# verses

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Two of the seventy elders, Eldad and Medad, stayed in the camp and did not go out to the tent. There in the camp the Spirit came on them, and they too began to shout like prophets.


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Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses helper since he was a young man, spoke up and said to Moses: »Stop them, sir!«


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Moses asked him: »Do you think you need to stand up for me? I wish all Jehovahs people were prophets and that Jehovah would put his Spirit on them!«


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Jehovah 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 sixty 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, Jehovah became angry with the people and struck them with a severe plague.


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


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They asked: »Did Jehovah speak only through Moses? Did he not also speak through us? Jehovah heard their complaint.


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Suddenly, Jehovah said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam: »All three of you come to the tent of meeting.« So all three of them went to the tent.


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


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He said: »Listen to my words: When there are prophets of Jehovah 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. I speak plainly and not in riddles. He even sees the form of Jehovah. Why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?«


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After 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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Jehovah answered: »If her father had spit in her face, she would have to bear her disgrace for seven days. So let her be shut out of the camp for a week, and after that she can be brought back in.«


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Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days. The people did not move on until she was brought back in.


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»Choose one of the leaders from each of the twelve tribes and send them as spies to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.«


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According to Jehovahs 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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When they went to the Negev, they came to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak were. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.


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At 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 <i>Bunch of Grapes</i> because of the bunch of grapes the Israelites cut off there.


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They returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation 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 their report to Moses: »We went to the land where you sent us. It really is a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit.


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»The people who live there are strong. 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. 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 us go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it.«


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»They 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. That is no doubt how we must have looked to them.«


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»Why is Jehovah bringing us to this land? Is it just to have us die in battle? Our wives and children will be taken as prisoners of war! Would it not 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 congregation 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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»Do not rebel against Jehovah. Do not be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. Jehovah is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them. Do not be afraid.«


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The whole congregation threatened to stone them to death. Then suddenly the people saw the dazzling light of Jehovahs presence <i>glory splendor</i> appear over the tent.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »How much longer will these people reject me? How much longer will they refuse to trust in me, even though I have performed many miracles among them?


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»I will send an epidemic and destroy them. I will make you the father of a nation that is larger and more powerful than they are!«


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Moses said to Jehovah: »You brought these people out of Egypt by your power. When the Egyptians hear what you have done to your people,


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they will tell it to the people who live in this land. These people have already heard that you, Jehovah, are with us, that you appear in plain sight when your cloud stops over us, and that you go before us in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.


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


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»Jehovah was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them, so he slaughtered them in the desert.


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»Jehovah is patient, forever loving; He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience. He never lets the guilty go unpunished. In fact he punishes children for their parents sins to the third and fourth generation.


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»By your great love, please forgive these peoples sins, as you have forgiven 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 I promised their ancestors. They have tested me now ten times and refused to obey me.


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»My servant Caleb has a different attitude and has wholeheartedly followed me, I will 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. Follow the road that goes to the Red Sea.«


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»How long must I put up with this wicked congregation that keeps complaining about me? I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making about me.


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»Therefore tell them: As I live, declares Jehovah, 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 twenty 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 forty years. They will suffer for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies dead in the desert.


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»You explored the land for forty days. So for forty 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, Jehovah, have spoken. I swear I will do these things to all the people in this whole wicked congregation. For they 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. They spread 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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Early the next morning they headed into the mountains. They said: »We have sinned. Now we will go to the place Jehovah promised.«


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»The Amalekites and Canaanites are there. You will die in battle. Now that you have turned away from Jehovah, he will not be with you.«


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But they headed into the mountains anyway. The Ark of the Jehovahs 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 must bring offerings by fire to Jehovah. 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. These are offerings that are a soothing <i>pleasant restful</i> aroma to Jehovah.


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»Whoever presents the offering must also give Jehovah a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of 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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»With a ram, give a grain offering of sixteen cups of flour mixed with one and one quarter quarts of oil


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»When you sacrifice a young bull as a burnt offering to Jehovah or make any other kind of sacrifice to keep a vow or as a fellowship offering.


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»Offer with the young bull a grain offering of twenty-four cups of flour mixed with two quarts of oil.


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


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


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»Make a food offering, an odor that pleases Jehovah. If foreigners live among you, whether on a temporary or a permanent basis, they are to observe the same regulations.


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»For all time to come, the same rules are binding on you and on the foreigners who live among you. You and they are alike in Jehovahs sight.


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the following regulations for the people of Israel. They are to observe them in the land he was going to give them.


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»When any food produced there is eaten, some of it is to be set aside as a special contribution to Jehovah.


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»When you bake bread, the first loaf of the first bread made from the new grain is to be presented as a special contribution to Jehovah. This is to be presented in the same way as the special contribution you make from the grain you thresh.


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»Also suppose that in the future the congregation fails to do everything Jehovah commanded through Moses.


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»If the mistake was made because of the ignorance of the congregation, they are to offer a bull as a burnt offering, an odor that pleases Jehovah. Use the proper grain offering and wine offering. In addition, they are to offer a male goat as a sin offering.


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»The priest will perform the ritual of purification for the congregation. They will be forgiven since the mistake was unintentional and they brought their sin offering as a food offering to Jehovah


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»The whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners living among them will be forgiven, because everyone was involved in the mistake.


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»The priest shall perform the ritual of purification at the altar to purify you from your sin. You will be forgiven.


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»The same regulation applies to all who unintentionally commit a sin, whether they are native Israelites or resident foreigners.


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»Any who sin deliberately, natives or foreigners, are guilty of treating Jehovah with contempt. They shall be put to death.


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»They have rejected what Jehovah said and have deliberately broken one of his commandments. They are responsible for their own death.«


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One time, while the Israelites were still in the wilderness, a man was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »This man must be put to death. The whole congregation must take him outside the camp and stone him.«


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So the whole congregation took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as Jehovah 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. Each tassel should have violet threads.


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»When you look at the threads in the tassel, you will remember all Jehovahs commandments and obey them. Then you will not 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 two hundred and fifty Israelite men, well known leaders of the congregation. The assembly chose them.


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They came together to confront Moses and Aaron. They said: »You have gone far enough! Everyone in the whole congregation is holy. Jehovah is among them. Why do you set yourselves above Jehovahs assembly?«


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Then he said to Korah and all his followers: »In the morning Jehovah will show who belongs to him, who is holy. He will have that person come near him. Only the person Jehovah chooses will be allowed to come near him.


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»Put burning coals and incense in them in Jehovahs presence. Jehovah will choose the man who is holy. You have gone far enough!«


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»Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel? Jehovah has brought you near to do the work for his tent and stand in front of the community to serve them.


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»You and all your followers have joined forces against Jehovah! Who is Aaron that you should complain about him?«


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»Is it not 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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»You have not 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 will not come.«


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Moses became angry and said to Jehovah: »Do not accept their offering. I have not taken anything from them, not even a donkey. And I have not mistreated any of them.«


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Moses said to Korah: »Tomorrow you and all your followers must come into Jehovahs 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 two hundred and fifty incense burners to Jehovah. Then you and Aaron offer your incense burners.«


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So each man took his incense burner. He 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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Korah assembled all his followers who opposed Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The glory of Jehovah appeared to the entire 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 entire congregation?«


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He said to the congregation: »Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or youll 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 came 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 Jehovah sent me to do all these things and that it wasnt my idea:


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»But if Jehovah 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 will know that these men have treated Jehovah 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. 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, also.


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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. This is 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 Jehovah. Hammer them into thin metal sheets to cover the altar. This will be a sign to the Israelites.«


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The priest Eleazar took the copper incense burners that 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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He followed Jehovahs command given through Moses. The copper-covered altar will remind Israel that no one but a descendant of Aaron may come near to burn incense to Jehovah. Everyone else will die like Korah and his followers.


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The next day the whole congregation of Israel complained to Moses and Aaron. They said: »You have killed Jehovahs people.«


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The congregation 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 Jehovah 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 congregation to make peace with Jehovah for the people. Jehovah shows his anger! A plague has started.«


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Aaron took his incense burner, as Moses told him. He 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 Jehovah for the people.


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Fourteen thousand seven hundred died from the plague in addition to those who died because of Korah.


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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 twelve staffs from them. Get one from the leader of each of their tribes. Write each mans name on his staff.


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»Write Aarons 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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Thus Moses spoke to the Israelites. Their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Aarons staff was among them.


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The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aarons 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 Jehovahs presence and showed them to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »Put Aarons staff in front of the testimony. Keep it there as a sign to warn any other rebels. Then you will stop their complaints about me, and they will not die.«


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Jehovah 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 ancestors 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 are to fulfill their duties to you and their responsibilities for the tent. However they must not have any contact with sacred objects in the Holy Place or with the altar. If they do, both they and you will be put to death.


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»They are to work with you and fulfill their responsibilities for all the service in the tent. No unqualified person may work with you.


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»You and your sons alone must fulfill the responsibilities for the Holy Place and the altar. That way my anger will not again break out against the people of Israel.


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»I chose the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to Jehovah to do the necessary work 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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Jehovah said to Aaron: »I have placed you in charge of all the contributions given to me. I have given you and your descendants all the holy gifts from the Israelites as your share. These contributions will be yours from generation to generation.


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»That part of the most holy offerings that 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 give these to you, your sons, and your daughters. They will be yours from generation to generation. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat them.


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»I also give you the first of the produce they give Jehovah. It is 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 Jehovah are 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 Jehovah 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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»You must never buy back a firstborn bull, sheep, or goat. They are holy. Throw the blood from these animals against the altar. Burn the fat as an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah.


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»I have given you, your sons, and your daughters all the holy contributions which the Israelites offer to Jehovah. These contributions will be yours from generation to generation. It is an everlasting promise of salt in Jehovahs presence for you and your descendants.«


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Jehovah 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 have given the Levites one-tenth of every Israelites 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 will 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 are responsible for their own sins. This is a long lasting 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 Jehovah, 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 that I am giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Jehovah.


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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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»You will also contribute one-tenth of your income to Jehovah out of all that you receive from the Israelites income. You will give Jehovahs 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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»You and your households may eat it anywhere. This is because it is the wages you receive for your work at the tent of meeting.


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»When you contribute the best part, you will not suffer the consequences of any sin. You will not be dishonoring the holy offerings given by the Israelites, and you will not die.«


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»This is a requirement of the law Jehovah has 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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»Eleazar the priest 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 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 congregation of Israel and used in the water that takes away uncleanness. The cow is an offering for sin.


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»The one who collected the ashes must wash his clothes. He remains unclean until evening. This regulation is valid for all time to come, both for the Israelites and for the foreigners living among them.


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»They must purify themselves with the water for purification on the third day and on the seventh day. Then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on both the third and the seventh day, they will not be clean.


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»Those who touch a corpse and do not purify themselves remain unclean. This is because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile Jehovahs tent, and they will no longer be considered Gods people.


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»Here 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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»Do this 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. In the evening they will be clean.


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»If the person who becomes unclean does not have his sin taken away, that person must be excluded from the assembly. He has made the holy place of Jehovah unclean. The water to take away uncleanness was not sprinkled on him. He is unclean.


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»This will be a long lasting law for them. He who sprinkles the water to take away uncleanness must wash his clothes. He who touches this water will be unclean until evening.


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»Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean. The person who touches it will be unclean until evening.«


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In the first month the whole congregation 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. They said: »If only we had died when the other Israelites died in Jehovahs 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 will not grow here. And there is no water to drink!«


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Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting. They bowed with their faces touching the ground. The glory of Jehovah appeared to them.


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


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Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation 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! All the people and their animals drank.


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Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron: »You did not trust me! You did not show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I am giving them.«


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This was the oasis of Meribah <i>Complaining</i> , where the Israelites complained about Jehovah 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 have had.


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


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»We cried to Jehovah for help. He heard our cry and sent an angel, who led us out of Egypt. Now we are at Kadesh, a town at the border of your territory.


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»Please permit us to pass through your land. We, including our cattle, will not leave the road or go into your fields or vineyards. We will not drink from your wells. We will stay on the main <i>kings</i> road until we are out of your territory.«


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But the Edomites answered: »We refuse to let you pass through our country! If you try, we will march out and attack you.«


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The people of Israel said: »We will stay on the main road. If we, or our animals, drink any of your water we will pay for it. All we want is to pass through.«


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The Edomites repeated: »We refuse!« Then they marched out with a powerful army to attack the people of Israel.


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The Edomites would not let the Israelites pass through their territory. So the Israelites turned and went another way.


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»Aaron is not going to enter the land I promised to give to Israel. He is going to die, because the two of you rebelled against my command at Meribah.


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Moses removed Aarons priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. There on the top of the mountain Aaron died, and Moses and Eleazar came back down.


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The Canaanite king of Arad in the southern part of Canaan heard that the Israelites were coming by way of Atharim. So he attacked them and captured some of them.


text:
Then the Israelites made a vow to Jehovah: »If you will let us conquer these people, we will unconditionally dedicate them and their cities to you and will destroy them.«


text:
Jehovah heard them and helped them conquer the Canaanites. The Israelites completely destroyed them and their cities, and named the place Hormah.


text:
They moved from Mount Hor following the road that goes to the Red Sea. That way they could go around Edom. The people became impatient on the trip


text:
and criticized God and Moses. They said: »Why did you make us leave Egypt only to let us die in the desert? There is no bread or water, and we cannot stand this awful food!«


text:
Jehovah 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 Jehovah and you. Pray to Jehovah so that he will take the snakes away from us. So Moses prayed for the people.«


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Jehovah said to Moses: »Make a snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.«


text:
Moses made a copper snake and put it on a pole. People looked at the copper snake after they were bitten and lived.


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After leaving that place, they camped at the ruins of Abarim in the wilderness east of Moabite territory.


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They moved again and camped on the north side of the Arnon River, in the desert that extends into Amorite territory. The Arnon was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.


text:
That is why The Book of Jehovahs Battles speaks of the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the valleys; the Arnon River,


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From there they went on to a place called Wells, where Jehovah said to Moses: Bring the people together, and I will give them water.


text:
»The well dug by princes and by leaders of the people, dug with a royal scepter and with their walking sticks. They moved from the wilderness to Mattanah,


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and from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of the Moabites, below the top of Mount Pisgah, looking out over the desert.


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»Let us go through your country. We will not go through any of your fields or vineyards or drink any of the water from your wells. We will stay on the kings highway until we have passed through your territory.«


text:
Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his troops and came out into the desert to attack Israel. When Sihons troops came to Jahaz, they fought against Israel.


text:
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.


text:
The Israelites settled in the Amorite towns. They settled in the capital city of Heshbon with its surrounding villages.


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King Sihon ruled from Heshbon after defeating the Moabites and taking over their land north of the Arnon River gorge.


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That is why the Amorites had written this poem about Heshbon: »Come and rebuild Heshbon, King Sihons capital city!


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»His armies marched out like fiery flames, burning down the town of Ar and destroying the hills along the Arnon River.


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»You Moabites are done for! Your god Chemosh deserted your people. They were captured, taken away by King Sihon the Amorite.


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»We completely defeated Moab. The towns of Heshbon and Dibon, of Nophah and Medeba are ruined and gone.«


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Moses sent some men to explore the town of Jazer. Some time later, the Israelites captured the villages surrounding it and forced out the Amorites who lived there.


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They turned around and went by the way of Bashan. Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people for battle at Edrei.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »Do not fear him for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land. You will do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.«


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


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The Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho. They were 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. Also, the Moabites did not like 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 cattle eat 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. Balaks message was: »A nation has just come here from Egypt. They have spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me.


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»They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then maybe we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.«


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The elders of Moab and Midian left. They took money with them to pay for Balaams 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 will report to you what Jehovah tells me.« So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.


