ambush.


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When Gaal saw the troops, he said to Zebul, "Look, troops are coming down from the mountaintops!" Zebul replied, "The shadows of the mountains look like men to you."


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Gaal spoke again, "No, there are troops coming down from Tabbur Haares. One company is coming along the road by the Fortunetellers' Tree."


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Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big mouth now? You were the one who said, 'Who's Abimelech that we should serve him?' Aren't these the troops {whose ruler} you despised? Now go out and fight him."


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Abimelech continued to live at Arumah. Zebul threw Gaal and his brothers out and would not let them live in Shechem.


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So he took his troops, divided them into three companies, and set an ambush in the fields. He watched and saw the people coming out of the city. Then he began to attack them.


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Abimelech and his company charged the city and captured its entrance. The other two companies charged at everyone in the fields and attacked them.


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Abimelech attacked the city all day long. He captured the city and killed the people in it. He also tore down the city and scattered salt all over the land.


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All the citizens of Shechem's Tower heard about it and went into the basement of the temple of El Berith.


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he and all his men went to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax, cut some brushwood, and carried it on his shoulder. He told his men, "Hurry and do what you've seen me do!"


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So all his troops also cut brushwood and followed Abimelech. They piled the brushwood on top of the basement and set it on fire with the people inside. So all the people in Shechem's Tower died too. There were about a thousand men and women.


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Now, there was a strong tower inside the town. All the men, women, and leaders of the town fled to it. They locked the door behind them and went up on the roof of the tower.


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Abimelech came to the tower. He began to fight against it and went near the entrance of the tower to burn it down.


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He quickly called his armorbearer. He told him, "Take your sword and kill me! I don't want anyone to say, 'A woman killed Abimelech.' " His armorbearer did as he said, so Abimelech died.


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God also paid back the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubbaal, came true.


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After Abimelech, Tola, who was the son of Puah and grandson of Dodo, came to rescue Israel. Tola was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.


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Jair had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys. He also had 30 towns that are still called Havvoth Jair to this day. They are in the region of Gilead.


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The people of Israel again did what the Lord considered evil. They began to serve other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Astartes—and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not serve him.


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The Lord became angry with the people of Israel. So he used the Philistines and Ammonites to defeat them.


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They oppressed and crushed the people of Israel that year. For 18 years they oppressed all who lived east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.


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Ammon also crossed the Jordan River to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. So Israel suffered a great deal.


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Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. They said, "We have sinned against you. We have abandoned our God and served other gods—the Baals."


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The Lord said to the people of Israel, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,


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the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to me for help. Didn't I rescue you from them?


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The people of Israel said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever you think is right. But please rescue us today!"


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Then they got rid of the foreign gods they had and served the Lord. So the Lord could not bear to have Israel suffer any longer.


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The troops of Ammon were summoned to fight, and they camped at Gilead. The people of Israel also gathered together and camped at Mizpah.


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The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever starts the fight against Ammon will rule everyone who lives in Gilead."


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Jephthah was a soldier from the region of Gilead. Jephthah's father was named Gilead. His mother was a prostitute.


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Gilead's wife also gave birth to sons. When his wife's sons grew up, they threw Jephthah out. They told him, "You'll get no inheritance from our father. You're the son of that other woman."


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Jephthah fled from his brothers. He went to live in the land of Tob. Worthless men gathered around Jephthah and went out {on raids} with him.


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But Jephthah replied to Gilead's leaders, "Don't you hate me? Didn't you throw me out of my father's house? So why are you coming to me now when you're in trouble?"


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Gilead's leaders answered Jephthah, "The reason we've turned to you now is that we want you to go with us and wage war against Ammon. You will be the ruler of everyone who lives in Gilead."


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Jephthah told them, "If you take me back to fight against Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader."


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Gilead's leaders said to Jephthah, "The Lord is a witness between us. We will certainly do what you say."


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Jephthah went with them, and the people made him their leader and commander. So Jephthah went to Mizpah and repeated all these things in the presence of the Lord.


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Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked the king, "Why did you invade my land and wage war against me?"


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The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers, "When the people of Israel left Egypt, they took my land. It stretched from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now give it back peacefully."


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They said, "This is what Jephthah says: The people of Israel didn't take away the land belonging to Moab or Ammon.


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When the people of Israel left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.


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The people of Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, 'Please let us go through your country.' But the king of Edom wouldn't listen to them. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab. But he wouldn't allow it, either. So the people of Israel remained at Kadesh.


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"Then they went through the desert, by-passing Edom and Moab. They camped east of Moab—east of the Arnon River. They did not cross the Arnon River because it was Moab's border.


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"Then the people of Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites. Sihon ruled from Heshbon. The people of Israel said to him, 'Please let us go through your land to our own.'


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But Sihon did not trust the Israelites enough to let them go through his territory. Sihon assembled all his troops. He camped at Jahaz and attacked Israel.


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But the Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel. Israel defeated them and took possession of all the land of the Amorites who lived there.


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Israel took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and from the desert to the Jordan River.


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"The Lord God of Israel forced the Amorites out of the way of his people Israel. So what right do you have to take it back?


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Shouldn't you take possession of what your god Chemosh took for you? Shouldn't we take everything the Lord our God took for us?


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You're not any better than Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, are you? Did he ever have a case against Israel? Or did he ever fight against Israel?


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Israel has now lived in Heshbon, Aroer, all their villages, and in all the cities along the Arnon River for 300 years. Why didn't you recapture these cities during that time?


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I haven't sinned against you. But you have done wrong by waging war against me. The Lord is the judge who will decide today whether Israel or Ammon is right."


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Then the Lord's Spirit came over Jephthah. Jephthah went through Gilead, Manasseh, and Mizpah in Gilead {to gather an army}. From Mizpah in Gilead Jephthah went to attack Ammon.


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then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from Ammon will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."


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He defeated them from Aroer to Minnith and on to Abel Keramim, 20 cities in all. It was a decisive defeat. So the Ammonites were crushed by the people of Israel.


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When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, he saw his daughter coming out to meet him. She was dancing with tambourines in her hands. She was his only child. Jephthah had no other sons or daughters.


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When he saw her, he tore his clothes in grief and said, "Oh no, Daughter! You've brought me to my knees! What disaster you've brought me! I made a foolish promise to the Lord. Now I can't break it."


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She said to him, "Father, you made a promise to the Lord. Do to me whatever you promised since the Lord has punished your enemy Ammon."


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Then she said to her father, "Do me a favor. Give me two months for my friends and me to walk in the mountains and mourn that I will never have an opportunity to get married."


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"Go!" he said, and he sent her off for two months. She and her friends went to the mountains, and she cried about never being able to get married.


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At the end of those two months she came back to her father. He did to her what he had vowed, and she never had a husband. So the custom began in Israel


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that for four days every year the girls in Israel would go out to sing the praises of the daughter of Jephthah, the man from Gilead.


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The men of Ephraim were summoned to fight. They crossed {the Jordan River} to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, "Why did you fight against Ammon without inviting us to go with you? Now we're going to burn your house down with you in it."


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Jephthah answered, "My people and I were involved in a legal dispute with Ammon. I asked you for help, but you didn't rescue me from them.


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When I saw that you would not rescue me, I risked my life and went to fight the people of Ammon. The Lord handed them over to me. So why did you come to fight against me today?"


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Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim. {They did this because} Ephraim had said, "You people from Gilead are nothing but fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh."