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»Some people came from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I will be able to fight them and force them out.«


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When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balaks princes: »Go back to your own country. Jehovah 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: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me.


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»I will make sure you are richly rewarded. I will do whatever you ask. Please, come and curse <i>execrate</i> these people for me.«


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Balaam answered Balaks servants: »Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not disobey the command of Jehovah my God no matter whether the request was important or not.


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»Now, please stay here tonight, as the others did, and I will find out what else Jehovah 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 angel of Jehovah stood in the road to stop him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants.


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The donkey saw the angel of Jehovah 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 stonewalls on both sides. Now the angel of Jehovah stood there.


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The donkey saw the angel and it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaams foot against it. Again Balaam beat the donkey.


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Once more the angel moved ahead. He stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side.


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This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down. Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick.


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Jehovah gave the donkey the power of speech. The donkey said to Balaam: »What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?«


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The donkey replied: »Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life? Have I ever treated you like this before?« »No,« he answered.


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Then Jehovah let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword. Balaam threw himself face down on the ground.


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The angel demanded: »Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this? I have come to bar your way, because you should not be making this journey.


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»But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it had not, I would have killed you and spared the donkey.«


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Balaam replied: »I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you think it is wrong for me to go on I will return home.«


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But the angel said: »Go on with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.« Thus Balaam went on with them.


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Balak heard that Balaam was coming. He went to meet him at Ar, a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab.


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Balak said to him: »Why did you not come when I sent for you the first time? Did you think I was not able to reward you enough?«


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Balaam answered: »I am here now. But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say.«


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Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.


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The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel.


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Then Balaam said to Balak: »Stand here by your burnt offering. I will go to see whether or not Jehovah will meet me. I will tell you what he reveals to me.« So he went alone to the top of a hill.


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God met him and Balaam said to God: »I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each.«


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


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


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»How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I condemn those whom Jehovah has not 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! These are 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 responded to Balaam: »What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you have done is bless them!«


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Balak said: »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. He built seven altars there. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar.


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So he returned and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering. He was with the leaders of Moab. Balak asked what Jehovah said.


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»God is a not man that he should lie. He is not a son of man who changes his mind. Does he ever promise and not fulfill? Does he ever speak and not act?


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»He has not observed wickedness in Jacob. Nor has he seen trouble in Israel! Jehovah his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them.


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»For there is omen <i>spell</i> against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel. At the proper time it will be said to Jacob and Israel: What God has done!


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»Behold, the nation of Israel! It is like a mighty lion: It will rise and not lie down again until it has torn and devoured its pray. It will drink the blood of those it has killed.«


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Balak said to Balaam: »You refuse to curse <i>malign</i> the people of Israel, but at least do not bless them!«


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Balak replied: »Come with me. I will take you to another place. Perhaps God will be willing to let you curse them for me from there.«


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Balaam knew that Jehovah wanted him to bless the people of Israel. So he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned toward the desert.


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He uttered this prophecy: The message of Balaam son of Beor. These are the words of the man who can see clearly.


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The oracle of him who hears the words of God and who sees the vision of the Almighty. Falling down, yet having his eyes open.


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»They are like valleys that stretch out, like gardens beside the river, like aloes planted by Jehovah, like cedars beside the waters.


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»Water will flow from his buckets and his seed will be by many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. And his kingdom shall be exalted.


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»God brings him out of Egypt. He is for him like the horns of the wild bull. He will devour the nations who are his adversaries. He will crush their bones in pieces and shatter them with his arrows.


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»He bows down and he lies down like a lion. Like a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you! Cursed is everyone who curses you!«


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Balaks anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and Balak said to Balaam: I called you to curse my enemies! But you have persisted in blessing them three times!


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Therefore, run away to your place now. I said: »I will honor you greatly, but Jehovah has held you back from honor.«


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»Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of Jehovah either good or bad, of my own accord. What Jehovah speaks, that I will speak!


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»Now I am going to my people. Come along and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.«


text:
He began his discourse by saying: »The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor. The oracle of the man, whose eye is opened,


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»The oracle of him who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and sees the vision of the Almighty. Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.


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»I see him, but not now! I behold him, but not near! A star shall come forth from Jacob. A scepter shall rise from Israel and shall crush through the forehead of Moab. It will tear down all the sons of Sheth.


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»Edom shall be a possession. Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession. This while Israel performs valiantly.


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He looked at Amalek and continued his discourse. He said: Amalek was the first of the nations but he will end in destruction.


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And he looked at the Kenite and continued his discourse. He said: »Your dwelling place is enduring and your nest is set in the cliff.


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»Ships will come from the coast of Kittim. They will afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber. They will also come to destruction.«


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The Moabites invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before Jehovah so that the fierce anger of Jehovah may turn away from Israel.«


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Moses said to the judges of Israel: »Each of you put to death those men who have joined in worshiping 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 entire congregation 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. He left the assembly and grabbed a spear in his hand.


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


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Jehovah said to Moses: »Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of the priest Aaron, turned my fury away from the Israelites. Since he stood up for me, I did not have to stand up for myself and destroy them.


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»My promise is that he and his descendants will be priests for a very long time because he stood up for his God. He made peace with Jehovah 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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»This is 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 entire congregation of Israel by households. List those who are at least twenty years old and eligible for military duty.«


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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 twenty years old, as Jehovah commanded Moses.« These are the Israelites who came from Egypt:


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Reuben was Israels firstborn. The descendants of Reuben were the family of Hanoch, the family of Pallu,


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These were the families of Reuben. The total number of men was forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.


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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 Aarons authority. They joined Korahs followers when they defied Jehovahs 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 two hundred and fifty 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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These were the families of Gads descendants. The total number of men was forty thousand five hundred.


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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 Ephraims descendants. The total number of men was thirty-two thousand five hundred. 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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These were the families descended from Benjamin. The total number of men was forty-five thousand six hundred.


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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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These were the families of Ashers descendants. The total number of men was fifty-three thousand four hundred.


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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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»The land must also 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 Amrams wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born in Egypt. She gave birth to Amrams 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 twenty-three thousand. 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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Not a single one of the Israelites Moses and the priest Aaron had counted in the Desert of Sinai were there.


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Jehovah said: »They must all die in the desert wilderness.« The only ones left were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.


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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.


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They came to Moses and stood in front of him, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the entire congregation 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 Korahs followers who joined forces against Jehovah. He died for his own sin and left no sons.


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»Why should our fathers name be allowed to die out in his family because he had no son? Give us property among our fathers relatives.«


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»Zelophehads daughters are right. You must give them property of their own among their fathers relatives. Turn their fathers property over to them.


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»If he has no uncles, give his property to the nearest relative in his family. That relative will take possession of it. This will be a rule for the Israelites, as Jehovah commanded Moses.«


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Jehovah 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 did not 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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and can command them in battle. Do not allow your congregation to be like sheep without a shepherd.«


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»Have him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire congregation, and there before them all proclaim him as your successor.


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»He will depend on Eleazar the priest, who will learn my will by using the Urim and Thummim. In this way Eleazar will direct Joshua and the whole congregation of Israel in all their affairs.«


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Moses did as Jehovah commanded him. He had Joshua stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation.


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Moses put his hands on Joshuas head and proclaimed him as his successor, just as Jehovah proclaimed.


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»Instruct the Israelites to present to God at the appointed time the required food offerings that are pleasing to him.


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»These are the food offerings that are to be presented to Jehovah: for the daily burnt offering, two one-year-old male lambs without any defects.


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»This is the daily offering that is completely burned. It was first offered at Mount Sinai as a food offering, an odor pleasing to Jehovah.


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»Offer the second lamb in the evening in the same way as the morning offering, together with its wine offering. It also is a food offering, an odor pleasing to Jehovah.


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»On the Sabbath day offer two one-year-old male lambs without any defects, four pounds of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, and the wine offering.


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»This burnt offering is to be offered every Sabbath in addition to the daily offering with its wine offering.


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»At the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to Jehovah: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect.


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»With each bull there will be a grain offering of twenty-four cups of flour mixed with olive oil, with each ram a grain offering of sixteen cups of flour mixed with olive oil.


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»With each one-year-old lamb a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah.


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»The wine offering that goes with each bull will be two quarts of wine, with each ram one and one half quarts of wine, and with each lamb one 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 Jehovah as an offering for sin.


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»The feast of unleavened bread in the fifteenth of this same month. For seven days you must eat only unleavened bread.


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»Instead, bring Jehovah 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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»In addition to them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring twenty-four cups for each bull, sixteen cups for each ram,


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»Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah.


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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 Jehovah. 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 Jehovah your new grain offering, the first produce harvested from your fields.


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»Offer a burnt offering as an odor pleasing to Jehovah: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.


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»Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: six pounds with each bull, four pounds with the ram,


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»Offer one male goat as a sin offering. In this way perform the ritual of purification for the people.


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»Gather for worship on the first day of the seventh month. Do not work. Trumpets will be blown on that day.


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»Present a burnt offering to Jehovah. It is an odor pleasing to him: one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.


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»Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: six pounds of flour with the bull, four pounds with the ram,


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»Also offer one male goat as a sin offering. In this way perform the ritual of purification for the people.


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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. It is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah.


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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.


text:
»Bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring twenty-four cups for each bull, sixteen cups for each ram,


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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 Jehovah and the daily burnt offerings with their grain offerings and wine offerings.


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»Call a holy assembly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. You must not do any regular work. Instead, celebrate a festival to Jehovah for seven days.


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»As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah, bring thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen 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 twenty-four cups for each of the thirteen bulls, sixteen cups for each of the two rams,


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


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»On the second day offer twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects.


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»Offer grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance;


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and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.


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and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance;


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and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and its drink offering.


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grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams and for the lambs, by their number according to the ordinance;


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and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.


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


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»On the seventh day bring seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old lambs that have no defects.


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»As a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah, 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.


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»These are the offerings you must bring to Jehovah at your festivals. They are the offerings you must bring in addition to the offerings for anything you vowed to give to Jehovah, 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 Jehovah that he will do something or swears an oath that he will not 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 fathers house, might make a vow to Jehovah that she will do something or swear an oath that she will not do something.


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»She must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her father raises an objection when he hears about it.


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»If her father forbids her to fulfill the vow when he hears about it, she is not required to keep it. Jehovah will forgive her, because her father refused to let her keep it.


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»If an unmarried woman makes a vow, whether deliberately or carelessly, or promises to abstain from something, and then marries,


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she must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her husband raises an objection when he hears about it.


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»If her husband forbids her to fulfill the vow when he hears about it, she is not required to keep it. Jehovah will forgive her.


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»A widow or a divorced woman must keep every vow she makes and every promise to abstain from 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. Jehovah 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 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 Jehovah 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: »Your men must get ready to go to war against the Midianites. Jehovah will use them to get even with Midian.


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Thus one thousand men from each tribe were supplied from the divisions of Israel, twelve thousand men ready for war.


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Moses sent them off to war. There were one thousand 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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Included in 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 congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab near the Jordan River across from Jericho.


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Moses, the priest Eleazar, and all the leaders of the congregation went outside the camp to meet them.


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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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»Look, these women caused the Israelites, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor. Thus the congregation of Jehovah experienced the plague.


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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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Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle: »This is what Jehovahs Law told Moses to do:


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everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it will be clean. It must be purified with water for impurity. Anything that cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.


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»You and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the families of the congregation take a count of the booty that was captured, both of man and of animal.


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»Levy a tax for Jehovah from the men of war who went out to battle, one in five hundred of the persons and of the cattle and of the donkeys and of the sheep.


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»From the sons of Israels half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys and of the sheep, from all the animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah.«


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The booty that remained from the spoil the men of war had plundered was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,


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and of human beings, of the women who had not known man intimately, all the persons were thirty-two thousand.


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The half, the portion of those who went out to war, was as follows: the number of sheep was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred.


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Moses gave the levy that was Jehovahs offering to Eleazar the priest, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.


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Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animals from the Israelites half. He gave them to the Levites, who kept charge of the tabernacle of Jehovah, just as Jehovah commanded Moses.


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Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses.


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They said to Moses: »Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.


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»So we brought as an offering to Jehovah what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and ankle bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before Jehovah.«


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All the gold of the offering they gave to Jehovah, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels.


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So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it to the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before Jehovah.


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The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was indeed a place suitable for livestock.


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the land Jehovah won for the congregation 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. They saw the land. But then they discouraged the rest of the Israelites from entering the land Jehovah had given them.


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»None of the people twenty 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 did not 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 Jehovah.


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»Jehovahs anger blazed against the Israelites. Therefore he made them wander in the desert for forty years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in Jehovahs presence was gone.


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»You are just like your parents! You are a bunch of sinners trying to make Jehovah angry at 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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The tribes of Gad and Reuben came 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 will 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. They will be safe from the other people who live here.


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»We will not 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: »If you really mean what you say, then here in the presence of Jehovah get ready to go into battle.


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»All your fighting men are to cross the Jordan and under Jehovahs command they are to attack our enemies until Jehovah defeats them


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and takes possession of the land. You may return after that, because you will have fulfilled your obligation to Jehovah and to the other Israelites. Then Jehovah will acknowledge that this land east of the Jordan is yours.


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»If you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against Jehovah. Do not doubt this, you will be punished for your sin.


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»Make sure the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land.


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»But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes.«


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The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied: »We are your servants and will do whatever Jehovah has commanded.


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»We will enter Canaan as armed troops in Jehovahs presence. 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. It was 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. They 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.


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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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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 buried all their firstborn sons, whom Jehovah 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. They 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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From there they went to Elim, where they camped. There were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees there.


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Jehovah commanded Aaron the priest to go up on Mount Hor. He died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites left Egypt.


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The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev 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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»If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those that are left will be as troublesome as splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will fight against you.


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the following instructions for the people of Israel: »When you enter Canaan, the land I am giving you, these are the borders of your territory.


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»The southern border will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. It will begin on the east at the southern end of the Dead Sea.


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»It will turn southward toward Akrabbim Pass and continue on through Zin as far south as Kadesh Barnea. It will turn northwest to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon,


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»It will then go south to Harbel, east of Ain, and on to the hills on the eastern shore of Lake Galilee,


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Moses said to the Israelites: »This is the land you will receive by drawing lots. This is the land that Jehovah has assigned to the nine and one-half tribes.


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»The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the eastern half of Manasseh have received their property, divided according to their families,


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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 Josephs 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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»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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»The land around the cities that you give the Levites will extend fifteen hundred feet from the city wall.


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»Outside the city measure off three thousand feet on the east side, three thousand feet on the south side, three thousand feet on the west side, and three thousand 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 forty-two 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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»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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»And 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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»Should you accidentally kill someone who was not your enemy. Maybe you shoved him or threw something at him but did not mean to kill him.


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»Or if you drop a big stone, and someone is killed. However, you did not know the person was there, he was not your enemy, and you were not 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 persons 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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»Those accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses. The evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder.


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»If they have fled to a city of refuge, do not allow them to make a payment in order to return home before the death of the High Priest.


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»If you did this, you would defile the land where you are living. Murder defiles the land, and except by the death of the murderer there is no way to perform the ritual of purification for the land where someone has been murdered.


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The heads of the families in the clan of Gilead the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh son of Joseph, went to Moses and the other leaders.


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They said: »Jehovah commanded you to distribute the land to the people of Israel by drawing lots. He also commanded you to give the property of our relative Zelophehad to his daughters.


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»Remember, if they marry men of another tribe, their property will then belong to that tribe, and the total allotted to us will be reduced.