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The men of Gilead captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River leading back to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, "Let me cross," the men of Gilead would ask, "Are you from Ephraim?" If he answered, "No,"


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they would tell him, "Say the word shibboleth." If the fugitive would say sibboleth, because he couldn't pronounce the word correctly, they would grab him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. At that time 42,000 men from Ephraim died.


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Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah of Gilead died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.


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He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. His sons and daughters married people from outside their own families. He judged Israel for seven years.


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When Abdon died, he was buried in Pirathon, in the territory of Ephraim, in the mountains of Amalek.


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The people of Israel again did what the Lord considered evil. So the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for 40 years.


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There was a man from Zorah named Manoah. Manoah was from the family of Dan. His wife was not able to have children.


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The Messenger of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You've never been able to have a child, but now you will become pregnant and have a son.


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You're going to become pregnant and have a son. You must never cut his hair because the boy will be a Nazirite dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines."


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The woman went to tell her husband. She said, "A man of God came to me. He had a very frightening appearance like the Messenger of God. So I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.


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He told me, 'You're going to become pregnant and have a son. So don't drink any wine or liquor or eat any unclean food because the boy will be a Nazirite dedicated to God from the time he is born until he dies.' "


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Then Manoah pleaded with the Lord, "Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come back to us. Let him teach us what we must do for the boy who will be born."


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God did what Manoah asked. The Messenger of God came back to his wife while she was sitting out in the fields. But her husband Manoah was not with her.


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The woman ran quickly to tell her husband. She said, "The man who came to me the other day has just appeared to me {again}."


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Manoah immediately followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked him, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?" "Yes," he answered.


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The Messenger of the Lord answered Manoah, "Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her to do.


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She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevines, drink any wine or liquor, or eat any unclean food. She must be careful to do everything I commanded."


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Manoah said to the Messenger of the Lord, "Please stay while we prepare a young goat for you to eat."


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But the Messenger of the Lord responded, "If I stay here, I will not eat any of your food. But if you make a burnt offering, sacrifice it to the Lord." (Manoah did not realize that it was the Messenger of the Lord.)


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Then Manoah asked the Messenger of the Lord, "What is your name? When your words come true, we will honor you."


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So Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and sacrificed them to the Lord on a rock he used as an altar. While Manoah and his wife watched, the Lord did something miraculous.


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As the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the Messenger of the Lord went up in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they immediately bowed down with their faces touching the ground.


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The Messenger of the Lord didn't appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that this had been the Messenger of the Lord.


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But Manoah's wife replied, "If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He would not have let us see or hear all these things just now."


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He went {home} and told his father and mother, "I've seen a Philistine woman at Timnah. Now get her for me so that I can marry her."


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His father and mother asked him, "Aren't there any women among our relatives or all our people? Do you have to marry a woman from those godless Philistines?" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me! She's the one I want!"


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His father and mother didn't know that the Lord was behind this. The Lord was looking for an opportunity to do something to the Philistines. (At that time the Philistines were ruling Israel.)


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Samson went with his father and mother to Timnah. When they were coming to the vineyards of Timnah, a young roaring lion met Samson.


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The Lord's Spirit came over him. With his bare hands, he tore the lion apart as if it were a young goat. He didn't tell his parents what he had done.


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Later he went back to marry her. {On his way} he left the road to look at the lion he had killed. He saw a swarm of bees and some honey in the lion's dead body.


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He scraped {the honey} into his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he came to his father and mother, he gave them some of the honey to eat. He didn't tell them he had scraped it out of the lion's dead body.


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Then Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve it during the seven days of the party, I'll give you 30 linen shirts and 30 changes of clothes.


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But if you can't solve it, you will give me the same things." They responded, "Tell us your riddle! Let's hear it!"


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So Samson said to them, "From the eater came something to eat. From the strong one came something sweet." For three days they couldn't solve the riddle.


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On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Trick your husband into solving the riddle for us. If you don't, we'll burn you and your family to death. Did the two of you invite us {just to make us poor}?"


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So Samson's wife cried on his shoulder. She said, "You hate me! You don't really love me! You gave my friends a riddle and didn't tell me the answer." Samson replied, "I haven't even told my father and mother, so why should I tell you?"


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But she cried on his shoulder for the rest of the seven days of the party. Finally, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she made his life miserable. Then she told her friends the answer to the riddle.


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So before sundown on the seventh day, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson replied, "If you hadn't used my cow to plow, you wouldn't know my riddle now."


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When the Lord's Spirit came over him, he went to Ashkelon and killed 30 men there. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who solved the riddle. He was angry, and he went to his father's house.


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Later, during the wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife. He took a young goat along for her. He said, "I'm going to sleep with my wife in her bedroom." But her father would not let him go in.


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Her father said, "I thought you hated her. So I gave her to your best man. Isn't her younger sister better looking? Marry her instead!"


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Samson said to him, "This time I won't be guilty when I get even with the Philistines, even though I'm going to do something terrible to them."


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So Samson caught 300 foxes. He tied them together in pairs by their tails. Then he fastened a torch between their tails.


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He set the torches on fire and released the foxes in the Philistines' grain fields. So he set fire to all their grain, whether it was stacked or in the fields. Their olive orchards also caught on fire.


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Some Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They were told, "Samson! He's the son-in-law of the man at Timnah. Samson did it because the man at Timnah took Samson's wife and gave her to his best man." So the Philistines burned Samson's wife and her father to death.


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So he attacked them violently and slaughtered them. Then he went to live in a cave in the cliff at Etam.


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The men of Judah asked, "Why did you come to fight us?" The Philistines answered, "We've come to tie up Samson and do to him what he did to us."


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So 3,000 men from Judah went to the cave in the cliff at Etam. They said to Samson, "Don't you know that the Philistines rule us? Why have you done this to us?" Samson replied, "I did to them what they did to me."


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So the men from Judah told him, "We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines." Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you won't harm me yourselves."


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They told him, "We promise we'll only tie you up and hand you over to them. We certainly won't kill you." So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him back from the cliff.


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When he came to Lehi, the Philistines met him with shouts {of triumph}. But the Lord's Spirit came over him. The ropes on his arms became like strings burned in a fire, and those on his hands snapped.


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Samson found the jawbone from a donkey that had just died. He picked it up and killed 1,000 men with it.


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Then Samson said, "With a jawbone from a donkey, I've made two piles of them. With a jawbone from a donkey, I've killed a thousand men."


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When he finished saying this, he threw the jawbone away. He called that place Ramath Lehi Jawbone Hill.


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Samson was very thirsty. So he called out to the Lord and said, "You have given me this great victory. But now I'll die from thirst and fall into the power of godless men."


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So God split open the hollow place at Lehi, and water gushed out. Samson drank some water. Then he was refreshed and revived. So he called the place En Hakkore Spring of the One Who Calls Out. It is still there at Lehi today.


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The people of Gaza were told, "Samson's here!" So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the city gate to ambush him. They were quiet all night. They thought, "We'll kill him at dawn."


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But Samson was in bed {with the prostitute} only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors, door posts, and bar of the city gate and pulled them out. He carried them on his shoulders to the top of the hill facing Hebron.


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The Philistine rulers came to her and said, "Trick him, and find out what makes him so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. We want to tie him up in order to torture him. Each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver."


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So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes you so strong. How can you be tied up so that someone could torture you?"


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Samson told her, "If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I will be like any other man."


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The Philistine rulers brought her seven new bowstrings that were not dried out. She tied Samson up with them.


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Some men were hiding in the bedroom waiting for her {to tie him up}. Then she said to him, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Samson snapped the bowstrings as a thread snaps when it touches fire. So no one found out why he was so strong.


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Delilah told Samson, "Look, you're making fun of me by telling me lies. Now, tell me how you can be tied up."


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Samson told her, "If someone ties me up tightly with new ropes that have never been used, I will be like any other man."


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So Delilah took some new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she said to him, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Some men were in her bedroom waiting to ambush him. But Samson tore the ropes off his arms as though they were strings.


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Delilah told Samson, "You're still making fun of me by telling me lies. Tell me how you can be tied up." Samson replied, "Just weave the seven braids of my hair with the other threads in the loom."


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So Delilah tied his braids to the loom shuttle. Then she said to him, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" But Samson woke up and tore his braids and the threads out of the loom shuttle.


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Delilah said to Samson, "How can you say that you love me when your heart isn't mine? You've made fun of me three times now, but you still haven't told me what makes you so strong."


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Every day she made his life miserable with her questions. She pestered him until he wished he were dead.


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Finally, he told her the truth. He told her, "Because I'm a Nazirite, no one has ever cut the hair on my head. I was dedicated to God before I was born. If my hair is ever shaved off, my strength will leave me. Then I'll be like any other man."


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When Delilah realized that he had told her everything, she sent a message to the Philistine rulers, "Come here once more." (She did this because Samson had told her everything.) So the Philistine rulers arrived with the money in their hands.


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Delilah put Samson to sleep on her lap. She called for a man to shave off his seven braids. Then she began to torture him because his strength had left him.


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She said, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Samson woke up. He thought, "I'll get out of this as usual and shake myself free." (He didn't realize that the Lord had left him.)


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The Philistines grabbed him. They poked out his eyes and took him to the prison in Gaza. They tied him up with double chains and made him grind grain in the mill there.


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Now, the Philistine rulers gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate. They said, "Our god handed Samson, our enemy, over to us."


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When the people saw him, they praised their god. They said, "Our god gave our enemy, destroyer of our land and killer of so many, into our very hand!"


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When all the Philistines were enjoying themselves, they said, "Call Samson in to entertain us." Samson was called from the prison, and he made them laugh. They made him stand between two columns.


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Samson told the young man who was leading him by the hand, "Let me rest. Let me touch the columns on which the building stands so that I can lean against them."


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The building was filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there. On the roof there were about three thousand men and women who watched Samson entertain them.


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Then Samson called to the Lord, "Almighty Lord, please remember me! God, give me strength just one more time! Let me get even with the Philistines for at least one of my two eyes."


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Samson felt the two middle columns on which the building stood. With his right hand on one column and his left on the other, he pushed hard against them.


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"Let me die with the Philistines," he said. With that, he pushed with all his might, and the building fell on the rulers and everyone in it. So he killed more Philistines when he died than he had when he was alive.


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Then his relatives and his father's whole family went to Gaza. They took Samson and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.


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He told his mother, "You were upset about the 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you. I even heard you put a curse on them. Here's the silver. I took it!" His mother said, "The Lord bless you, my son!"


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So Micah gave the 1,100 pieces of silver back to his mother. Then his mother said, "I dedicate this silver to the Lord for my son's benefit. I want to make a carved idol and a metal idol. So now I'm giving the silver back to you."


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When Micah returned the silver to his mother, she took 200 pieces of the silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made a carved idol and a metal idol. Both were placed in Micah's home.


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Micah owned a shrine. He also made an ephod and household idols. He ordained one of his sons to be his priest.


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There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. (Bethlehem belongs to the family of Judah.) He was a Levite but was living in Bethlehem.


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This man left Bethlehem in Judah to live wherever he could find {a place}. He came to Micah's house in the mountains of Ephraim to carry on his work.


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Micah asked him, "Where do you come from?" The man told him, "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I'm going to live wherever I can find {a place}."


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Micah told him, "Stay with me! Be a father and a priest to me. I'll give you ten pieces of silver a year, a set of clothes, and your room and board." The Levite accepted the offer


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In those days Israel didn't have a king. And in those days the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to live. Up to that time they had not received land as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel as they should have.


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So all the families of Dan sent out five qualified men from Zorah and Eshtaol. They were sent to spy throughout the land and explore it. They were told, "Go and explore the land!" They came to Micah's house in the mountains of Ephraim. They spent the night there.


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While they were at Micah's house, they recognized the young Levite's voice. So they stopped to ask him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing here? Why are you here?"


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The Levite told them what Micah had done for him and added, "Micah hired me, so I became his priest."


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The five men left there and came to the city of Laish. They saw that the people there lived without a care. These people were like the people of Sidon. They were peaceful and secure. There was no one around who threatened to take away their property by force. They were far from the people of Sidon and totally independent.


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The men went back to their relatives in Zorah and Eshtaol. Their relatives asked them, "What did you find?"


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They replied, "Get up, let's attack Laish. We saw the land. It's very good! "Don't just sit there! Go at once and take the land.


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When you get there, you will come to a secure people. The land is wide open to you. God will hand it over to you. It's a place where you will have everything you could want."


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They camped at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place just west of Kiriath Jearim is still called Mahaneh Dan The Camp of Dan today.


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Then the five men who had gone to spy throughout the land around Laish spoke up. They said to the other men of Dan, "Do you know that there's an ephod, a carved idol, a metal idol, and household idols in these houses? What do you think we should do?"


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The five men who had gone to spy throughout the land went inside. They took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the metal idol. The priest stood at the entrance to the city with the 600 armed men.


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When these men entered Micah's house and took the carved idol, the ephod, the household idols, and the metal idol, the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"


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They told him, "Keep quiet! Don't say a word! Come with us and be our father and priest. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man's house or for a tribe in Israel and its families?"


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The priest was content. He took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved idol and went with the people.


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When they had already gone some distance from Micah's house, Micah's neighbors were called together to help him catch up to the people of Dan.


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They shouted at them. But the people of Dan turned around and said to Micah, "What's your problem? Why did you call your neighbors together to attack us?"


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Micah answered, "You've taken away the gods I made as well as my priest. What do I have left? How can you say to me, 'What's your problem?' "


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The people of Dan replied, "Don't make another sound, or some violent men will attack you. Then you and your family will lose your lives."


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The people of Dan went on their way. Micah saw they were stronger than he was, so he turned around and went home.


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The people of Dan took what Micah had made and the man who had become his priest and went to the city of Laish. They attacked a peaceful and secure people, killed them all with swords, and burned their city.


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There was no one to rescue them because their city was far from Sidon and totally independent. The city was in the valley that belonged to Beth Rehob. The people of Dan rebuilt the city and lived in it.


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They named the city Dan in honor of their ancestor Dan, Israel's son. Originally, the city was called Laish.


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The people of Dan set up the carved idol for themselves. Jonathan (son of Gershom and grandson of Moses) and his descendants were priests for Dan's tribe until the people living in that land were taken captive.


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So they set up for themselves the carved idol Micah had made. It stayed there the whole time the house of God was at Shiloh.


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In those days when Israel didn't have a king, there was a Levite who lived in a remote area in the mountains of Ephraim. He took a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine.


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But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went to her father's home, to Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months,


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her husband went to persuade her to come back home. He took along his servant and two donkeys. She took her husband into her father's house. Her father was thrilled to see him.


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On the fourth day they got up early in the morning to leave, but the woman's father told his son-in-law, "Eat something to keep up your strength and then you can go."


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So they both sat down and ate and drank together. The woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Why don't you spend the night and enjoy yourself?"


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On the morning of the fifth day, the Levite got up early to leave. The woman's father said, "Eat something to keep up your strength!" So they spent the time eating until late afternoon.