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»During the Year of Restoration, when all property that has been sold is restored to its original owners, the property of Zelophehads daughters will be permanently added to the tribe into which they marry and will be lost to our tribe.«


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So Moses gave the people of Israel the following command from Jehovah. He said: »What the tribe of Manasseh says is right,


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and so Jehovah says that the daughters of Zelophehad are free to marry anyone they wish but only within their own tribe.


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»Every woman who inherits property in an Israelite tribe must marry a man belonging to that tribe. In this way all Israelites will inherit the property of their ancestors,


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and the property will not pass from one tribe to another. Each tribe will continue to possess its own property.«


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Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins on their fathers 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 fathers family.


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


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These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel. He was on this side of the Jordan in the desert wilderness, in the plain near the Red Sea <i>Suph</i> , between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.


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It was the fortieth year, eleventh month, on the first day of the month. Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all the commandments Jehovah gave him for them.


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After he killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who lived at Astaroth in Edrei:


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»Leave this place and go to the mountain of the Amorites, and all the places near there in the plain, in the hills, and in the valley and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and to Lebanon, to the great river, the river Euphrates.


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»I have given you this land. Go in and possess the land Jehovah pledged to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants <i>offspring</i> after them.


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»Jehovah your God has increased your numbers. Today you are more numerous than the stars of heaven.


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»Jehovah the God of your fathers will make you a thousand times as many as you are, and bless you, as he promised you!


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»Take wise men with understanding, who are known among your tribes. I will make them rulers over you.


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»So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them rulers over you. I made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.


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»I charged your judges to hear the cases between your countrymen and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger with him.


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»You will not show partiality in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great. You will not fear man for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.


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»When we left Horeb, we went through that entire great and terrible wilderness. You saw it by way of the mountain of the Amorites, as Jehovah our God commanded us. We went to Kadesh-barnea.


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»I said to you: You have arrived at the mountain of the Amorites. Jehovah gives this mountain to us.


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»See, Jehovah your God give you this land. Possess it, for Jehovah the God of your fathers said to you: Do not fear. Do not be discouraged.


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»Every one of you came near to me and said: We will send men before us. They will search the land. They will bring us word about the way we must go and what cities are there.


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They picked the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us. They brought us word again. They said: It is a good land that Jehovah our God gives us.


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»You complained in your tents, and said: Jehovah hates us so he brought us out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.


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»Where can we go up? Our brothers caused us to lose heart. They said: The people are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are large and the walls go up to the sky. Moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.« 


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»Jehovah your God leads you. He will fight for you just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes!


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»You saw how Jehovah your God carried you like a father carries his son all the way until you reached this place.


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»He went ahead of you to find places for you to camp. He offered fire by night and cloud by day to show you the way you should go.


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»Except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it. I will give him and his descendants the land he walks on. This is because he followed Jehovah wholeheartedly.


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»Your assistant Joshua son of Nun will go there. He will lead the people into the land. Encourage him to go there.


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»The little ones that you said would be taken captive will enter the land. Your children who do not know good from bad will go in. I will give it to them and they will possess it.


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»You answered: We have sinned against Jehovah. We will fight just as Jehovah our God commanded us. When every man puts on his armor and weapons of war they will be ready to go to the mountain.


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»But Jehovah said to me: Tell them, do not go and fight! I am not with you. Your enemies will defeat you.« 


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I told you, but you would not listen. You disobeyed Jehovahs command and proudly invaded the mountainous region.


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


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You returned and cried to Jehovah. Jehovah, however, did not listen to you. He turned a deaf ear to you!


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»We went back into the desert. We followed the road that leads to the Red Sea as Jehovah told me. For a long time we traveled around the region of Mount Seir.


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»Give these instructions to the people: »You will pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau. They live in Seir. They will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.


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»Do not start a fight with them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not so much as one foot. I gave Esau's descendants the region of Mount Seir as their property.


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»Remember how Jehovah your God blessed you in everything you have done. He took care of you as you wandered through this vast desert. He has been with you these forty years. You had everything you needed.« 


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We moved on and left the road that goes from the towns of Elath and Eziongeber to the Dead Sea. »We turned northeast toward Moab.«


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»Then Jehovah said to me: Do not trouble the people of Moab, the descendants of Lot. And do not start a war with them. I gave them the city of Ar, and I am not going to give you any of their land.


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The Emits used to live there. They are a mighty race of giants who lived in Ar. They were as tall as the Anakim, another race of giants.


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Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau chased them out. They destroyed their nation and settled there themselves. This is similar to the Israelites who later chased their enemies out of the land that Jehovah gave them.


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This was thirty-eight years after we left Kadesh-Barnea. By that time all the men who had been in the army at Kadesh-Barnea had died, just as Jehovah said they would.


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»When you come near the Ammonites, do not bother them or start a fight with them. I am not giving you any of the land that I already gave to the descendants of Lot as their property.


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»This territory is also known as the land of the Rephaim. That is the name of the giants who formerly lived there. The Ammonites called them Zamzummim.


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»They were as tall as the Anakim. There were many of them. They were a mighty race. But Jehovah destroyed them. Then the Ammonites took over their land and settled there.


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»Jehovah did the same thing for the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in the mountains of Edom. He destroyed the Horites. That allowed the Edomites to take over their land and settled there, where they still live.


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»The Avims lived in Hazerim, even as far as Azzah. The Caphtorims came from Caphtor to destroy them and live there in their place.


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Moses continued: »Cross over the Arnon River. I will help you defeat Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and his country. Possess his land and engage him in battle.


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»From this day forward I will make all the people and nations through out the earth afraid of you. They will hear reports about you and tremble and be in anguish because of you.


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»I sent messengers from the desert of Kedemoth 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 will go straight through and will not 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 will keep going until we cross the Jordan River into the land Jehovah our God is giving us.


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King Sihon of Heshbon would not allow us to pass through. Jehovah your God made him stubborn and overconfident in order to hand him over to you, as he has now done.


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»Then Jehovah said to me: I make King Sihon and his land helpless before you. Capture his land and occupy it.


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Jehovah helped us capture every town from the Arnon River Gorge north to the boundary of Gilead. This included the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge and the town in the middle of the gorge.


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However, we did not go near the Ammonite towns, both in the mountains and near the Jabbok River, just as Jehovah commanded.


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»Next we headed for the land of Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his army came to fight us at Edrei.


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»Jehovah said to me: Do not be afraid of him. I will hand him, all his army, 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 Jehovah our God also handed King Og of Bashan and all his army over to us. We defeated him and left no survivors.


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»We captured all his cities. Not one was missed. We captured a total of sixty cities in the 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 destroyed all the towns and put to death all the men, women, and children. This was just as we did in the towns that belonged to King Sihon of Heshbon.


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»Sihon and Og ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River Gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north. We captured it all.


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»All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, and Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan were captured.


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


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»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 assigned the rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, where Og had ruled, that is, the entire Argob region to half the tribe of Manasseh. Bashan was known as the land of the Rephaim.


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Jair, from the tribe of Manasseh, took the entire region of Argob, that is, Bashan, as far as the border of Geshur and Maacah. He named the villages after himself, and they are still known as the villages of Jair.


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»I assigned the territory from Gilead to the Arnon River to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The middle of the river was their southern boundary, and their northern boundary was the Jabbok River, part of which formed the Ammonite border.


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»On the west their territory extended to the Jordan River, from Lake Galilee in the north down to the Dead Sea in the south and to the foot of <i>Mount</i> Pisgah on the east.


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»Then I gave them the following instructions: Jehovah our God gave you the land east of the Jordan to occupy. Now arm your fighting men and send them across the Jordan ahead of the other tribes of Israel, to help them occupy their land.


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»Your wives, children, and livestock, for you have a lot of livestock, will remain behind in the towns I assigned to you.


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»Help the other Israelites until they occupy the land Jehovah is giving them west of the Jordan and until Jehovah lets them live there in peace, just as he has done here for you. After that, you may return to the land I assigned to you.


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»I also gave Joshua this command: You have seen with your own eyes everything Jehovah your God has done to these two kings. Jehovah will do the same to all of the kingdoms on the other side of the Jordan River where you are going.


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»O Sovereign Lord Jehovah, you have begun to show me how great and powerful you are. What kind of god is there in heaven or on earth that 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. Let me see those beautiful mountains in Lebanon.


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»Jehovah was angry with me because of you, so he would not listen to me. He said: Enough of that! Do not talk to me anymore about this.


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»Go to the top of <i>Mount</i> 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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»Joshua will lead Israel across the Jordan to take the land. So help him. Encourage him and strengthen him. Tell him what he must do.


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»Israel, listen to these laws and teachings! If you obey them you will live! Go in and take the land that Jehovah the God of your fathers is giving you.


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»He is your God. I am telling you everything he has commanded. So do not add anything or take anything away.


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»I have taught you laws and rules as Jehovah my God commanded me. You must obey them when you enter the land and take possession of it.


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»Carefully obey the laws. For this will show your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations. They will hear all these statutes and say: Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.


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»What great nation is there, who has God so near to them? For we call on Jehovah our God for all things!


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»And what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments so righteous as the law I present to you this day?


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»Be on your guard! Make sure you do not forget, as long as you live, what you have seen with your own eyes. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.


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»Do you remember the day you stood in the presence of Jehovah your God at Mount Sinai <i>Horeb</i> ? He said to me: assemble the people. I want them to hear what I have to say, so that they will learn to obey me as long as they live. Then they will teach their children to do the same.


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»Tell your children how you went close and stood at the foot of the mountain covered with thick clouds of dark smoke and fire blazing up to the sky.


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»Tell them how Jehovah spoke to you from the fire. Tell them that you heard him speak but did not see him in any form at all.


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»He told you what you must do to keep the covenant he made with you. You must obey the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two stone tablets.


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»Jehovah told me to teach you all the laws that you are to obey in the land that you are about to invade and occupy.


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»Do not commit the sin of worshiping idols. Do not make idols to be worshiped, whether they are shaped like men, women,


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»Do not be tempted to bow down and worship the sun or moon or stars <i>the host or army of the heavens</i> . Jehovah put them there a heritage for all the people under the heavens.


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»Furthermore, Jehovah was angry with me because of you. So Jehovah your God took an oath that I would not cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property <i>inheritance possession</i> .


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»I am going to die in this land. I will not cross the Jordan River. But you are going to go across and take possession of that good land.


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»Take care of yourselves. Do not forget the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he made with you. Do not make a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which Jehovah your God has forbidden.


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»For Jehovah your God is a consuming fire, even a totally demanding zealous God. <i>He requires exclusive devotion!</i>


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»When you have children, and grandchildren, and you have remained in the land a long time do not corrupt yourselves. If you make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah your God, you will provoke him to anger:


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»I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you will soon utterly perish from off the land you possess the other side of the Jordan. You will not prolong your days upon it, but will be destroyed.


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»Jehovah will scatter you among the nations. You will become few in number among the heathen, where Jehovah will lead you.


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»You will serve gods that are the work of men's hands. Made of wood and stone. They cannot see, hear, eat or smell.


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»From there you will seek Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your being. And you will find him!


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»When you are in trouble <i>distress</i> and all these things happen to you in the latter days, turn to Jehovah your God and obey his voice.


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»Jehovah your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you. He will not destroy you, nor forget the covenant he made with your fathers.


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»Ask about the days from the past. A time that came before you, since the day that God created man upon the earth. And ask from one side of heaven to the other whether there has ever been anything like this great thing, or anything like it has been heard?


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»Did people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as you have heard, and live?


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»Has God attempted to take a nation from the middle of another nation? Has he done this by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by great terrors? Yes, and by the use of his great power! Jehovah your God did all this for you in Egypt before your very eyes!


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»He made you hear his voice out of heaven. That way he could instruct <i>teach correct discipline</i> you. He showed you his great fire on the earth. You heard his words from the middle of the fire.


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»He loved your fathers. Therefore he chose their descendants. In fact he watched over you and he brought you out of Egypt with his mighty power.


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»He drove out nations far greater than you so that he could bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance as it is today.


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»Know this and consider it in your heart today: JEHOVAH IS GOD in heaven above, and on the earth beneath: THERE IS NO ONE ELSE!


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»You must keep the regulations and commandments I commanded you today. Then all will go well with you and with your children after you. You may prolong your days on the earth that Jehovah your God gives you for all time.«


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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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After they came out of Egypt they were in the valley east of the Jordan River he gave them the laws.


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They were near the town of Bethpeor. This was in the territory that had belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites, who had ruled in the town of Heshbon. Moses and the people of Israel defeated him when they came out of Egypt.


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They occupied his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the other Amorite king who lived east of the Jordan.


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This land extended from the town of Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon River, north to Mount Sirion, that is, Mount Hermon.


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It included the region east of the Jordan River as far south as the Dead Sea and east to the foot of Mount Pisgah.


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Moses called all the people of Israel, and said: »Hear, O Israel, the regulations and laws I declare to you today. Learn them and obey them!


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»I stood between Jehovah and you at that time, to declare to you the word of Jehovah. You were afraid because of the fire. So you would not go up onto the mountain. He said:


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»Do not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:


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»Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them! For I Jehovah your God am a totally demanding zealous God. I require exclusive devotion and punish the fathers and children who hate me to the third and fourth generation.


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»Do not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain. Jehovah will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain.


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»The seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God: in it you should not do any work. Your son and daughter should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should not work. Your ox, donkey, cattle or any stranger living with you should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should rest as much as you do.


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»Remember that you were servants in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah your God brought you out through a mighty act. Jehovah your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.


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»Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God commands you and your days will be prolonged and things will go well with you, in the land Jehovah gives you.


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»Do not desire another man's wife; do not covet another man's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his donkey, or any thing that belongs to him.


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»Jehovah spoke to us when we gathered on the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the dark fiery cloud. Jehovah gave us these words, and only these. Then he wrote them on two flat tablets of stone and gave them to me.


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»Fire blazed from the mountain, and you heard the voice coming from the darkness. Then your elders came to me.


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»They said: Today Jehovah our God has shown us how powerful and glorious he is. He spoke to us from the fire. We learned that people could live, even though God speaks to them.


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»We do not want to take a chance on being killed by that terrible fire. If we hear Jehovahs voice again we will die.


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»Has any other human ever heard the only true God speaking from fire, as we have? And if they have, would they live to tell about it?


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»They spoke to Moses: Moses, go and listen to everything that Jehovah our God says. Then tell us whatever Jehovah our God tells you. We will listen and obey.


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»Jehovah heard the words you spoke to me. He told me: I have heard what the people said to you. Everything they said was good.


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If only they had such a heart in them that they would respect <i>reverence</i> me and obey all my commandments for as long as they live! Then things would go well for them and their children from generation to generation.


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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 I will give them to possess.


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Follow all the directions Jehovah your God has given you. Then you will continue to live. Life will go well for you! You will live for a long time in the land that you are going to possess.


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»These are the commands, decrees and laws Jehovah 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 son, and your grandson must respect Jehovah your God. All of you must obey his laws and commandments I give you. Then you will live a long time.


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»Listen, O Israel, and be careful to obey these laws. Things will go well for you and your population will increase in a land flowing with milk and honey. This is what Jehovah the God of your ancestors promised you.


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»You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with your entire mind and with all your strength.


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»Carefully teach them to your sons. Talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way. Speak about them when you lie down, and when you rise up.


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»It shall be like the time when Jehovah your God brought you into the land he promised to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He would give you large and beautiful cities that you did not build.


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»The houses will be full of good things that you did not put in them. There will be wells that you did not dig. There will be vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. Jehovah will bring you into this land and you will have all you want to eat.


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»Jehovah your God is a totally demanding zealous God. He tolerates no rivals! The anger of Jehovah your God will burn against you. He will then destroy you from the face of the earth.


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»Do what is right and good in Jehovahs sight. Then you will be able to go in and possess this good land from your enemies, just as he promised your ancestors.