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The Levite started to leave with his concubine and his servant. But his father-in-law said to him, "It's already evening. Please stay another night. It's too late {to leave} now. Stay here, and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can start out early to go home."


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But the Levite refused to spend another night. He left and traveled as far as Jebus (now called Jerusalem). He had with him two saddled donkeys and his concubine.


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By the time they were near Jebus, it was very late in the day. The Levite's servant said to him, "Let's go spend the night in Jebus."


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The Levite told him, "We'll never go into a city of foreigners. They're not Israelites. We'll go on to Gibeah."


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So they went on. It was sunset by the time they arrived at Gibeah. (Gibeah belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.)


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They went to spend the night there. The Levite entered Gibeah and sat down in the city square, because no one offered to take them home for the night.


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That evening an old man came into the city from his work in the fields. He was from the mountain region of Ephraim but lived in Gibeah. The other people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin.


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He saw the traveler in the city square. So the old man asked, "Where do you come from? And where are you going?"


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The Levite replied, "We're on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the mountains of Ephraim. That's where I'm from. I had gone to Bethlehem in Judah. Now I'm going to the Lord's house, but no one has offered to take me into his home.


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We have straw and fodder for our donkeys. I even have bread and wine for myself, the woman, and my servant. We have everything we need."


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Then the old man said, "Welcome! Let me take care of your needs. Just don't spend the night in the city square."


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While they were enjoying themselves, some worthless men from the city surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They told the old man, the owner of the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have sex with him."


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The owner went out to them. He told them, "No, my friends! Please don't do anything so evil! This man is a guest in my home. Don't do such a godless thing!


text:
Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and this man's concubine. Rape them, and do with them whatever you want. Just don't do such a godless thing to this man."


text:
But the men refused to listen to him. So the Levite grabbed his concubine and forced her outside. They had sex with her and abused her all night until morning. They let her go when the sun was coming up.


text:
At daybreak, the woman came to the door of the house where her husband was and collapsed. She was still there when it became light.


text:
Her husband got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and was about to leave. His wife (that is, his concubine) was lying at the door of the house with her hands on the doorstep.


text:
The Levite said to her, "Get up! Let's go!" But she did not answer. So he put her on the donkey and left for home.


text:
When he arrived home, he got a knife. He took his concubine and cut her limb from limb into 12 pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territories of Israel.


text:
Everyone who saw it said, "Never has such a thing happened or been seen from the time the people of Israel came out of Egypt until today. Think about it! Form a plan, and speak out!"


text:
All the people of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from Gilead came to Mizpah. The congregation stood united in the presence of the Lord.


text:
The leaders of all Israel's tribes took their places in the congregation of God's people. There were 400,000 foot soldiers with swords.


text:
The people of Benjamin heard that Israel had come to Mizpah. The people of Israel said, "Tell us how such an evil thing could happen."


text:
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered, "My concubine and I went to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.


text:
The citizens of Gibeah came to attack me. They surrounded the house {where I was staying} that night. They intended to kill me, but instead, they raped my concubine until she died.


text:
So I took my concubine and cut her into pieces. Then I sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel. I did this because the citizens of Gibeah did this perverted and godless thing in Israel.


text:
We'll take one-tenth of all the men from the tribes of Israel to get supplies for the troops. When the troops go to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin they can punish the citizens of Gibeah for the godless thing they did in Israel."


text:
The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin. They asked, "How could such an evil thing happen among you?


text:
Now hand over those worthless men in Gibeah. We must put them to death to rid ourselves of this kind of evil in Israel." But the men of Benjamin refused to listen to the men of Israel.


text:
So the men of Benjamin went from their towns and assembled at Gibeah to go to war with the men of Israel.


text:
That day 26,000 men armed with swords came from Benjamin's cities and organized for battle along with 700 of Gibeah's best men.


text:
Out of all these troops, the best 700 were left-handed. Each could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.


text:
The men of Israel went to Bethel. They asked God, "Who will go first to fight Benjamin?" The Lord answered, "Judah will go first."


text:
So the men of Israel went to war with the men of Benjamin. The Israelites formed their battle line facing Gibeah.


text:
But Israel's troops got reinforcements. They formed their battle line where they had formed it on the first day.


text:
The Israelites went and cried in the presence of the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, "Should we continue to wage war against our close relatives, the men of Benjamin?" The Lord answered, "Go fight them!"


text:
Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them. This time they slaughtered 18,000 men from Israel who were armed with swords.


text:
Then all the men of Israel and all the troops went to Bethel. They sat there and cried in the presence of the Lord and fasted that day until evening. Then they sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.


text:
(Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, served in front of it.) So the people of Israel asked the Lord, "Should we continue to wage war against our close relatives, the men of Benjamin? Or should we stop?" The Lord answered, "Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you."


text:
On the third day the men of Israel went to fight the men of Benjamin. They formed their battle line facing Gibeah as they did before.


text:
The men of Benjamin went out to attack Israel's troops and were led away from the city. They started to inflict casualties as before. They killed about 30 men from Israel in the open country and on the roads to Bethel and Gibeah.


text:
The men of Benjamin shouted, "They're defeated as before!" But the men of Israel had said, "Let's flee in order to lead them from the city to the roads."


text:
So the men of Israel left their positions. They formed their battle line at Baal Tamar. Meanwhile, those waiting in ambush rushed from their position to the west of Gibeah.


text:
Then 10,000 of Israel's best men attacked Gibeah. The battle was fierce. But Benjamin's men didn't realize their own evil was about to overtake them.


text:
So the Lord defeated them in front of Israel. On that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men from Benjamin who were armed with swords.


text:
Then the men of Benjamin realized they were defeated. The Israelites had allowed the men of Benjamin to take back some ground. The Israelites relied on those waiting in ambush near Gibeah.


text:
The men of Israel had arranged with those waiting in ambush that they would make a big column of smoke rise from the city as a signal.


text:
Then the men of Israel would turn around in the battle. The men of Benjamin had already killed about 30 men of Israel. They even said, "Israel is completely defeated, just like in the first battle."


text:
But when the column of smoke started to rise from the city, the men of Benjamin turned around and saw the whole city going up in smoke.


text:
Then the men of Israel turned around, and the men of Benjamin panicked. They realized that their evil had overtaken them.


text:
They turned in front of Israel toward the road to the desert. But the battle caught up with the men of Benjamin. Israel slaughtered whoever came out of the cities on the road to the desert.


text:
They closed in on the men of Benjamin and pursued them without stopping. They overtook them east of Gibeah.


text:
The others turned and fled into the desert to Rimmon Rock. But the men of Israel killed 5,000 more on the roads. They caught up with another 2,000 and killed them near Gidom.


text:
In all, 25,000 men from Benjamin who were armed with swords were killed that day. They were all experienced men.


text:
But 600 men turned and fled into the desert to Rimmon Rock. They stayed at Rimmon Rock for four months.


text:
Then the men of Israel went back to attack the rest of the territory of Benjamin. They killed all the people and cattle they found in every city. They also burned down every city they came to.


text:
The men of Israel had taken this oath in Mizpah: "None of us will ever let our daughters marry anyone from Benjamin."


text:
The people went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. They cried very loudly,


text:
"Lord God of Israel, why has this happened among us? Why should one tribe be missing today in Israel?"


text:
The next day the people got up early. They built an altar there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.


text:
The people asked, "Is there any family from Israel that did not take part in the assembly in the presence of the Lord?" They had taken a solemn oath that whoever had not come into the presence of the Lord at Mizpah must be put to death.


text:
The people of Israel felt sorry for their close relatives, the men of Benjamin. They said, "Today one tribe has been excluded from Israel.


text:
What will we do to provide wives for the men who are left? We swore to the Lord that we would not let any of our daughters marry them."


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Then they asked, "Is there any family from Israel that did not come into the presence of the Lord at Mizpah?" No one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the assembly in the camp.


text:
The congregation sent 12,000 soldiers. They ordered them, "Go and kill the people of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and children.


text:
These are your directions: Claim every female who has gone to bed with a man, and claim every male. Claim them for the Lord by destroying them."


text:
Among the people of Jabesh Gilead they found 400 unmarried women who had never gone to bed with a man. They brought them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.


text:
Then the whole congregation sent messengers to the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock and offered them peace.


text:
So the men of Benjamin came back at that time. These men were given the women from Jabesh Gilead who had been kept alive. However, the congregation had not found enough women for all of them.


text:
The congregation felt sorry for the people of Benjamin because the Lord had broken the unity of the tribes of Israel.


text:
The leaders of the congregation asked, "What should we do to provide wives for the men who are left, since the women in Benjamin have been killed?"


text:
Some said, "Benjamin's men who survived must be allowed to have families. No tribe of Israel should be wiped out.


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However, we can't give them any of our daughters as wives. The people of Israel have taken an oath that whoever gives wives to the men of Benjamin is under a curse."


text:
Others said, "Every year the Lord's festival is held at Shiloh. Shiloh is north of Bethel, east of the highway going from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."


text:
watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, come out of the vineyards. Each of you catch a woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then go back to the territory of Benjamin.


text:
When their fathers or brothers come to us to complain, we'll tell them, 'Have pity on them, since we didn't provide a wife for each man in the battle. You won't be guilty because you didn't give them the wives yourselves.' "


text:
The men of Benjamin did just that. They captured the number of wives they needed from the women who were dancing and went home. So they rebuilt their cities and lived in them.


text:
In the days when the judges were ruling, there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah went with his wife and two sons to live for a while in the country of Moab.


text:
The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name was Naomi, and the names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were descendants of Ephrathah from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. They went to the country of Moab and lived there.


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Each son married a woman from Moab. One son married a woman named Orpah, and the other son married a woman named Ruth. They lived there for about ten years.


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Then both Mahlon and Chilion died as well. So Naomi was left alone, without her two sons or her husband.


text:
Naomi and her daughters-in-law started on the way back from the country of Moab. (While they were still in Moab she heard that the Lord had come to help his people and give them food.


text:
So she left the place where she had been living, and her two daughters-in-law went with her.) They began to walk back along the road to the territory of Judah.


text:
Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back! Each of you should go back to your mother's home. May the Lord be as kind to you as you were to me and to our loved ones who have died.


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May the Lord repay each of you so that you may find security in a home with a husband." When she kissed them goodbye, they began to cry loudly.


text:
But Naomi said, "Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb who could be your husbands?


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Go back, my daughters. Go, because I am too old to get married again. If I said that I still have hope . And if I had a husband tonight . And even if I gave birth to sons,


text:
would you wait until they grew up and stay single just for them? No, my daughters. My bitterness is much worse than yours because the Lord has sent me so much trouble."


text:
They began to cry loudly again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth held on to her tightly.


text:
Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Go back with your sister-in-law."


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But Ruth answered, "Don't force me to leave you. Don't make me turn back from following you. Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.


text:
Wherever you die, I will die, and I will be buried there with you. May the Lord strike me down if anything but death separates you and me!"


text:
So both of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about them. "This can't be Naomi, can it?" the women asked.


text:
She answered them, "Don't call me Naomi Sweet. Call me Mara Bitter because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.


text:
I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi when the Lord has tormented me and the Almighty has done evil to me?"


text:
When Naomi came back from the country of Moab, Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, came along with her. They happened to enter Bethlehem just when the barley harvest began.


text:
Naomi had a relative. He was from Elimelech's side of the family. He was a man of outstanding character named Boaz.


text:
Ruth, who was from Moab, said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field of anyone who will be kind to me. There I will gather the grain left behind by the reapers." Naomi told her, "Go, my daughter."


text:
So Ruth went. She entered a field and gathered the grain left behind by the reapers. Now it happened that she ended up in the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family.


text:
Just then, Boaz was coming from Bethlehem, and he said to his reapers, "May the Lord be with all of you!" They answered him, "May the Lord bless you!"


text:
The young man answered, "She's a young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.


text:
She said, 'Please let me gather grain. I will only gather among the bundles behind the reapers.' So she came here and has been on her feet from daybreak until now. She just sat down this minute in the shelter."


text:
Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go in any other field to gather grain, and don't even leave this one. Stay here with my young women.


text:
Watch where my men are reaping, and follow the young women in that field. I have ordered my young men not to touch you. When you're thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of the water that the young men have drawn."


text:
Ruth immediately bowed down to the ground and said to him, "Why are you so helpful? Why are you paying attention to me? I'm only a foreigner."


text:
Boaz answered her, "People have told me about everything you have done for your mother-in-law after your husband died. They told me how you left your father and mother and the country where you were born. They also told me how you came to people that you didn't know before.


text:
May the Lord reward you for what you have done! May you receive a rich reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter."


text:
Ruth replied, "Sir, may your kindness to me continue. You have comforted me and reassured me, and I'm not even one of your own servants."


text:
When it was time to eat, Boaz told her, "Come here. Have some bread, and dip it into the sour wine." So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.


text:
When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his servants, "Let her gather grain even among the bundles. Don't give her any problems.


text:
Even pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. Don't give her a hard time about it."


text:
So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from its husks. She had about half a bushel of barley.


text:
She picked it up and went into the town, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also took out what she had left over from lunch and gave it to Naomi.


text:
Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you gather grain today? Just where did you work? May the man who paid attention to you be blessed." So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the person with whom she worked. She said, "The man I worked with today is named Boaz."


text:
Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May the Lord bless him. The Lord hasn't stopped being kind to people—living or dead." Then Naomi told her, "That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us."


text:
Ruth, who was from Moab, told her, "He also said to me, 'Stay with my younger workers until they have finished the harvest.' "


text:
Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth, "It's a good idea, my daughter, that you go out to the fields with his young women. If you go to someone else's field, you may be molested."


text:
So Ruth stayed with the young women who were working for Boaz. She gathered grain until both the barley harvest and the wheat harvest ended. And she continued to live with her mother-in-law.


text:
Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, said to her, "My daughter, shouldn't I try to look for a home that would be good for you?


text:
Isn't Boaz, whose young women you've been working with, our relative? He will be separating the barley from its husks on the threshing floor tonight.


text:
Freshen up, put on some perfume, dress up, and go down to the threshing floor. Don't let him know that you're there until he's finished eating and drinking.


text:
When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying. Then uncover his feet, and lie down there. He will make it clear what you must do."


text:
Boaz had eaten and drunk to his heart's content, so he went and lay at the edge of a pile of grain. Then she went over to him secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.


text:
At midnight the man was shivering. When he turned over, he was surprised to see a woman lying at his feet.


text:
"Who are you?" he asked. She answered, "I am Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me because you are a close relative who can take care of me."


text:
Boaz replied, "May the Lord bless you, my daughter. This last kindness—that you didn't go after the younger men, whether rich or poor—is better than the first.


text:
Don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do whatever you say. The whole town knows that you are a woman who has strength of character.


text:
Stay here tonight. In the morning if he will agree to take care of you, that is good. He can take care of you. But if he does not wish to take care of you, then, I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will take care of you myself. Lie down until morning."