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»In the future your son will ask you: What is the meaning of these laws and regulations that Jehovah our God has commanded you?


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»You will answer your son: We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.


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»Jehovah showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and terrible signs, against Egypt, Pharaoh and his entire household.


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»Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes. He required that we respect Jehovah our God. This was for our own good that he might preserve us alive, as things are today.


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»If we are careful to do these commandments before Jehovah our God, just as he ordered us, it will mean righteousness for us.«


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»Jehovah your God will bring you into the land you are to possess. He will clear away many nations ahead of you. The nations he will clear: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. These seven nations are larger and mightier than you.


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»Jehovah your God will deliver them to you. You must crush them! Completely destroy them. You should make no covenant with them. Do not show them mercy.


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»Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.


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»They will lead your young people away from me to serve other gods. So the anger of Jehovah will be kindled against you and will destroy you suddenly.


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»Deal with them in this way: Destroy their altars and break down their sacred pillars. Cut down their idols and burn them with fire.


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»You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be his own special people out of all the nations of the earth.


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»Jehovah set his heart on you. He chose you, even though you did not outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations.


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


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»Keep in mind that Jehovah your God is the only true God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commandments.


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»If you listen to these rules and faithfully obey them, Jehovah your God will keep his covenant with you and be merciful to you, as he swore to your fathers.


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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 Jehovah will give you, as he swore to your fathers.


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»God will bless you more than any other people. There will not be a male or a female barren among you or your livestock.


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»Jehovah will take away every sickness from you. He will not afflict you with any of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you have known. He will put them on all who hate you.


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»Destroy all the peoples whom Jehovah your God gives you. Do not look at them with pity. Do not serve their gods. For that would be a snare to you.


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»You may say in your heart: These nations are stronger then we are, how can we throw them out of their land?


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»You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things Jehovah did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. He will do the same thing to all the people who frighten you.


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»Jehovah your God will send the hornet against them. Those who are left will hide from you and perish.


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»Jehovah your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to put an end to them quickly. This is because the wild beasts are too numerous <i>and will multiply</i> around you.


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»Jehovah your God will deliver them over to you. He will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.


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»He will deliver their kings into your hand. You will make their name perish from under heaven. They will not be able to stand before you for you will destroy them.


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»Burn the carved images of their gods with fire. Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them. Do not take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it. It is an abomination to Jehovah your God.


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»Do not bring an abomination into your house. You must utterly detest it and you must utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.«


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»Be careful to do all the commandments I commanded you today! You will then live and multiply and go in and possess the land Jehovah promised to give to your forefathers.


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»Remember the forty years Jehovah your God led you in the wilderness. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know what was in your heart. Whether you would obey his commandments.


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»He humbled you <i>allowed you to suffer</i> with hunger and then fed you with manna. Neither you nor your fathers had seen this before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but must live on all <i>everything every word</i> that proceeds from the mouth of Jehovah.


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Learn this lesson by heart: Jehovah your God disciplined you like parents discipline their children.


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»Jehovah your God will lead you into a good land. It is a land with rivers that do not dry up. Springs and underground streams flow through the valleys and the 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. You will be able to mine copper ore in the mountains.


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»Be careful that you do not forget Jehovah your God. Always obey his judgments and Laws that I give you today.


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»When this happens, be careful that you do not become arrogant and forget Jehovah your God. He brought you out of slavery in Egypt.


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»He was the one who led you through that vast and dangerous wilderness. It was a parched, 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 fed you in the desert with manna. Your fathers had never seen this. 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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»Remember that Jehovah your God gives you the strength to make a living. That is how he keeps the promise he made to your fathers.


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»Jehovah will destroy you, just as he destroyed the nations you fought. This is because you will not listen to him.


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»Hear, O Israel, you are about to cross the Jordan River. You will force out nations that are larger and mightier than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls.


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»Their people are tall and strong. They are descendants of Anakim. You know all about them. You also heard it said: Who can oppose the descendants of Anak?


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»Understand today that Jehovah your God is the one who is going ahead of you like a consuming <i>raging devouring</i> fire. He will wipe them out. Then he will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as Jehovah promised you.


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»When Jehovah your God expels these people right before your very eyes, do not say to yourselves: Jehovah brought us here to possess this land because we live right <i>are righteous</i> . This is not the case. It is because these nations are so wicked that Jehovah is forcing them out of your way.


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»It is not because you have been living right or because you are so honest that you enter to take possession of their land. It is because these people are so wicked that Jehovah your God is forcing them out of your way. It is also because Jehovah wants to confirm the promise he swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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»Understand this! It is not because you have been living right that Jehovah your God is giving you this good land to possess. You are a rebellious and impossible <i>stiff-necked stubborn</i> people!


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»Never forget how you made Jehovah your God angry in the desert. You rebelled against Jehovah 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 Jehovah made to you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights without food or water.


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»Then Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by Gods finger <i>Holy Spirit</i> . On them were written all the words Jehovah spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.


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»At the end of forty days and nights Jehovah gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.


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»Jehovah said to me: Go down from here quickly, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them. They have made a cast-idol for themselves.


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»Leave me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.


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»So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire. I carried the two stone tablets of the covenant in my two hands.


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»I saw that you had indeed sinned against Jehovah your God. You made yourselves an idol, cast in the shape of a calf. You turned aside quickly from the way Jehovah had commanded you.


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»I fell down before Jehovah. Like the first, forty days and nights I did not eat or drink. This was because of all your sin you committed in doing what was evil in the sight of Jehovah to provoke Him to anger.


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»I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure from Jehovah. For he was wrathful against you to the point of destroying you! But Jehovah listened to me that time also.


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»I took your sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it. I ground it very small until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that flowed down the mountain.


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»Jehovah sent you from Kadesh-barnea. He said: Go up and possess the land I have given you. Then you rebelled against the command of Jehovah your God. You did not believe him. You did not listen to his voice!


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»So I fell down prostrate before Jehovah the forty days and forty nights. I did this because Jehovah said he would destroy you.


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»I prayed to Jehovah and said: O Jehovah our God, do not destroy your people for they are your inheritance. You have redeemed them through your greatness. You brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.


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»»Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin.


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»»The land from which you brought us may say: »Jehovah was not able to bring them into the land he promised them and because he hated them he has brought them out to slay them in the desert wilderness.«


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»Even now they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and outstretched arm.«


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»Jehovah said to me: Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones. Come up to me on the mountain, and build an ark of wood for yourself.


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»I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you shattered. You must place them in the Ark.


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»I made an Ark out of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then I took the two tablets in my hands and went up on the mountain.


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»He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing. It was the Ten Commandments <i>Ten Words</i> that Jehovah proclaimed to you on the mountain. It was from the middle of the fire on the day of the assembly. Jehovah gave them to me.


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»Then I came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the Ark I had made. They are there just as Jehovah commanded me.


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The sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died. He was buried there. Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place.


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Jehovah then set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the covenant of Jehovah. They were to stand before Jehovah to serve and pronounce blessings in his name until this day.


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Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers. Jehovah is his inheritance; just as Jehovah your God spoke to him.


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»I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights like the first time. Jehovah listened to me this time also. Jehovah was not willing to destroy you.


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»Jehovah said to me: Arise and proceed on your journey ahead of the people. That way they may go in and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.


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»Now, O Israel, what does Jehovah your God require from you? You are to respect Jehovah your God. Walk in all his ways and love him! Serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your being.


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»Behold, heaven and the highest heavens belong to Jehovah your God, even the earth and all that is in it.


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»Yet Jehovah set his affection on your fathers. He loved them. He chose you their descendants above all peoples, as it is this day.


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»Circumcise your heart, and do not stiffen your neck. <i>Circumcise: Cut short the foreskin. Remove hardness of the heart.</i>


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»Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords! He is the great, the powerful, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.


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»He executes justice for the orphan and the widow. He shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.


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»He is your praise! He is your God! He performed for you those great and awesome things you saw with your own eyes.


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»Your fathers traveled to Egypt, seventy persons in all. Now Jehovah your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the universe <i>physical heavens</i> .


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»Know today that I do not speak with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of Jehovah your God. They have not seen his greatness and his awesome power.


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»They have not seen his signs and the work he did in the middle of Egypt to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and to all his land.


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»And what He did to Egypt's army, to its horses and its chariots, when He made the water of the Red Sea engulf them while they pursued. Jehovah completely destroyed them!


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»And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them in all Israel.


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»Obey every commandment I command you today. Then you may be strong and go in and possess the land you will cross over to possess.


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»Then you may prolong your days on the land Jehovah swore to give to your fathers and their descendants. It is a land flowing with milk and honey.


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»The land you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you came. You used to sow your seed and irrigate it with your foot as in a vegetable garden.


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»But the land you go to possess is a land of hills and valleys. It drinks water from the rain from the clouds in the sky.


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»If you faithfully obey my commandments that I give you today, love Jehovah your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your being,


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


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»Guard yourselves! Your heart could be deceived. You could turn away and serve other gods and worship them.


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»Jehovah will become angry with you. He will shut the sky and there will be no rain. Then the ground will not grow any crops. You will quickly disappear from this good land Jehovah 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 to remind you.


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»Teach them to your children! Talk about them in your home and away. Speak of them when you lie down or get up.


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»You and your descendants will live a long time in the land that Jehovah promised your ancestors. Your families will live there as long as the sky is above the earth.


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»Then Jehovah will drive out all these nations from before you. You will drive out nations greater and mightier than you.


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»Every place on which the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea.


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»No man will be able to stand before you. Jehovah your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land where you set foot. This is as he promised you.


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»Receive the blessing when you listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you today.


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»Receive the curse when you do not listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God, but turn aside from the way that I command you today, by following other gods you have not known.


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»When Jehovah your God brings you into the land you are about to possess, you will offer blessings on Mount Gerizim and cursing on Mount Ebal.


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»Are they not across the Jordan toward the setting sun? Are they in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks <i>big trees</i> of Moreh?


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»You are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land Jehovah your God is giving you. You must possess it and live in it,


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»These are the statutes and the judgments you should carefully observe in the land Jehovah, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.


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»Destroy all the places where the nations you dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.


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»Tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles with fire. Cut down the carved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.


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»You should seek Jehovah at the place Jehovah your God chooses out of all your tribes. This is where he will dwell and establish his name. This is where you should go.


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»There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.


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»You and your households should eat there before Jehovah your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings that Jehovah your God has blessed.


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»For you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that Jehovah your God is giving you.


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»When you cross the Jordan and live in the land Jehovah your God gives you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security.


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»It will happen in the place Jehovah choose for his name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you. Bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings that you will vow to Jehovah.


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»Rejoice <i>be filled with joy</i> before Jehovah your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.


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but in the place Jehovah chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that 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 Jehovah 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 Jehovahs 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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»You and your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of Jehovah your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of Jehovah your God enjoy everything for which you have worked.


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»Jehovah your God will expand your country's borders as he promised. You will say: I am hungry for meat. Then eat as much meat as you want.


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


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»If you do not eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what Jehovah considers right.


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


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


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»If you obey these laws, you will be doing what Jehovah your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants succeed.


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»Be careful that you are not ensnared to follow them, for they will be destroyed. Do not inquire after their gods, saying: How do these nations serve their gods that I also may do likewise?


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»Do not behave this way toward Jehovah your God, for every abominable act Jehovah hates they have done for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.


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»If a prophet or an interpreter of dreams appears among you and gives you a sign or a wonder <i>portent omen forecast of the future</i> ,


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in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshiped before, and even if what they promise comes true,


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do not listen to them. Jehovah your God is allowing them to test you. He will then know that you love Jehovah with all your heart.


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»Follow Jehovah and respect him. Obey him and keep his commandments. Worship him and be faithful to him <i>stick to him stay close to him cleave, cling to him</i> .


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»Put to death any interpreters of dreams or prophets that tell you to rebel against Jehovah. For he <i>Jehovah</i> rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Such people are evil and are trying to lead you away from the life that Jehovah has commanded you to live. They must be put to death, in order to get rid of this evil.


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»If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your very best friend tries to secretly entice you, saying: Let us go and serve other gods, gods neither you nor your fathers have known,


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»Do not yield to him or listen to him. Your eye should not have pity on him. You should not spare or conceal him.


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»You must kill him! Your hand should be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.


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»Stone him to death because he has sought to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.


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some worthless men have gone out from among you and have mislead the inhabitants of their city, saying: Let us go and serve other gods you have not known.


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»Investigate and search out and inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the matter established that this abomination has been done among you,


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strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it and all that is in it and its cattle with the edge of the sword.


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»Gather all its treasure into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its treasure with fire as a whole burnt offering to Jehovah your God. It shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.


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»Do not take anything that is put under ban. If you comply <i>obey</i> , Jehovah may turn from his burning anger and show mercy to you. He may have compassion on you and make you increase, just as he swore to your fathers.


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»Listen to the voice of Jehovah your God. Obey all his commandments that I am commanding you today. Do what is right in the sight of Jehovah your God.


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»You are the sons of Jehovah your God. Do not cut yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead.


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»You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Out of all the people on the face of the earth Jehovah has chosen you to be a people for His own possession.


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the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope <i>chamois</i> and the mountain sheep.


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»Do not eat of these that chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan. Even though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof. They are unclean for you.


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»The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. Do not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses.


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»Do not eat anything that dies by itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it. You may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.


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»You shall eat in the presence of Jehovah your God, at the place where He chooses to establish his name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to respect Jehovah your God always.


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»The place Jehovah your God will choose to put his name may be too far away. He may bless you with so much that you cannot carry the tithe 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 Jehovah 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 Jehovah your God.


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»This food is for the Levites, since they own no property, and for the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your towns. They are to come and get all they need. Do this, and Jehovah your God will bless you in everything you do.


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»This is how you should release. Every man who has a loan to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not require it from his neighbor, or from his brother, because it is called Jehovah's release.


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»You may collect from a foreigner, but your hand should release that debt which is yours with your brother.


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»There should not be any poor people among you. Jehovah 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 Jehovah your God and faithfully obey all these commandments I give you today.


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»Jehovah 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 over 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 Jehovah your God is giving you.


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»Be generous to these poor people. Freely lend them as much as they need. Never be hardhearted and stingy 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 Jehovah about you, and you will be condemned for your sin.


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»There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That is why I am commanding you to be generous with them.


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»Supply him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat. Give to him as Jehovah your God has blessed you.


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»Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this today!


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»If he says to you: I will not leave you. If it is because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you,


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then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door. He will be your servant for a very long time. You should do likewise to your maidservant.


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»It should not seem hard to you when you set him free. After all he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man. Jehovah your God will bless you in whatever you do.


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»To Jehovah your God you shall consecrate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.


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»You and your household shall eat it every year before Jehovah your God in the place Jehovah chooses.


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»If it has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to Jehovah your God.


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»Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to Jehovah your God. It was in the month of Abib that Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night.


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»Sacrifice the Passover to Jehovah your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where Jehovah chooses to establish his name.


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»Do not eat leavened bread with it. Eat unleavened bread for seven days. It is the bread of affliction. You should remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt in haste.


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»No leaven should be seen with you in all your territory for seven days. None of the flesh you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning.


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»It must be at the place where Jehovah your God chooses to establish his name. Sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt.


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»Cook and eat it in the place Jehovah your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents.


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»Eat unleavened bread for six days. On the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to Jehovah your God. Do not do work on it.


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»You shall count seven weeks for yourself. Count off seven weeks from the beginning of your grain harvest.


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»Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to Jehovah your God. Bring a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings Jehovah your God has given you.


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»Enjoy yourselves in the presence of Jehovah 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 Jehovah your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.


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»Gather the grain from your threshing floor and make your wine. Then 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 Jehovah your God in the place he will choose. You will enjoy yourselves, because Jehovah 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 Jehovah 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 Jehovah without an offering.


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»Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city Jehovah your God gives you. / They are to judge the people fairly.


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»Never pervert justice. Always 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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»Only strive for justice so you will live and take possession of the land that Jehovah your God is giving you.


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»When you build the altar for Jehovah your God, never plant beside it any tree dedicated to the goddess Asherah.


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»Never offer a bull or a sheep that has a defect or anything seriously wrong with it as a sacrifice to Jehovah your God. That is an abomination to him.


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»In one of the cities Jehovah your God is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what Jehovah considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of Jehovahs covenant.


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»Some worship and bow down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this.


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»If it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. If it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,


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»Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death.


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»On the evidence and testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.


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»The witnesses must throw the first stone to put him to death, and afterward all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.


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»If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you should go to the place Jehovah your God chooses.


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»Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case.


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»Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you.


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»Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you.


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»The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God.


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»Enter the land Jehovah your God gives you. Possess it and live in it. You will say: I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,


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you shall surely set a king over you whom Jehovah your God chooses. It will be one from among your countrymen. You may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.


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»He must not increase his herd of horses. He must not send the people to return to Egypt to get more horses. For Jehovah said to you: You should never again return that way.


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»He must not take many wives or his heart will turn astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.


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»When he first sits on the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll taken in the presence of the Levitical priests.


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»He should keep it with him. He should read from it all the days of his life. In this way he will learn to respect Jehovah his God by carefully observing all the words of this Law and these statutes.


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»He must not think he is better than the rest of his people. He will not disobey these commandments in any way. So he and his sons will rule for a long time in Israel.


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»The Levitical priests including the entire 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 Jehovah. These sacrifices will be what they receive.


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»They are to own no land, as the other tribes do. Their inheritance is the privilege of being Jehovahs priests, as Jehovah told them.


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»When cattle or sheep are sacrificed, the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the stomach.


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»He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests. He may keep everything his family sends him.


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»When you come into the land that Jehovah your God gives you, do not follow the disgusting practices of the nations that are there.


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»Do not sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars. Do not let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells or charms.


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»Jehovah your God hates people who do these disgusting things. That is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance.


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»These nations whom you shall possess listened to observers of clouds and to diviners. As for you, Jehovah your God has not allowed you to do so.


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»Jehovah your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. Listen to him!


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»This is according to all that you asked of Jehovah your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly. You said: Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God. Do not let me see this great fire anymore, or I will die.


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»I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you. I will put my words in his mouth. He will speak to them all that I command him.


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»Any prophet who dares to say something in my name that I did not command him to say or who speaks in the name of other gods must die.


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»If a prophet speaks in Jehovahs name and what he says does not happen or come true, then it did not come from Jehovah. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.


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»When Jehovah your God destroys all the nations that are living in the land that he gives 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 Jehovah your God gives you into three regions. When a person kills someone he 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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»For example: when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies. He may flee to one of these cities and live.


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»Otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger. He may overtake him and because the way is long he may take his life. Even though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously.


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»If Jehovah your God enlarges your territory, just as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land he promised to give your fathers.


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»And if you carefully observe all this commandment I command you today, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in his ways always you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.


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»Innocent blood will not be shed in your land that Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance. Blood guiltiness will not be on you.


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»But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and murders him. If he flees to one of these cities,


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»the elders of his city will send for him. They will take him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood that he may die.


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»Do not move your neighbor's boundary mark. The ancestors have set this in your inheritance. You will inherit this in the land Jehovah your God gives you to possess.


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»One witness is not 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 Jehovahs 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 other 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. Do not be afraid of them for Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.


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He should say: »Listen, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose your courage! Do not be afraid. Do not tremble because of them.


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»Jehovah 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 speak to the army: If you have built a new house that has not been dedicated, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will dedicate it.


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»Have you planted a vineyard and not used its fruits? Go home to your house and vineyard. If you die in battle another man will use its fruit.


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»Is there anyone here engaged to be married? If so, he should go home. Otherwise, if he is killed in battle, someone else will marry the woman he is engaged to.


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»The officers will also say to the men: Is there any man here who has lost his nerve and is afraid? If so, he is to go home. Otherwise, he will destroy the morale of the others.


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»If they open the gates and surrender, they will all become your slaves and do forced labor for you.


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»You may take the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city for yourselves. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. Jehovah has given it to you.


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»This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away that do not belong to the nations nearby.


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»Do not spare anyone's life in the cities of these nations Jehovah your God is giving you as your property.


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»You must capture the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for Jehovah and completely destroy them. Jehovah your God commands you.


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»Otherwise, they will teach you to do all the disgusting things they do for their gods. You will sin against Jehovah 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. Do not harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You may 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 Jehovah your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder,


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your elders and judges must go and measure the distance from the body to each of the neighboring cities.


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»When it is determined which city is nearest the body, the elders from that city must choose a heifer that has never been put to work and never worn a yoke.


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»The elders of that city will bring the heifer down to a river, to a location where the land has not been plowed or planted. At the river they must break the heifer's neck.


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»Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near. Jehovah your God has chosen them to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah. They will settle every dispute and every assault.


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»All the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.


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»Forgive your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Jehovah. Do not hold us responsible for the murder of an innocent person. Forgive them of bloodguilt.


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»When you go to war with your enemies and Jehovah your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive.


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»She should no longer wear the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. She may live in your house and mourn the loss of her father and mother for one month. After that you may marry her.


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»Later if you are not happy with the woman you may divorce her. She may go free. But you have slept with her as your wife, so you cannot sell her as a slave or make her into your own slave.


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»If a man have two wives and loves one more than the other. The first son of either wife is the man's first-born son, even if the boy's mother is the wife he does not love. A man near death and dividing up his property must give a double share to his first-born son. This is because he was the first to be born.


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»The day he wills his possessions to his sons, he should not put the firstborn son of the loved wife before the firstborn son of the unloved wife.


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»He should acknowledge the firstborn son of the unloved wife. And give him a double portion of all that he has. He is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.


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»If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not listen or obey his father or his mother when they chastise him,


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»His father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.


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»They shall say to the elders of his city: This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious! He will not obey us! He is a glutton and a drunkard.


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»All the men of his city shall stone him to death. In that way you will remove the evil from your midst. All Israel will hear about it and fear.


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»If a man commits a sin worthy of death and he is put to death. You hang him on a tree <i>stake</i> .


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»His corpse must not hang all night on the tree <i>stake</i> . Be sure to bury him the same day for he who is hanged is accursed of God. You do this so that you do not defile your land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance.


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»If you are not acquainted with your brother, or you just do not know him, then you should bring it home to your house. Keep it with you until your brother looks for it. Then you should give it to him.


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»You should do the same with his donkey and his garment. You should do likewise with anything lost by your brother found by you. Do not ignore it.


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»You should not see your brothers donkey or his bull fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them. Help him lift it to its feet.


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»A woman must not wear man's clothing or a man womens clothing. The person who does these things is an abomination to Jehovah your God.


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»If you find a bird's nest near the road, in a tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it. The mother could be sitting on the young or on eggs. Do not take the mother with the young.


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»Let the mother go. You may take the young. Let the mother go. May things go well with you and you may prolong your days.


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»When you build a new house make a parapet <i>wall</i> for your roof. This way you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.


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»Do not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed that you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled.


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he charges her with shameful deeds and publicly defames her. He says: When I had sex with this woman, I did not find proof of her virginity.


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»The girl's father and her mother must present evidence of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate.


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»The girl's father shall say to the elders: I gave my daughter to be this mans wife, but he turned against her.


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»He has charged her with shameful deeds. He says: I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.« »But this is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.« And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.


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»They will fine him a hundred shekels of silver. They will give it to the girl's father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. She will remain his wife. He may not divorce her all his days.


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they will take the girl to the doorway of her father's house. The men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed an act of folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.


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»If a man is caught having sexual intercourse with another mans wife, then both of them shall die! Both the man and the woman committing adultery must be killed. Thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.


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»Suppose there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man has sexual relations with her.


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»You must bring them both out to the gate of that city and you must stone them to death! The girl did not protest what was happening and the man has violated his neighbor's woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.


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»If an engaged woman is raped <i>forced to experience sex</i> only the man who commits the act will die.


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»Do nothing to the woman. There is no sin in the woman worthy of death. This is like the case where a man attacks and murders his neighbor.


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»When he found her in the field, the woman who is engaged protested, but there was no one to save her.


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»Suppose a man finds a woman who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered.


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The man who has sex with her must give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she will become his wife because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.


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»No man whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis is cut off shall enter the assembly of Jehovah.


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»No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of Jehovah. None of his descendants to the tenth generation shall enter the assembly of Jehovah.


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»No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of Jehovah. Their descendants to the tenth generation shall not enter the assembly of Jehovah.


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»This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt. It is because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.


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»Jehovah your God was not willing to listen to Balaam. Jehovah your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because Jehovah your God loves you.


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»Do not detest an Edomite for he is your brother. Do not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien <i>strangers guests</i> in his land.


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»If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission he must go outside the camp. He may not reenter the camp.


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»Keep a spade among your tools. When you sit down outside use the spade to dig and cover up your excrement.


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»Jehovah your God walks in the middle of your camp. He is there to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you. Therefore your camp must be holy. He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.


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»Let him live with you in your midst. Let him choose a place in one of your towns where it pleases him. Do not mistreat him.


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»Do not bring the hire <i>fee</i> of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of Jehovah your God for any vow offering. Both of these are an abomination to Jehovah your God.


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»Do not charge interest to your brothers, interest on money, food, anything that may be loaned at interest.


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»You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother <i>countrymen</i> you shall not charge interest. That way Jehovah your God will bless you in all that you undertake in the land you are about to possess.


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»When you vow to Jehovah your God do not delay the payback. It would be sin, and Jehovah your God will surely require it of you.


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»Be careful to perform the promise that comes from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to Jehovah your God. Keep your promise.


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»When you enter your neighbor's vineyard you may eat grapes until you are full. But you shall not put any in your basket.


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»When you enter your neighbor's standing grain you may pluck the heads with your hand. But you must not wield a sickle in your neighbor's standing grain.


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»When a man marries a woman and later decides he does not love her because he found something he does not like about her he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house.


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»If the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,


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»her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife. She has been defiled. That is an abomination before Jehovah, and you shall not bring sin on the land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance.


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»A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or charged with any duty. He shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to the wife he has married.


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»Do not take a hand mill or an upper millstone as security for a debt. That would be taking away a mans livelihood.


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»If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, the thief shall die. You will purge the evil from among you.


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»Stay away from the infection of leprosy. Diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you. I have commanded them, so be careful to obey.


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»When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort do not go into his house and repossess the security.


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»Return the pledge to him before the sun goes down. He will have his pledged item and he may sleep. He will bless you. And it will be righteousness for you before Jehovah your God.


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»Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns.


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»Pay him his wages on the workday day before the sunsets. He is poor and sets his heart on it. He will not complain against you to Jehovah and it becomes your sin.


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»Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers. Everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.


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»Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that Jehovah your God redeemed you from there. I therefore command you to do this.


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»When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.


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»When you beat the olives from your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.


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»When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.


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»When there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case. They justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.


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»If the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge will then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence. The number of lashes is according to his guilt.


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»He must not beat him more than forty lashes. If he beats more than that your brother will be degraded in your eyes.


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»When brothers live together and one of them dies without a son the wife of the deceased shall not marry outside the family to a strange man. Her husband's brother shall marry her and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.


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»The firstborn son she bears will assume the name of the dead brother. That way his name will not be blotted out from Israel.


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»If the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say: My husband's brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.


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»The elders of his city must summon him and speak to him. If he persists and says: I do not desire to take her,


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his brother's wife shall must to him in the sight of the elders. She will pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. Then she will declare: It is done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.


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»If two brothers struggle together and the wife of one approaches to help her husband against the other man, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals,


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»You must have a full and just weight. You should have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land Jehovah your God gives you.


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»He met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary. He did not respect God.


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»When Jehovah your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance to possess. You will blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget.


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»When you enter the land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance you will possess it and live in it.


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»Take some of the first of all the produce of the ground that you bring in from your land that Jehovah your God gives you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where Jehovah your God chooses to establish His name.


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»Go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him: I declare this day to Jehovah my God! I have entered the land Jehovah swore to our fathers to give us.


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»The priest will take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of Jehovah your God.


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»Answer before Jehovah your God: My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and traveled there. They were few in number but he became a great, mighty and populous nation.


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»We cried out to Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice. He saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression.


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»Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders.


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»Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground that You, O Jehovah have given me. Set it down before Jehovah your God, and worship before Jehovah your God.


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»You, the Levite and the alien among you will rejoice in all the good Jehovah your God has given you and your household.


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Finish paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing. Then you shall give it to the Levite, the stranger, and the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.


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»Say before Jehovah your God: I have removed the sacred portion from my house. I also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all your commandments that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed or forgotten any of your commandments.


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»I have not eaten of it while mourning. I have not removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Jehovah my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me.


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»Look down from your holy place in heaven and bless your people Israel. Bless the ground you have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as you swore to our fathers.


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»This day Jehovah your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your being.


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»You declared Jehovah to be your God today. You said you would walk in his ways and keep his statutes, his commandments and his ordinances, and listen to his voice.


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»Jehovah declared you to be his people and a treasured possession. Obey his commandments and receive his promise.


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»He will set you high above all nations that he has made, for praise, fame, and honor. You will be a consecrated people to Jehovah your God, as he has spoken.


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Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people. They said: »Keep all the commandments that I command you today.


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»This is the way it will be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land that Jehovah your God gives you. You will set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime


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and write on them all the words of the Law. When you cross over to enter the land Jehovah your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah, the God of your fathers, promised you.


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»When you cross the Jordan, you shall set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime.


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»Build an altar there to Jehovah your God. Build the altar of stones. Do not use an iron tool on them.


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»Build the altar of Jehovah your God of uncut stones. Offer on it burnt offerings to Jehovah your God


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Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel. They said: »Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for Jehovah your God.


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»When you cross the Jordan, these will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.


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»Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image. It is an abomination to Jehovah! It is the secret work of the hands of the craftsman. All the people will answer: Amen.


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»Cursed is the man who has sexual activities with his father's wife, because he has violated his fathers rights. And all the people say: Amen.


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»Cursed is he who has sexual activities with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother. All the people answer: Amen.


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»Cursed is he who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law by obeying them. And all the people will say: Amen.


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»Carefully obey Jehovah your God. Faithfully follow all his commandments that I give you today. If you do this Jehovah 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 Jehovah your God:


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»Jehovah will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be struck before you: they shall come out against you one-way, and shall flee before you seven ways.


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»Jehovah will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land Jehovah your God gives you.


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»Jehovah will establish you as a holy people to himself. He swore this to you, if you obey the commandments of Jehovah your God and walk in His ways.


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»All the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of Jehovah, and they will be afraid of you.


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»Jehovah will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your animals and in the produce of your ground, the land that Jehovah swore to your fathers to give you.


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»Jehovah will open for you his good storehouse. The skies will give rain to your land in due season. It will bless all the work of your hand. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.


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»Jehovah will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath. If you listen to the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,


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and do not turn aside from any of the words I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.


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»If you do not obey Jehovah your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:


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»Cursed will be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.


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»If you do evil and reject Jehovah, he will bring on you trouble, confusion, and rebuke in everything you do. Soon you will be quickly and completely destroyed.


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»He will plague you with disease after disease on you until there is not one of you left in the land.


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»Jehovah will strike you with infectious diseases, with swelling and fever. He will send drought and scorching winds to destroy your crops. These disasters will be with you until you die.