text:
So Ruth lay at his feet until morning. Then she got up early before anyone could be recognized. At that moment Boaz thought to himself, "I hope that no one will ever know that this woman came to the threshing floor."


text:
Then Boaz told Ruth, "Stretch out the cape you're wearing and hold it tight." So she held it tight while he measured out six measures of barley. Then he placed it on her {back} and went into the town.


text:
When Ruth returned, her mother-in-law Naomi asked, "How did things go, my daughter?" Ruth told Naomi everything the man had done for her.


text:
She said, "He gave me these six measures of barley and told me not to come back to you empty-handed."


text:
Naomi replied, "Stay here, my daughter, until you know how it turns out. The man won't rest unless he settles this matter today."


text:
Boaz went to the city gate and sat there. Just then, the relative about whom he had spoken was passing by. Boaz said, "Please come over here and sit, my friend." So the man came over and sat down.


text:
Boaz said to the man, "Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the field that belonged to our relative Elimelech.


text:
So I said that I would inform you. Buy it in the presence of these men sitting here and in the presence of the leaders of our people. If you wish to buy back the property, you can buy back the property. But if you do not wish to buy back the property, tell me. Then I will know that I am next in line because there is no other relative except me." The man said, "I'll buy back the property."


text:
Boaz continued, "When you buy the field from Naomi, you will also assume responsibility for the Moabite Ruth, the dead man's widow. This keeps the inheritance in the dead man's name."


text:
The man replied, "In that case I cannot assume responsibility for her. If I did, I would ruin my inheritance. Take all my rights to buy back the property for yourself, because I cannot assume that responsibility."


text:
(This is the way it used to be in Israel concerning buying back property and exchanging goods: In order to make every matter legal, a man would take off his sandal and give it to the other man. This was the way a contract was publicly approved in Israel.)


text:
Then Boaz said to the leaders and to all the people, "Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and Mahlon.


text:
In addition, I have bought as my wife the Moabite Ruth, Mahlon's widow, to keep the inheritance in the dead man's name. In this way the dead man's name will not be cut off from his relatives or from the public records. Today you are witnesses."


text:
All the people who were at the gate, including the leaders, said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make this wife, who is coming into your home, like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built our family of Israel. So show your strength of character in Ephrathah and make a name for yourself in Bethlehem.


text:
Also, from the descendant whom the Lord will give you from this young woman, may your family become like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave birth to for Judah."


text:
Then Boaz took Ruth home, and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the Lord gave her the ability to become pregnant. So she gave birth to a son.


text:
The women said to Naomi, "Praise the Lord, who has remembered today to give you someone who will take care of you. The child's name will be famous in Israel.


text:
He will bring you a new life and support you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you is better to you than seven sons, because she has given birth."


text:
The women in the neighborhood said, "Naomi has a son." So they gave him the name Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.


text:
There was a man named Elkanah from Ramathaim Zophim in the mountains of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, grandson of Elihu, great-grandson of Tohu, whose father was Zuph from the tribe of Ephraim.


text:
Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.


text:
Every year this man would go from his own city to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served there as priests of the Lord.


text:
Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he would give portions of it to his wife Peninnah and all her sons and daughters.


text:
He would also give one portion to Hannah because he loved her, even though the Lord had kept her from having children.


text:
Because the Lord had made her unable to have children, her rival {Peninnah} tormented her endlessly in order to make her miserable.


text:
This happened year after year. Whenever Hannah went to the Lord's house, Peninnah would make her miserable, and Hannah would cry and not eat.


text:
Her husband Elkanah would ask her, "Hannah, why are you crying? Why haven't you eaten? Why are you so downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"


text:
One day, after Hannah had something to eat and drink in Shiloh, she got up. (The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the door of the Lord's temple.)


text:
She made this vow, "Lord of Armies, if you will look at my misery, remember me, and give me a boy, then I will give him to you for as long as he lives. A razor will never be used on his head."


text:
She was praying silently. Her voice couldn't be heard; only her lips were moving. Eli thought she was drunk.


text:
Don't take me to be a good-for-nothing woman. I was praying like this because I've been troubled and tormented."


text:
"May you continue to be kind to me," she said. Then the woman went her way and ate. She was no longer sad.


text:
Early in the morning Elkanah and his family got up and worshiped in front of the Lord. Then they returned home to Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.


text:
Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel God Hears, because she said, "I asked the Lord for him."


text:
To keep his vow, Elkanah and his entire household again went to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord.


text:
But Hannah didn't go. She told her husband, "I'll wait until the boy is weaned. Then I'll bring him and present him to the Lord, and he'll stay there permanently."


text:
"Do what you think is best," her husband Elkanah told her. "Wait until you've weaned him. May the Lord keep his word." The woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.


text:
As soon as she had weaned Samuel, she took him with her. She also brought a three-year-old bull, half a bushel of flour, and a full wineskin. She brought him to the Lord's house at Shiloh while the boy was {still} a child.


text:
"Sir," Hannah said, "as sure as you live, I'm the woman who stood here next to you and prayed to the Lord.


text:
In return, I am giving him to the Lord. He will be dedicated to the Lord for his whole life." And they worshiped the Lord there.


text:
Hannah prayed out loud, "My heart finds joy in the Lord. My head is lifted to the Lord. My mouth mocks my enemies. I rejoice because you saved {me}.


text:
"Do not boast {or} let arrogance come out of your mouth because the Lord is a God of knowledge, and he weighs {our} actions.


text:
Those who were well-fed hire themselves out for a piece of bread, but those who were hungry hunger no more. Even the woman who was childless gives birth to seven children, but the mother of many children grieves all alone.


text:
"The Lord kills, and he gives life. He makes {people} go down to the grave, and he raises them up {again}.


text:
He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the trash heap in order to make them sit with nobles and even to make them inherit a glorious throne. "The pillars of the earth are the Lord's. He has set the world on them.


text:
He safeguards the steps of his faithful ones, but wicked people are silenced in darkness because humans cannot succeed by their own strength.


text:
"Those who oppose the Lord are broken into pieces. He thunders at them from the heavens. The Lord judges the ends of the earth. He gives strength to his King and lifts the head of his Messiah."


text:
Now, this was how the priests dealt with the people who were offering sacrifices: While the meat was boiling, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand.


text:
Then he would stick it into the pot, kettle, cauldron, or pan. Whatever the fork brought up {from the pot} belonged to the priest. This is what the priests did in Shiloh to all the people of Israel who came there {to sacrifice}.


text:
But {in the case of Eli's sons,} even before the people burned the fat, their servants would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the meat to the priest to roast. He doesn't want boiled meat from you. He wants it raw."


text:
If the man said to the servant, "First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you want," the servant would say to him, "Give it to me now, or I'll take it by force."


text:
The sin of Eli's sons was a serious matter to the Lord, because these men were treating the offerings made to the Lord with contempt.


text:
Meanwhile, Samuel continued to serve in front of the Lord. As a boy he was {already} wearing a linen ephod.


text:
His mother would make him a robe and bring it to him every year when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.


text:
Eli would bless Elkanah (and his wife) and say, "May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one which she has given to the Lord." Then they would go home.


text:
The Lord came to Hannah. She became pregnant {five times} and had three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in front of the Lord.


text:
Now, Eli was very old, and he had heard everything that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they were sleeping with the women who served at the gate of the tent of meeting.


text:
So he asked them, "Why are you doing such things? I hear about your wicked ways from all these people.


text:
If one person sins against another, God will take care of him. However, when a person sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?" But they wouldn't listen to their father's warning—the Lord wanted to kill them.


text:
Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were under Pharaoh's control in Egypt.


text:
I chose {one of your ancestors} out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest, to sacrifice burnt offerings on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod in my presence. And I gave your ancestors the right to keep portions of the sacrifices that the people of Israel burned on the altar.


text:
Why do you show no respect for my sacrifices and grain offerings that I have commanded people to make in my dwelling place? Why do you honor your sons more than me by making yourselves fat on the best of all the sacrifices offered by my people Israel?


text:
"Therefore, the Lord God of Israel declares: I certainly thought that your family and your father's family would always live in my presence. "But now the Lord declares: I promise that I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant.


text:
The time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house so that no one will grow old in your family.


text:
You will see distress in my dwelling place. In spite of the good that I do for Israel, no one in your family will live to an old age.


text:
Any man in your family whom I do not remove from my altar will have his eyes fail, and he will be heartbroken. And all your descendants will die in the prime of life.