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»Jehovah will cause you to be stricken before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and flee seven ways from them. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.


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»Your body will be food to all birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth. And no man shall frighten them away.


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»Jehovah will strike you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.


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that even in bright sunshine you will have to feel your way around like a blind person. You will tell day from night! For the rest of your life, people will beat and rob you. No one will be able to stop them.


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»A man will be engaged to a woman, but before they can get married, enemy soldiers will rape her. Some of you will build houses, but never get to live in them. If you plant a vineyard, you will not be around long enough to enjoy the first harvest.


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»Your cattle will be killed while you watch. You will not get to eat any of the meat. Your donkeys and sheep will be stolen. No one will be around to force your enemies to give them back.


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»Your sons and daughters will be dragged off to a foreign country. And you will stand there helpless. Even if you watch for them until you go blind, you will never see them again.


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»A foreign nation will take all the crops that you have worked so hard to grow. You will receive nothing but constant oppression and harsh treatment.


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»Jehovah will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils. From the sole of your foot to the crown of your head they will not heal.


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»Jehovah will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. There you will serve other gods made of wood and stone.


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»You will become a thing of revulsion. All the nations where Jehovah will send you will make an example of you and laugh at you.


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»You will have olive trees throughout all your coasts, but you shall not anoint with the oil, for your olive shall drop off its fruit.


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»The alien who is living among you will be lifted up higher and higher over you, while you go down 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 disasters will come on you. They will be with you until you are destroyed. This is because you did not obey Jehovah your God and keep all the laws that he gave you.


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»Everyone will look at you and your descendants and realize that Jehovah has placed you under a curse for a very long time.


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»You did not serve Jehovah your God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things.


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»You will serve your enemies whom Jehovah will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.


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»Jehovah will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you will not understand,


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»They will eat the offspring of your animals and the crops from your fields until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, no new wine, no olive oil, no calves from your herds, and no lambs or kids from your flocks. They will continue to do this until you are completely desolate.


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»They will blockade all your cities until the high, fortified walls you trust come down everywhere in your land. They will blockade all the cities everywhere in the land that Jehovah 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 Jehovah your God has given you.


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»The kindest and most 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. These are hardships your enemies will make you suffer during the blockade of all your cities.


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»The kindest and most sensitive woman among you, so sensitive and tender that she would not 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 will not share with them the afterbirth from her body and the children she gives birth to. She will secretly eat them out of dire necessity. These are 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 respect this glorious and awe inspiring name: JEHOVAH your God.


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»If so, Jehovah will strike you and your descendants with unimaginable plagues. They will be terrible continuing plagues. They will be severe and lingering diseases.


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»Jehovah will also bring you every kind of sickness and plague not written in this Book of the Law. They will continue until you are dead.


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»You were at one time as numerous as the stars in the sky. But only a few of you will be left. This is because you did not obey Jehovah your God.


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»Jehovah was very glad to make you prosperous and numerous. Now Jehovah will be more than glad to destroy you and wipe you out. You will be torn out of the land you are about to enter and possess.


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»Jehovah will scatter you among all the people of the world. He will scatter you 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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»You will find no peace among those nations. There will be no place to call your own. There Jehovah will give you an unsettled mind, failing eyesight, and despair.


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»Your life will always be in danger. Day and night you will be filled with terror. You will live in constant fear of death.


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»Your hearts will pound with fear at everything you see. Every morning you will wish for evening. Every evening you will wish for morning.


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»Jehovah will send you back to Egypt in ships, even though he said that you would never have to go there again. There you will try to sell yourselves to your enemies as slaves. But no one will want to buy you.


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These are the terms of the covenant that Jehovah commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab. All this was in addition to the covenant Jehovah made with them at Mount Sinai.


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Moses called together all the people of Israel and said: »You saw for yourselves what Jehovah did to the king of Egypt, to his officials, and to his entire country.


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»I led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you. Your sandal has not worn out on your foot.


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»You have not eaten bread. You have not drunk wine or strong drink. This in order that you might know that I am Jehovah your God.


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When you reached this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out to meet us for battle. We defeated them!


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»We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites.


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»You stand today, all of you, before Jehovah your God: your leaders, your tribes, your elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel.


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»Your little ones, your wives, and the alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water,


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that you may enter into the covenant with Jehovah your God, and into His oath that Jehovah your God is making with you today.


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»Jehovah will confirm today with this promise that you are his people and that he is your God. This is what he told you. 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 Jehovah our God and also for those who are not here today.


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»Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from Jehovah our God to serve the gods of other nations. This would be like a root that grows to be a bitter and poisonous plant.


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»Be sure there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him. He would go stubbornly on his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.


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Jehovah will never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of Jehovah and His jealousy will burn against that man. Every curse which is written in this book will rest on him. Jehovah will blot out his name from under heaven.


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»Jehovah will destroy you by piling on you all the curses that are written in this book of Law. You will be forgotten forever.


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»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 Jehovah sent here.


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»All its land is brimstone and salt. It is a burning waste, unsown and unproductive. No grass grows on it. Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which Jehovah overthrew in his anger and in his wrath.


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»All the nations will say: Why has Jehovah done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?'


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»Then men will say: Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.


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»They served other gods and worshiped them. These are gods whom they have not known and whom he had not allotted to them.


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»His fierce anger and fury caused Jehovah to uproot these people from their land and deported them to another country. This is where they still are today.


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»Some secret things are hidden. They belong to Jehovah our God. The things that have been revealed in these teachings belong to us and to our children forever. We must obey every word of this Law.


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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 Jehovah your God will scatter you.


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»If you and your children return to Jehovah your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your being, doing everything I command you today,


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he will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you from all the nations of the world where he has scattered you.


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»Jehovah your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed. You will possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.


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»Jehovah your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, to LOVE JEHOVAH YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR BEING, that you may live.


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»Jehovah your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you and who persecute you.


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»Jehovah your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand. In the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, you will prosper. Jehovah will again rejoice over you for good, just as he rejoiced over your fathers;


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if you obey Jehovah your God to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to Jehovah your God with all your heart with all your being.


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»It is not in heaven, that you should say: Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may obey it?


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»This commandment is not on the other side of the sea. You do not 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 are in your mouth and in your heart so that you will obey them.


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»I command you today to Love Jehovah your God, follow his directions, and obey his commandments, laws, and rules. Then you will live, your population will increase, and Jehovah your God will bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess.


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»If your hearts turn away, and you do 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 are about to possess 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 JEHOVAH YOUR GOD, OBEY HIM, AND BE LOYAL TO HIM. THIS WILL BE YOUR WAY OF LIFE. It will mean a long life for you in the land that Jehovah swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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»I am one hundred and twenty years old now. I am not able to lead you anymore. Jehovah has told me that I may not cross the Jordan River.


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»Jehovah your God is the one who will cross the river ahead of you. He will destroy those nations as you arrive. You will take possession of their land. Joshua will also cross the river ahead of you, as Jehovah told you.


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»Jehovah will destroy those people, just as he defeated Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and destroyed their country.


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»Be determined and with good courage. Do not be afraid of them. Your God, Jehovah, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.


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Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the presence of all the people of Israel: »Be determined and with good courage. You are the one who will lead these people to occupy the land Jehovah promised to their ancestors.


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»Jehovah is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be downhearted.«


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Moses wrote this Law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah, and to all the elders of Israel.


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Moses commanded them: »At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths,


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when all Israel comes to appear before Jehovah your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this Law in front of all Israel in their hearing.


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»Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town. Assemble them that they may hear and learn and respect Jehovah your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this Law.


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»Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to respect Jehovah your God, as long as you live on the land you will possess when you cross the Jordan River.


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Then Jehovah said to Moses: »Behold, the time for you to die is near. Call Joshua, and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.« So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting.


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Jehovah appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. The pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent.


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Jehovah said to Moses: »You are about to lie down with your fathers in death. This people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land. They will plunge into the midst of it. They will forsake me and break my covenant that I made with them.


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»My anger will be kindled against them in that day. I will abandon them and hide my face from them. They will be consumed by many evils and troubles. They will say in that day: Is it because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?


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»I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil they will do. They will turn to other gods.


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»Write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel. Put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for me against the sons of Israel.


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»When I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn me and break my covenant.


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»Then it will happen, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness. It shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. I know the intent they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore.«


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Jehovah 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 the Law, and put it next to the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah 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 Jehovah. How much more rebellious will you be after I die?


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»Assemble all the elders 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 Jehovah furious by doing what he considers evil.«


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»My instruction shall drop as the rain; my words shall descend like dew, as the gentle rains on the tender plant, and as the showers on vegetation.


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»He is the Rock! His work is perfect. For all His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without evil. He is just and upright.


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»They have corrupted themselves; they are not His sons. They are a blemished, crooked and perverse generation.


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»Is this how you repay Jehovah, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father and creator, who made you and formed you?


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»Remember the days of old. Think about all the past generations. Ask your fathers to remind you, and your elders to tell you.


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»When the Most High gave nations their inheritance, when he divided the descendants of Adam, he set up borders for the tribes corresponding to the number of the sons of Israel.


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»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 the precious apple <i>pupil</i> of his eye.


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»Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, spreads its wings to catch them, and carries them on its wings,


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»He made him ride on the heights of the earth and fed him with the produce of the fields. He gave him honey from rocks and olive oil from solid rock.


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»He ate cheese from cows and drank milk from sheep and goats. He gave them fat <i>the best from the flock</i> from lambs, rams from the stock of Bashan, male goats, and the best wheat. He drank the blood-red wine of grapes.


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»Jeshurun <i>Israel</i> grew fat and disrespectful. You got fat! You were stuffed! You over eat! He abandoned the God who made him and scornfully treated the rock of his salvation.


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»They made God furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him <i>stirred up his zeal</i> because they worshiped worthless idols.


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»They sacrificed to demons that are not God. They served gods they did not know. 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 a devious and perverse generation. They are children who have no faith.


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»They made him furious because they worshiped foreign gods. They 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 into the depths of the grave. It will consume the earth and its crops and set the foundations of the mountains on fire.


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»They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague and bitter destruction. I will send teeth of wild animals on them, with the venom of crawling things <i>reptiles</i> of the dust.


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»Outside the sword will bereave. Inside terror shall destroy both young man and virgin, babies and old man with gray hair.


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»I did not want their enemies to make me angry. I did not want their opponents to misunderstand and say: We won this victory! Jehovah did not do all this!


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»Why were a thousand defeated by one? Why ten thousand by only two? Jehovah their God abandoned them! Their mighty God gave them up.


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»Their rock is not like our rock! Their enemies know that their own gods are weak, not mighty like Israel's God.


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»Their vine is like the vine of Sodom. Their fields are like Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of anger. Their clusters are bitter.


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»Vengeance and retribution belong to me. <i>Vengeance is mine, I will repay.</i> Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand. The things to come on them come quickly.


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»Jehovah will bring his people justice. He will have compassion on his servants. He sees that their power is gone, and only the imprisoned and abandoned remain.


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»Who ate the fat of their sacrifices? Who drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you. Let them be your hiding place!


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»See now that I, even I, am he. There is no god besides me! It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heals. There is no one who can deliver from my hand.


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»I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold on justice! I will render vengeance on my adversaries. I will repay those who hate me.


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»I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword will devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the longhaired leaders of the enemy.


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»Rejoice you nations with his people. He will avenge the blood of his servants. He will render vengeance on his adversaries, and will atone for his land and his people.«


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Then Moses came, along with Joshua son of Nun, and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.


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he said to them: »Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today. Command your sons to observe carefully all the words of this law.


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»It is not an idle talk! Indeed it is your life. By this word you will prolong your days in the land you to possess on the other side of the Jordan.«


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»Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo. It is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan. I am giving this to the sons of Israel for a possession.


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»Then die on the mountain you climb. Be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people,


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»You broke faith with me among the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin. You did not treat me as holy among of the sons of Israel.


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»You will see the land at a distance, but you will not go into the land I am giving the sons of Israel.«


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These are the blessings that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the people of Israel before he died:


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»Jehovah came from Mount Sinai. He rose like the sun over Edom and shone on his people from Mount Paran. Ten thousand angels were with him. A flaming fire was at his right hand.


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»Jehovah loves his people. All Your holy ones are in your hand. They followed in your steps and everyone receives your words.


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»He was king in Jeshurun <i>Israel</i> when the leaders and all the tribes of the people of Israel were gathered.


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»Hear, O Jehovah, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. With his hands he contended for them. May you <i>Jehovah</i> be help against his adversaries.«


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»Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to your godly man, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.


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»Who said of his father and mother: I have not seen them; and he did not acknowledge his brothers, nor did he regard his own sons. They observed your word and kept your covenant.


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»They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will burn incense before you, and whole burnt offerings on your altar.


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»O Jehovah, bless his skills and accept the work of his hands. Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him and those who hate him, so that they will not rise again.«


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»May the beloved of Jehovah dwell in security by him who shields him all the day. He dwells between his shoulders.«


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»Blessed of Jehovah is his land. Bless it with the dew from heaven above and with the deep waters lying below.


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»Bless with the best things of the ancient mountains, and with the choice things of the everlasting hills.


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»Bless with the choice things of the earth and its fullness. Let the favor of him who dwelt in the bush come to the head of Joseph and to the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.


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»As the firstborn of his bulls, majesty is his. His horns are the horns of the wild bull. With them he will push the peoples, all at once, to the ends of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.«


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»They will call peoples to the mountain. There they will offer righteous sacrifices. They will draw out the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.«


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»Blessed is the one who enlarges Gad. He lies down as a lion and tears the arm, also the crown of the head.


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»He provided the first part for himself. There the ruler's portion was reserved. He came with the leaders of the people and executed his ordinance of Israel and the justice of Jehovah.«


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»O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of Jehovah, take possession of the sea and the south.«


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»There is none like the God of Jeshurun <i>Israel</i> . He rides the heavens to give you help. He goes through the skies in his majesty.


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»The eternal God is a dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He drove out the enemy from before you, and said: Destroy!


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»Israel dwells in security. The fountain of Jacob is secluded in a land of grain and new wine. His heavens also drop down dew.


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»You are blessed O Israel. Who is like you, a people saved by Jehovah? He is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you and you will tread upon their high places.«


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Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. Jehovah showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan,


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and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,


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Jehovah said: »This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.«


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He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor. No man knows his burial place to this day.


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So the sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.


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Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. The sons of Israel listened to him and did as Jehovah had commanded Moses.


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Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face <i>intimately</i> ,


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for all the signs and wonders that Jehovah sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land,


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Moses the servant of Jehovah died. After his death Jehovah spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses minister, saying:


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»Moses my servant is dead. Arise and cross over the Jordan River. Take the people into the land given to them, even to the children of Israel.


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»From the wilderness and nearby Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun <i>to the west</i> , shall be your coast.


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»No man will be able to resist you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you.


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»Be strong and courageous for you will help this people inherit the land. This is the land I swore to give to their fathers.


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»Be strong and very courageous, that you may be careful to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.


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»This Book of the Law will not depart out of your mouth. You must meditate <i>intensely study think deeply</i> on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.


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»Have I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage. Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed; for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.«


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»Pass through the middle of the camp and command the people, say: Prepare your provisions. In three days you will pass over this Jordan. You will go in to possess the land that Jehovah your God gave you to possess.«


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»Remember the word Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you: Jehovah your God has given you rest, and has given you this land.«


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»Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brothers armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them.


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»Your brothers will possess the land Jehovah gave them until Jehovah gives your brothers rest. Then you will return to the land you possess and enjoy it. This is the land Jehovahs servant Moses gave you on this side of Jordan toward the sunrise <i>to the east</i> .«


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»Just as we listened to Moses in all things, we will listen to you in all things. May Jehovah your God be with you, as he was with Moses.