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What is going to happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you: Both of them will die on the same day.


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Then I will appoint a faithful priest to serve me. He will do everything I want him to do. I will give him faithful descendants, and he will always live as my anointed one.


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Then anyone who is left from your household will bow down in front of him to get a coin or a loaf of bread and say, 'Please appoint me to one of the priestly classes so that I may eat a piece of bread.' "


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The boy Samuel was serving the Lord under Eli. In those days a prophecy from the Lord was rare; visions were infrequent.


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One night Eli was lying down in his room. His eyesight had begun to fail so that he couldn't see well.


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The lamp in God's temple hadn't gone out yet, and Samuel was asleep in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was kept.


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He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I didn't call {you}," Eli replied. "Go back to bed." So Samuel went back and lay down.


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The Lord called Samuel again. Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I didn't call {you}, son," he responded. "Go back to bed."


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Samuel had no experience with the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.


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The Lord called Samuel a third time. Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.


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"Go, lie down," Eli told Samuel. "When he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord. I'm listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his room.


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The Lord came and stood there. He called as he had called the other times: "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak. I'm listening."


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Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am going to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears it ring.


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I told him that I would hand down a permanent judgment against his household because he knew about his sons' sin—that they were cursing God—but he didn't try to stop them.


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That is why I have taken an oath concerning Eli's family line: No offering or sacrifice will ever {be able to} make peace for the sins that Eli's family committed."


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Samuel remained in bed until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord's house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.


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"What did the Lord tell you?" he asked. "Please don't hide anything from me. May God strike you dead if you hide anything he told you from me."


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The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, since the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh through the word of the Lord. And Samuel spoke to all Israel.


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Israel went to fight against the Philistines and camped near Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek.


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The Philistines organized their troops to meet Israel in battle. As the battle spread, the Philistines defeated Israel and killed about 4,000 soldiers in the field.


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When the troops came back to the camp, the leaders of Israel asked, "Why has the Lord used the Philistines to defeat us today? Let's get the ark of the Lord's promise from Shiloh so that he may be with us and save us from our enemies."


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The troops sent some men who brought back the ark of the promise of the Lord of Armies—who is enthroned over the angels. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with God's ark.


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When the Lord's ark came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth rang with echoes.


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As the Philistines heard the noise, they asked, "What's {all} this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" The Philistines found out that the Lord's ark had come into the camp.


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Then they were frightened and said, "A god has come into {their} camp." They also said, "Oh no! Nothing like this has ever happened before.


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We're in trouble now! Who can save us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the desert.


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Be strong, Philistines, and act like men, or else you will serve the Hebrews as they served you. Act like men and fight."


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The Philistines fought and defeated Israel. Every {Israelite} soldier fled to his tent. It was a major defeat in which 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers died.


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A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the front line of the battle. He went to Shiloh that day with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.


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When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a chair beside the road, watching. He was worried about the ark of God. The man went into the city to tell the news. The whole city cried out.


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The man told Eli, "I'm the one who came from the battle. I fled from the front line today." "What happened, son?" Eli asked.


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"Israel fled from the Philistines," the messenger answered. "Our troops suffered heavy casualties. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, also are dead, and the ark of God has been captured."


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When the messenger mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his chair backwards toward the gate. He broke his neck, and he died. (The man was old and heavy.) He had judged Israel for 40 years.


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His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor prematurely and gave birth to a son.


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As she was dying, the women helping her said, "Don't be afraid. You've given birth to a son." But she didn't answer or pay attention.


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She called the boy Ichabod No Glory, saying, "Israel's glory is gone," because the ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and her husband {died}.


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Early the next day the people of Ashdod saw that Dagon had fallen forward on the ground in front of the Lord's ark. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.


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But the next morning they saw that Dagon had {again} fallen forward on the ground in front of the Lord's ark. Dagon's head and his two hands were cut off {and were lying} on the temple's threshold. The rest of Dagon's body was intact.


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This is why the priests of Dagon and everyone else who comes into Dagon's temple in Ashdod still don't step on the temple's threshold.


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The Lord dealt harshly with the people of Ashdod. He destroyed them by striking the people in the vicinity of Ashdod with tumors.


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When the people of Ashdod realized what was happening, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us, because their God is dealing harshly with us and our god Dagon."


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The people of Ashdod called together all the Philistine rulers. "What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" they asked. "The ark of the God of Israel must be taken to Gath," the rulers said. So the people took the ark of the God of Israel there.


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But after they had moved it, the Lord threw the city into a great panic: He struck all the important and unimportant people in the city, and they were covered with tumors.


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So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They brought the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us."


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They called together all the Philistine rulers. "Send the ark of the God of Israel away," they said. "Let it go back to its own place so that it won't kill us or our people." There was a fear of death throughout the city, where God dealt {with them} very harshly.


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when the Philistines called for priests and people skilled in explaining omens. The Philistines asked, "What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how to return it to its {proper} place."


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The priests answered, "If you're returning the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it away empty, but by all means return it to its {proper} place with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will know why he would not turn his anger away from you."


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The Philistines asked, "What kind of guilt offering should we give him?" The priests answered, "Five gold tumors and five gold mice for the {five} Philistine rulers because all of you and your rulers suffer from the same plague.


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Make models of your tumors and your mice which are destroying the country, and give glory to the God of Israel. Maybe he will no longer be so hard on you, your gods, and your country.


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Why should you be as stubborn as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh were? After he toyed with the Egyptians, didn't they send the Israelites on their way?


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Now get a new cart ready for two dairy cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart. Take their calves away, and leave them in their stall.


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Take the ark of the Lord, and put it on the cart. Put the gold objects which you're giving him as a guilt offering in a box beside the ark. Send the cart on its way,


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but then watch where it goes. If it goes up the road to its own country toward Beth Shemesh, then this disaster is the Lord's doing. But if not, we'll know it wasn't his hand that struck us, but what happened to us was an accident."


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The people did this. They took two dairy cows, hitched them to a cart, and shut the calves in the stall.


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They put the ark of the Lord and the box containing the gold mice and the models of their hemorrhoids on the cart.


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The cows went straight up the road to Beth Shemesh. Continually mooing, they stayed on the road and didn't turn right or left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth Shemesh.


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The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed.


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The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped there by a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.


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(The Levites had already taken down {from the cart} the ark of the Lord and the box which contained the gold objects and put them on the large rock.) The people of Beth Shemesh presented burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord that day.


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The gold hemorrhoids which the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord were for the cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.


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And the number of gold mice was the same as the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, including walled cities and farm villages. The large rock on which they put the ark of the Lord is a witness. It is still there today in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.


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God struck down some of the people from Beth Shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the Lord. He struck down 70 people. The people mourned because the Lord struck them with such a great blow.


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The people of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to which people will he go when he leaves us?"


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They sent messengers to the people living at Kiriath Jearim to say, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord. Come and take it back with you."


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The men of Kiriath Jearim came to take the Lord's ark and brought it into Abinadab's house on the hill. They gave Abinadab's son Eleazar the holy occupation of guarding the Lord's ark.


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A long time passed after the ark came to stay at Kiriath Jearim. For 20 years the entire nation of Israel mournfully sought the Lord.


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Samuel told the entire nation of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord wholeheartedly, get rid of the foreign gods you have, including the statues of the goddess Astarte. Make a commitment to the Lord, and serve only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines."


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Then Samuel said, "Gather all the Israelites together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you."


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So the Israelites gathered together at Mizpah. They drew some water, poured it out in front of the Lord, and fasted that day. They confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord." So Samuel judged Israel in Mizpah.


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When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the Philistine rulers came to attack Israel. The Israelites heard {about the Philistine plan} and were afraid of them.


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The Israelites said to Samuel, "Don't turn a deaf ear to us! Don't stop crying to the Lord our God for us! Ask him to save us from the Philistines!"


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Then Samuel took a lamb, one still feeding on milk, and sacrificed it as a burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.


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While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines came to fight against Israel. On that day the Lord thundered loudly at the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel.


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Then Samuel took a rock and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer Rock of Help and said, "Until now the Lord has helped us."


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The power of the Philistines was crushed, so they didn't come into Israel's territory again. The Lord restrained the Philistines as long as Samuel lived.


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The cities between Ekron and Gath which the Philistines took from Israel were returned to Israel. And Israel recovered the territory controlled by these cities from the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.


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Every year he went around to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah in order to judge Israel in all those places.


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Then he would return home to Ramah. There, too, he judged Israel. And in Ramah he built an altar to the Lord.


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The name of his firstborn son was Joel; the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.


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The sons didn't follow their father's example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.


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They told him, "You're old, and your sons aren't following your example. Now appoint a king to judge us so that we will be like all the other nations."


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But Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.


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The Lord told Samuel, "Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven't rejected you; they've rejected me.


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They're doing just what they've done since I took them out of Egypt—leaving me and serving other gods.


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Samuel said, "These are the rights of a king: He will draft your sons, make them serve on his chariots and horses, and make them run ahead of his chariots.


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He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots.


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"When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. The Lord will not answer you when that day comes."


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Then we, too, will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us, lead us out {to war}, and fight our battles."


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The Lord told him, "Listen to them, and give them a king." Then Samuel told the people of Israel, "Go {back} to your own cities."


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There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was a son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, and great-grandson of Becorath, whose father was Aphiah, a descendant of Benjamin. Kish was a powerful man.


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He had a son named Saul, a handsome, young man. No man in Israel was more handsome than Saul. He stood a head taller than everyone else.


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When some donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, Kish told Saul, "Take one of the servants with you, and go look for the donkeys."


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They went through the mountains of Ephraim and the region of Shalisha without finding the donkeys. Then Saul and his servant went through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys weren't there. The men went through the territory of Benjamin but {still} didn't find them.


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When they came to the territory of Zuph, Saul told his servant who was with him, "Let's go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us {instead}."


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The servant responded, "There's a man of God in this city, a highly respected man. Everything he says is sure to happen. Let's go there. Maybe he'll tell us which way we should go."


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"If we go," Saul asked his servant, "what could we bring the man since the food in our sacks is gone? There's no present we can bring the man of God. What do we have?"


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The servant again answered Saul, "Look, here! I have one-tenth of an ounce of silver. I'll give it to the man of God. Then he'll tell us where to find the donkeys."


text:
(Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask God {a question}, he would say, "Come, let's go to the seer," because a person we now call a prophet used to be called a seer.)


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Saul told his servant, "That's a good idea! Come on, let's go." They went to the city where the man of God was.


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As they were going up the hill to the city, they met girls coming out to get water. They asked the girls, "Is the seer here?"


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The girls answered, "He's there ahead of you. Hurry! He {just} went into the city today since the people are offering a sacrifice on the worship site.


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As you go into the city, you can find him before he goes to the worship site to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, since he blesses the sacrifice. Then those who are invited may eat. Go. You should be able to find him now."


text:
So Saul and his servant went to the city. As they entered it, Samuel was coming toward them on his way to the worship site.


text:
"About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the territory of Benjamin. Anoint him to be ruler of my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines because I've seen my people's {suffering} and their cry has come to me."


text:
When Samuel noticed Saul, the Lord told him, "There's the man I told you about. This man will govern my people."


text:
Samuel replied, "I'm the seer. Go ahead of me to the worship site. You will eat with me today. In the morning I'll let you go after I tell you all that's on your mind.


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Don't trouble yourself about the donkeys that were lost three days ago because they've been found. Who will have all that is desirable in Israel? Won't it be you and your father's family?"


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Saul replied, "I am a man from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel. My family is the most insignificant of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. So why are you saying such things to me?"


text:
Samuel brought Saul and his servant to the banquet hall and had them sit at the head of the guests—about 30 people.


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Samuel said to the cook, "Bring me the portion of the sacrificial meat that I gave you and told you to put aside."


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So the cook picked up the leg and thigh and laid it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "This was kept in order to be laid in front of you. Eat it. When I invited people to the feast, I set it aside for you." Saul ate with Samuel that day.


text:
Then they left the worship site for the city. They spread blankets on the roof for Saul, and he slept there.


text:
At dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get up! {It's time for} me to send you away." Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside.


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As they were going toward the city limits, Samuel told Saul, "Have the servant go ahead of you." (He went ahead.) "But you stay here, and I will tell you God's word."


text:
Samuel took a flask of olive oil, poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "The Lord has anointed you to be ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and save them from all their enemies. This will be the sign that the Lord has anointed you to be ruler of his people.


text:
When you leave me today, two men will be at Rachel's grave on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They'll tell you, 'We've found the donkeys you went looking for. Your father no longer cares about them. Instead, he's worried about you. He keeps asking, "What can I do {to find} my son?" '


text:
Keep going until you come to the oak tree at Tabor. There you will find three men on their way to worship God at Bethel: One will be carrying three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a {full} wineskin.


text:
After that, you will come to the hill of God, where the Philistines have a military post. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets prophesying as they come from the worship site. They will be led by men playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre.


text:
Then the Lord's Spirit will come over you. You will be a different person while you prophesy with them.


text:
Go ahead of me to Gilgal. Then I will come to sacrifice burnt offerings and make fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to tell you what to do."


text:
When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's attitude. That day all these signs happened.


text:
When Saul came to the hill, a group of prophets came to meet him, and God's Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them.


text:
When all who had known him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people asked one another, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets?"


text:
But a man from that place asked, "But who's the chief prophet?" So it became a proverb: "Is Saul one of the prophets?"


text:
Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where did you go?" Saul answered, "To look for the donkeys, and when we couldn't find them, we went to Samuel."


text:
"He assured us the donkeys had been found," Saul answered his uncle. But Saul didn't tell him what Samuel said {about his becoming king}.


text:
He said to the Israelites, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I brought Israel out of Egypt and rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kings who were oppressing you.


text:
But now you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and distresses. You said, 'No! Place a king over us.' Now then, stand in front of the Lord by your tribes and family groups."


text:
When he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, the family of Matri was chosen. Then Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. They looked for him but couldn't find him.


text:
They asked the Lord again, "Has he arrived here yet?" The Lord answered, "He's hiding among the baggage."


text:
They ran and got him from there. As he stood among the people, he was a head taller than everyone else.