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»Whoever rebels against your commandment, and does not listen to your words in all that you command him must be put to death. Be strong and of a good courage.«


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Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly. He said: »Go view the land of Jericho.« They went to a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed at her house.


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The king of Jericho was told: »Men of the children of Israel came here tonight to search out the country.«


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The king of Jericho sent for Rahab, saying: »Bring the men that came to you and stayed at your house. They came to spy on all the country.«


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The woman took the two men, and hid them. She said: »Men came to me but I did not know where they came from.«


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When it was dark and they shut the gate the men went out. I do not know where they went. Pursue them quickly and you will overtake them.


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She hid them on the rooftop of the house. She covered them with stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.


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The men pursued them by the road to Jordan to the fords. As soon the pursuers went out they shut the gate.


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She said to the men: »I know Jehovah has given you the land and the terror of you has fallen on us. All the inhabitants of the land are afraid of you.


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»We heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red sea for you when you came out of Egypt. And what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.


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»As soon as we heard these things we became discouraged. No man had courage because of you. Jehovah your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.


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»I pray that you will swear to me by Jehovah, since I have showed you kindness that you will also show kindness to my fathers house, and give me a true token<i>sign pledge of truth</i> ;


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»That you will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers and sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.«


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The men answered her: »Our life for yours, if you do not reveal our business. It will be, when Jehovah has given us the land. We will deal kindly and truly with you.«


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Then she let them down by a cord through the window for her house was upon the town wall. She lived on the wall.


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She said: »Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers return and afterward go your way.«


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»When we come into the land, tie this scarlet cord in the window from which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers and sisters and your fathers entire household into your home.


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»Whoever goes out of your house into the street will be responsible for his own life. We will be guiltless: and whoever shall be with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is laid on him.


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She said: »Let it be according to your words.« They departed and she tied the scarlet line in the window.


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They went to the mountain and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers looked for them everywhere but did not find them.


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So the two men descended from the mountain. They returned to Joshua the son of Nun and told him all the things that happened to them.


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They said to Joshua: »Truly Jehovah has delivered into our hands all of the land. The inhabitants of the country are afraid of us.«


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Joshua rose early in the morning. They left Shittim for Jordan. He and all the children of Israel lodged there before they crossed over.


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They commanded the people, saying: »When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, you should leave here and follow it.


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»You should keep a space of a thousand yards between you and the ark. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go: for you have not passed this way before.«


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Joshua said to the people: »Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow Jehovah will do amazing things among you.«


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Joshua spoke to the priests: »Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people.« So they took the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people.


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Jehovah said to Joshua: »This day will I begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel. Now they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.


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»You will command the priests that bear the Ark of the Covenant, saying: When you come to the shore of the Jordan River you will stand still in the Jordan.«


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Joshua said: »By this you shall know the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.


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»As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, set foot in the Jordan the waters of Jordan shall be cut off and they shall stand in a heap.«


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When the people set out from their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant before the people and


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As they carried the ark into the Jordan and the feet of the priests dipped into the water, for Jordan is at food stage at the time of harvest.


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The waters stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam that is beside Zaretan. The waters that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off. The people passed over the Jericho.


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The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan River. All the Israelites passed over the Jordan River on dry ground.


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Command them by saying: »Take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests feet stood firm. Carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you stay tonight.«


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Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared from the children of Israel, a man from every tribe.


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Joshua said to them: »Pass over before the Ark of Jehovah your God to the middle of the Jordan River. Let every man take a stone on his shoulder according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel.


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»This may be a sign among you when your children ask their fathers what is the meaning of these stones?


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»You will answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah. When it passed over Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will be for a memorial to the children of Israel for as long as they live.«


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The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan. This was just as Jehovah spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. They carried them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.


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Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stood, and they are there to this day.


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The priests who carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River. They stood there until every thing that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak to the people was carried out, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. During this time the people hurried to the other side of the river.


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All the people crossed over. Then the priests, in the presence of the people, carried the Ark of Jehovah across.


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The children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them.


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About forty thousand, prepared for war, passed over before Jehovah to do battle in the plains of Jericho.


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On that day Jehovah exulted Joshua in the sight of all Israel. They feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.


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When the priests that carried the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah were up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests feet were lifted up onto the dry land that the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks, as they did before.


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The people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.


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He spoke to the children of Israel: »When your children will ask their fathers in time to come, what these stones mean?


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»For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you all crossed over. As Jehovah your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we crossed over.


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»That all the people of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah is mighty: that you might reverence Jehovah your God forever.«


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When all the kings of the Amorites, on the west side of the Jordan River and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that Jehovah dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we passed over, their hearts grew faint with fear. They were discouraged because of the children of Israel.


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This is why Joshua circumcised: All the men who came out of Egypt including all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.


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Now all the people that came out were circumcised. But all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came out of Egypt were not circumcised.


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The children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of Jehovah. Jehovah swore that he would not show them the land, which he swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.


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Joshua circumcised their children, whom he raised up in their place. They had not circumcised them in the wilderness.


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Jehovah said to Joshua: »This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.« So the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.


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The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.


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The manna ceased the morning after they ate the old corn of the land. The children of Israel had no more manna. But they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.


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When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, there stood a man in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him, and said: »Are you on our side or our adversaries?«


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He said: »No, but as captain of the camp of Jehovah I now come.« And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down and said: »What does my lord say to his servant?«


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The captain <i>commander</i> of Jehovahs host <i>army</i> said to Joshua: »Take your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.« And at once Joshua did so.


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Now Jericho was tightly shut up because the people were afraid of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.


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Jehovah said to Joshua: »See, I have given into your hand Jericho, and the king there, and the mighty men of valor.


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»Seven priests will carry before you seven trumpets of rams horns along with the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times. The priests shall blow the trumpets.


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»When you hear a long blast with the rams horn, all the people will shout with a great shout. The wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up, every man straight in to the city.«


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Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them: »Take up the Ark of the Covenant. Seven priests should carry seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark of Jehovah.«


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He said to the people: »Pass on, and circle the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the Ark of Jehovah.«


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As soon as Joshua spoke to the people the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams horns passed before Jehovah. They blew the trumpets and the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah followed them.


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The armed men marched ahead of the priests that blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the Ark. All the time the priests kept blowing the trumpets.


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Joshua commanded the people, saying: »You will not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither will any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout. Then you will shout.«


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Seven priests carrying seven trumpets of rams horns before the Ark of Jehovah went on continually, and blew with the trumpets. The armed men went before them. The rear guard followed the Ark of Jehovah. The priests were blowing the trumpet.


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And the second day they went around the city once, and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.


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They rose early at dawn on the seventh day. They circled the city in the same manner. Only on that day they went around the city seven times.


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On the seventh time when the priest blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people: »Shout for Jehovah has given you the city.


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»The city and everything in it will be destroyed. It belongs to Jehovah. Only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in her house will live. Because she hid the messengers we sent.


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»You people must stay away from anything devoted to destruction. You should not take things from the city. You will cause trouble for the camp of Israel is you take of the accursed things.


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»All the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to Jehovah. They must come into the treasury of Jehovah.«


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So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, the wall fell down flat. The people went into the city, every man straight ahead. They captured the city.


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They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.


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Joshua said to the two men that had spied out the country: »Go into the harlots house, and bring the woman out as you swore to her.«


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The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, mother, and her brothers and all that she had. They brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.


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They burned the city and all its contents. They put the silver, gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of the house of Jehovah.


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Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her fathers household, and all that she had. She dwells in Israel even to this day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.


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Joshua pronounced an oath at that time, saying: »Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that rises up and builds this city Jericho. He will lay the foundation at the cost of his firstborn. He will set up the gates at the cost of his youngest son.«


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The children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.


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Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel. He spoke to them: »Go up and spy on the country.« And the men went up and spied on Ai.


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They returned to Joshua, and said: »Do not send all the people. Send about two or three thousand men to Ai to go up and capture Ai. Do not bother all the people for there are only a few there.«


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The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them: for they chased them going down from before the gate to Shebarim. The heart of the people melted, and became as water. <i>The Israelites lost their courage and were afraid</i>


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And Joshua ripped his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of Jehovah until evening. He threw dust on his head. The elders of Israel did the same.


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Joshua said: »Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people across the Jordan. Was it to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would to God we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan!


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»For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut our name off from the earth. What will you do for your great name?«


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»Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things and put them in their own possessions.


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»Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They ran from their enemies, because they were accursed. I will not be with you any more until you destroy the devoted things you have among you.


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»Get up and sanctify the people. Say: Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: »There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel: You cannot stand before you enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.«


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»»In the morning assemble by tribe. The tribe Jehovah picks will come forward family by family and man by man.


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»»He that has take the devoted things shall be burned in the fire, along with all that he owns. He has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah. He has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.« «


text:
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:


text:
He brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:


text:
And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.


text:
Joshua said to Achan: »My son, give glory to Jehovah God of Israel and confess to him. Tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.«


text:
»When I saw among the spoils a quality Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them. I hid them in the earth in the middle of my tent.«


text:
They took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah.


text:
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.


text:
Joshua said: »Why have you troubled us? Jehovah will trouble you this day.« All Israel stoned them with stones. After they stoned them they burned them with fire.


text:
They raised over them a great heap of stones that is there to this day. So Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. The name of that place was called, the Valley of Achor, to this day.


text:
Jehovah said to Joshua: »Do not fear and do not be discouraged <i>troubled confused</i> . Take all the people of war with you and go up to Ai. I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.


text:
»Do to Ai and her king what you did to Jericho and her king. Take the spoil and the cattle for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.«


text:
Joshua and all the people of war went up against Ai. Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night.


text:
He commanded them, saying: »You shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city. Do not go very far from the city and be ready.


text:
»I, and all the people that are with me, will approach the city. When they come out against us we will run away from them.


text:
»They will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city. They will say: They run from us. Therefore we will run before them.


text:
»Then you shall rise up from the ambush, and seize the city: for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand.


text:
»When you have taken the city you will set the city on fire according to the commandment of Jehovah. See, I have commanded you.«


text:
Joshua sent them forth. They went to lie in ambush, and stay between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. Joshua lodged that night among the people.


text:
Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered his men. He and the elders of Israel went in front of the people to Ai.


text:
And all the people, even the people of war that were with him went to the city. They set up camp on the north side of Ai. There was a valley between them and Ai.


text:
He took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.


text:
They had the solders take up their positions those in camp to the north and the ambush to the west. Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.


text:
When the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed headed for the plain. He did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.


text:
All the people in Ai were called together to chase after them. They chased after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.


text:
Jehovah said to Joshua: »Stretch out the spear <i>javelin</i> that is in your hand toward Ai.« I will give it to your hand. Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.


text:
The ambush began quickly. They ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand. They entered into the city, captured it and quickly set the city on fire.


text:
The men of Ai looked behind and saw the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven. They had no power to run this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.


text:
When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended they turned and killed the men of Ai.


text:
The men of the ambush came out of the city against them. They were caught in the middle with Israel on both sides. Israel killed them all. No one remained or escaped.


text:
When Israel finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai, and killed it with the edge of the sword.


text:
Joshua did not withdraw his hand. He stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.


text:
Israel took the cattle and the spoil of that city for preys for themselves, according to the word Jehovah commanded Joshua.


text:
He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening. As soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they take his carcass down from the tree and throw it at the entering gate of the city. They raised a large pile of rocks over it that is there to this day.


text:
As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses, an altar of whole stones that have not been cut by any iron tool. They offered offerings to Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings.


text:
He wrote upon the stones a copy of the Law of Moses. He did this in the presence of the children of Israel.


text:
All Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on both sides of the Ark before the priests. The Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; Half of the people stood on Mount Gerizim. And half of them stood on Mount Ebal. As Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.


text:
Afterward he read all the words of the Law, the blessings and cursing, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.


text:
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.


text:
All the kings west of Jordan heard these things; the kings in the hills, and in the valleys, in all the coasts of the Great <i>Mediterraean</i> Sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite heard these things.


text:
They gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord <i>unanimously one purpose</i> .


text:
They resorted to a ruse <i>scheme trick</i> . They acted as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, worn out, torn, and mended.


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They had worn out and patched shoes on their feet, they wore old garments; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.


text:
They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel: »We come from a distant country, make a treaty with us.«


text:
The men of Israel said to the Hivites: »Perhaps you live near us. How can we make a treaty with you?«


text:
They said: »From a very far country, your servants came because of the name of Jehovah your God, for we have heard about him and all he did in Egypt;


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»and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.


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»Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying: Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them: »We are your servants. Therefore make a treaty with us.« «


text:
»We took hot fresh bread for our provision out of our houses on the day we came to you. Now it is dry, and it is moldy:


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»These bottles of wine, which we filled, were new and now they are cracked. Our garments and shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey.«


text:
Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live. The leaders of the congregation ratified it by an oath.


text:
At the end of three days after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.


text:
The children of Israel journeyed to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.


text:
The children of Israel did not kill them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Jehovah God of Israel. The entire congregation murmured against the princes.


text:
But all the leaders said to the entire congregation: »We have sworn to them by Jehovah the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.


text:
»This we will do to them. We will even let them live in case we become angry. This is because of the oath we swore to them.«


text:
The leaders said to them: »Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water to the entire congregation as the leaders had promised them.


text:
Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying: »Why did you deceive us, saying: We are very far from you when you dwell among us?


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Now you are cursed, and none of you will be freed from being slaves, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.«


text:
They answered Joshua: »For the reason that it was absolutely told to your servants, how Jehovah your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and destroy all the inhabitants of the land. Therefore we were very afraid for our lives because of you. So we did this thing.


text:
Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, even to this day, in the place he should choose.


text:
When Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king. The inhabitants of Gibeon made peace with Israel and were living near them.


text:
They were very afraid because Gibeon was a great royal city. It was larger than Ai and all the men there were great fighters.


text:
Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying:


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»Come to me and help me, that we may strike Gibeon: for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.«


text:
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon gathered together. They and all their hosts came before Gibeon and camped. Then they made war against it.


text:
The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal saying: Do not abandon your servants. Come to us quickly and save us. Help us for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.


text:
Jehovah said to Joshua: »Do not fear them. I have delivered them into your hands. Not one man of them will stand before you.«


text:
Jehovah threw them into confusion before Israel. They were killed in a great battle at Gibeon. They were chased along the road that goes up to Beth-horon. They were slaughtered all the way to Azekah, and Makkedah.


text:
As they fled from Israel, and were going down to Beth-horon, Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them all the way to Azekah and they died. In fact hailstones killed more than the children of Israel killed using their swords.


text:
Joshua spoke to Jehovah the day when Jehovah delivered the Amorites to the children of Israel. He said in sight of Israel: »Sun, stand still upon Gibeon; and Moon, stand still in the valley of Ajalon.«


text:
The sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not go down for a whole day.


text:
There was no day like that before or after it, that Jehovah listened to the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel.


text:
»Do not stay there but pursue after your enemies and strike the rear guard. Do not enter their cities for Jehovah your God has delivered them into your hand.«


text:
When Joshua and the children of Israel finished slaying them those who escaped entered the fortified cities.


text:
All the people returned in peace to Joshuas at Makkedah. No one spoke against any of the children of Israel.


text:
They did so, and brought the five kings to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.


text:
When they brought out the kings to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him: »Come near, put your feet on the back of the necks of <i>humiliate abase</i> these kings.« They came near, and put their feet upon their necks.


text:
Joshua said: »Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified! Be strong and have courage: for this is what Jehovah will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.«


text:
Afterward Joshua struck and killed them. He hanged them on five trees: and they hung on the trees until evening.


text:
At sunset Joshua commanded that they remove them. They took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave where they had been hidden. They laid large stones in the mouth of the cave. Even today the stones are there.


text:
That day Joshua struck Makkedah with the edge of the sword. The king was destroyed all the people who lived there. He let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah the same as he did to the king of Jericho.


text:
Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel went with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah:


text:
Jehovah delivered it and the king into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons who lived there. He let none remain: and he did to the king of Libnah as he did to the king of Jericho.


text:
Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:


text:
Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel on the second day. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons who lived there according to all that he had done to Libnah.


text:
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. Joshua killed him and his people, until he had left none remaining.


text:
From Lachish Joshua went to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They encamped against it, and fought against it:


text:
They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. All that were there were destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.


text:
They capture it and destroyed it with the edge of the sword. This included the king and all the cities, and all the people who were there. He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and destroyed all the people there.


text:
He took it, and the king and all the cities there. They killed them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all people there. He left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.


text:
So Joshua struck all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Jehovah God of Israel commanded.


text:
And Joshua conquered them from Kadesh-barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.


text:
All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because Jehovah the God of Israel fought for Israel.


text:
Jabin king of Hazor heard about this. So he sent a message to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,


text:
and to the kings north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,


text:
and to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.


text:
They came out with all their troops and many horses and chariots. Their army was more numerous than the sand of the seashore.


text:
Jehovah said to Joshua: »Do not be afraid because of them! About this time tomorrow I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You must hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.«


text:
So Joshua and all the people of war with him came up against them. Suddenly they attacked them by the waters of Merom.


text:
Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Israel, who killed them. They chased them unto great Zidon, and to Misrephoth-maim, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they killed them. They did not leave any survivor remain.


text:
Joshua did to them what Jehovah told him to do. He hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.


text:
Joshua then turned back, and captured Hazor. He killed the king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms.


text:
They killed all the people there with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them. None were left alive. He burned Hazor with fire.


text:
Joshua took all the cities and all the kings and struck them with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them. Just as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded.


text:
Israel did not burn the cities that stood on their own mounds with the exception of Hazor, which Joshua burned.


text:
Israel took all the spoil of these cities including the cattle. They killed every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them all. None were left alive.


text:
Jehovah commanded Moses his servant and so Moses commands Joshua and Joshua complied. He left nothing undone of all that Jehovah commanded Moses.


text:
Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same.


text:
Even from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He captured and killed all their kings.


text:
Not one city made peace with the children of Israel except the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all the others in battle.


text:
It was Jehovah who hardened their hearts to make war against Israel. That way he could completely destroy them. That they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Jehovah commanded Moses.


text:
Joshua cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel. Joshua destroyed them utterly along with their cities.


text:
There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel. Some of them remained in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.


text:
So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Jehovah said to Moses. Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions, by their tribes. The land rested from war.


text:
These are the kings of the land that the children of Israel defeated and whos territory they captured. It was on the other side of Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east.


text:
Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the Arnon River, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the children of Ammon;


text:
And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and to the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Beth-jeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdoth-pisgah:


text:
The coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,


text:
And reigned in Mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.


text:
Moses the servant of Jehovah and the children of Israel killed them. Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it for a possession to the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.


text:
These are the kings of the country that Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan on the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even to Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir; which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;


text:
In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:


text:
Jehovah said to Joshua: You are old and advanced in years. There still remains much land to be possessed.


text:
»from Shihor, which is near Egypt, to the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:


text:
»from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah that is beside the Sidonians, to Aphek, to the borders of the Amorites:


text:
»The land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, to the east, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon to the Hamath border.


text:
»All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, and all the Sidonians. I will drive them out from before the children of Israel. Divide it by lot to the Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.


text:
With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.


text:
From Aroer, that is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain of Medeba to Dibon


text:
All the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the children of Ammon;


text:
And Gilead, and the border of the Geshurites and Maachathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salcah;


text:
The kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants. Moses defeated them and took over their land.


text:
Nevertheless the children of Israel did not expel the Geshurites, or the Maachathites: but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.


text:
He gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices of Jehovah God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said to them.


text:
Their coast was from Aroer that is on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that is in the midst of the river, and all the plain by Medeba,


text:
All the cities of the plain, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses killed with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, who were dukes of Sihon, living in the country.


text:
Balaam was also the son of Beor, the soothsayer. The children of Israel slayed him along with all who were slain with the sword.


text:
The border of the children of Reuben was Jordan and its border. This was the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages there.


text:
Their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, to Aroer that is near Rabbah;


text:
In the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, to the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.


text:
This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.


text:
Moses gave inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh. This was the possession of the half tribe of the children of Manasseh by families.


text:
Their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, sixty cities:


text:
Half Gilead, and Ashtaroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan, were pertaining unto the children of Machir the son of Manasseh, even to the one half of the children of Machir by their families.


text:
These are the countries that Moses distributed for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other side Jordan, by Jericho, eastward.


text:
But he gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Jehovah God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said to them.


text:
These are the countries that the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for their inheritance.


text:
Their inheritance was by lot. Jehovah commanded the hand of Moses to distribute to the nine tribes and the half tribe.


text:
Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and a half tribe on the other side of the Jordan. He gave no inheritance to the Levites.


text:
The children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No part of the land was given to the Levites. They were given cities in which to live and a place for their cattle and personally property.


text:
Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said to him: »You know what Jehovah said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea.


text:
»I was forty years old when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land. I brought him word again as it was in my heart.


text:
»Nevertheless my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people dissolve. But I wholly followed Jehovah my God.


text:
»Moses swore on that day, saying: Surely the land where your feet have trodden shall be your inheritance, and your childrens from generation to generation, because you have completely followed Jehovah my God.


text:
»Jehovah has kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years, even since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. Now I am this day eighty-five years old.


text:
»So far I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength is now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.


text:
»Now therefore give me this mountain. This is where Jehovah spoke that day. You heard about the Anakims that day. Their cities were large and fortified and Jehovah helped me drive them out just as Jehovah said.«


text:
Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite to this day, because that he wholly followed Jehovah the God of Israel.


text:
Hebron was previously named Kirjath-arba. Arba was a great man among the Anakims. The land <i>and its people</i> had rest from war.


text:
This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families: The border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the farthest part of the south coast.


text:
From there it went out to the south side to Maaleh-acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side to Kadesh-barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and went around to Karka:


text:
From there it passed toward Azmon and went out to the river of Egypt and ended at the south coast at the sea.


text:
The east border was the salt sea to the end of Jordan. Their border in the north quarter was from the bay of the sea at the uttermost part of Jordan:


text:
Their border continued to Beth-hogla, and passed along by the north of Beth-arabah. The border went up to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben:


text:
The border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and so northward, looking toward Gilgal, that is before the going up to Adummim, which is on the south side of the river. Then the border passed toward the waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel:


text:
The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the Valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the Valley of the Giants northward:


text:
Then the border was drawn from the top of the hill to the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities of Mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, which is Kirjath-jearim:


text:
The border circled Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of mount Jearim, which is Chesalon, on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed on to Timnah:


text:
And the border went out to the north side of Ekron: and the border was drawn to Shicron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out to Jabneel to the sea.


text:
The west border was to the coast of the great sea. This is the coast of the children of Judah round about according to their families.


text:
To Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.


text:
Caleb said: »I will give Achsah my daughter in marriage to the man who captures it and kills Kirjath-sepher.«


text:
Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.


text:
She came to him and convinced him to ask of her father for a field. She dismounted her donkey and Caleb said to her: »What do you wish?«


text:
She answered: »Give me a blessing. For you have given me a land in the south which includes springs of water.« He gave her the upper springs, and the lower springs.


text:
The cities at the limits of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the border of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur,


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Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, to the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border there.


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As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out. The Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.


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The lot was for the children of Joseph. It fell from the Jordan by Jericho, to the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel.


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It goes down westward to the coast of Japhleti, to the coast of Beth-horon the nether, and to Gezer: ending at the sea.


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The border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, to Beth-horon the upper;


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The border went toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward to Taanath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;


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The border went out from Tappuah westward to the river Kanah; and from there to the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.


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The separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.


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They did not drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, and have become forced laborers.


text:
There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh. He was the firstborn of Joseph. Machir was the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.


text:
There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families. For the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.


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But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


text:
They came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying: »Jehovah commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.« Therefore according to the commandment of Jehovah he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father.


text:
Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manassehs sons had the land of Gilead.


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The coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah. It lies before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand to the inhabitants of En-tappuah.


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Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim.


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The coast descended to the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and it ended at the sea.


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Southward it was Ephraims, and northward it was Manassehs, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.


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Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth-shean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.


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Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.


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When the children of Israel were very strong they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor. They did not completely drive them out.


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The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying: »Why have you given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as Jehovah has blessed us abundantly.«


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Joshua answered: »If you are a great people, then get to the wood country, and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim is too narrow for you.«


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The children of Joseph said: »The hill is not enough for us. All the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Beth-shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.«


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Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying: »You are a great people. You have great power. You will not have only one lot.


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»The mountain will be yours. For it is a wood, and you will cut it down. The farthest limits will be yours. You will drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they are strong.«


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The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh. They set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. The land was subdued before them.


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There remained among the children of Israel seven tribes that had not yet received their inheritance.


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Joshua said to the children of Israel: »How long will you neglect to go to possess the land, which Jehovah the God of your fathers has given you?


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»Appoint three men from each tribe: and I will send them, and they will rise, and go through the land, and write a description of it according to their inheritance. Then they will return to me.


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»They will divide it into seven parts: Judah will abide in their border on the south, and the house of Joseph will abide in their border on the north.


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»You will write a description of the land <i>divided</i> into seven parts, and bring the description to me, that I may cast lots for you here before Jehovah our God.


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»The Levites have no part among you. The priesthood of Jehovah is their inheritance. Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the Jehovah gave them.«


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The men stood up and went away. Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying: »Go and walk through the land, and write a description of it, and come again to me, that I may cast lots for you before Jehovah in Shiloh.«


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The men went and passed through the land, and wrote a description of it by cities into seven parts in a book, and returned to Joshua to the camp at Shiloh.


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Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before Jehovah. Then Joshua divided the land to the children of Israel according to their divisions.


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The lot for the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the boundary of their lot came between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.


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And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and it ended at the wilderness of Bethaven.


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The border went from there to Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that lies on the south side of the nether Beth-horon.


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From the hill that lies before Beth-horon southward; and it ended at Kirjath-baal, which is Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.


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And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah.


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The border came down to the end of the mountain that is before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En-rogel,


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And was drawn from the north, and went forth to En-shemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,


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The border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.


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Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the border according to their families.


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Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz,


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And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.


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The second lot came for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.


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And all the villages that were near these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramath of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families.


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Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within their inheritance.


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The third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was to Sarid:


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Their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam.


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It turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and then goes out to Daberath, and goes up to Japhia,


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From there it passed on along on the east to Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and goes out to Remmon-methoar to Neah.


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And the border goes around it on the north side to Hannathon: and it ends in the valley of Jipthah-el:


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This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.


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The coast reaches to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Beth-shemesh; and the border ended at Jordan: sixteen cities with their villages.


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This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.


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It turned toward the sun rising to Beth-dagon, and reached Zebulun, and to the valley of Jipthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goes out to Cabul on the left hand,


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The boundary turned to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and then the boundary turned to Hosah; it ended at the sea near Achzib.


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This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.


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The sixth lot came to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.


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Their boundary was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jabneel, to Lakum; and it ended at Jordan.


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Then the boundary turned westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goes from there to Hukkok, and reaches to Zebulun on the south side, and reaches to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising.


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This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages.


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The boundary of the children of Dan went too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, put it to the sword and occupied it. They lived there and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.


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This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.


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When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their boundaries, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:


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According to the word of Jehovah they gave him the city that he requested, Timnathserah on mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and lived there.


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These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before Jehovah, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they finished dividing the country.


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»Anyone who kills someone accidentally and unintentionally may go there for a refuge from the avenger of blood.


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»When you flee to one of these cities you must go to the place of judgment at the entrance to the city, and explain to the leaders what happened. Then they will let you into the city and give you a place to live in, so that you can stay there.


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»If the one looking for revenge follows you there, the people of the city must not hand you over to that one. They must protect you because you killed the person accidentally and not out of anger.


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»You may stay in the city until you have received a public trial and until the death of the man who is then the High Priest. Then you may go back home to your own town, from which you had run away.«


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So, on the west side of the Jordan River they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.


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East of the Jordan, on the desert plateau east of Jericho, they chose Bezer in the territory of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the territory of Manasseh.


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These were the cities of refuge chosen for all the people of Israel and for any foreigner living among them. Any who killed a person accidentally could find protection there from the one looking for revenge. They could not be killed unless they had first received a public trial.


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The leaders of the Levite families went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of all the tribes of Israel.


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There at Shiloh in the land of Canaan they said to them: »Jehovah commanded through Moses that we were to be given cities to live in, as well as pasture land around them for our livestock.«


text:
So in accordance with Jehovahs command the people of Israel gave the Levites cities and pasturelands out of their own territories.


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The families of the Levite clan of Kohath were the first to be assigned cities. The families who were descended from Aaron the priest were assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.


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The rest of the clan of Kohath was assigned ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.


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The clan of Gershon was assigned thirteen cities from the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan.


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The families of the clan of Merari were assigned twelve cities from the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.


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By drawing lots, the people of Israel assigned these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites, as Jehovah commanded through Moses.


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These were given to the descendants of Aaron who were of the clan of Kohath and who were descended from Levi. Their assignment was the first to be made.


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They were given the city of Arba. Arba was Anaks father. Arba is now called Hebron. It is in the hill country of Judah, along with the pastureland surrounding it.


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The fields that were in the city and its towns had already been given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.


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In addition to Hebron, one of the cities of refuge, the following cities were assigned to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Libnah,


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Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasturelands: nine cities from the tribes of Judah and Simeon.


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The other families of the Levite clan of Kohath were assigned some cities from the territory of Ephraim.


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They were given four cities: Shechem and its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, one of the cities of refuge, Gezer,


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From the territory of West Manasseh they were given two cities: Taanach and Gathrimmon, with pasturelands.


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Another group of Levites, the clan of Gershon, received from the territory of East Manasseh two cities: Golan in Bashan, one of the cities of refuge, and Beeshterah, with pasturelands.


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From the territory of Naphtali they received three cities: Kedesh in Galilee, with pasture lands, one of the cities of refuge, Hammoth-Dor, and Kartan, with pasturelands.


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The rest of the Levites, the clan of Merari, received from the territory of Zebulun four cities: Jokneam, Kartah,


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From the tribe of Gad they received four cities: Ramoth in Gilead, with pasturelands, one of the cities of refuge, Mahanaim,


text:
From the land that the people of Israel possessed, a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasturelands around them, was given to the Levites.


text:
Jehovah gave to Israel all the land that he had solemnly promised their ancestors he would give them. They took possession of it and settled down there.


text:
Jehovah granted them peace throughout the land. This is just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of all their enemies was able to stand against them, because Jehovah gave the Israelites the victory over all their enemies.


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He said: »You have done everything Jehovahs servant Moses ordered you to do. You have obeyed all my commands.


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»You have never deserted the other Israelites. You have been careful to obey the commandments of Jehovah your God.


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»Jehovah your God has given the other Israelites peace as he promised. So go back home to the land you claimed for your own, the land on the east side of the Jordan, that Moses, Jehovahs servant, gave you.


text:
»Be sure you obey the Law that Moses commanded you. Love Jehovah your God. Do his will. Obey his commandments and be faithful to him. Serve him with all your heart and with all your being <i>Nephesh: living being</i> .«


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To the one half tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but he gave the other half to Joshua among their brothers on this side Jordan westward. Joshua sent them a way to their tents and he blessed them.


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He said: »Return with much riches to your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.«


text:
So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh went back home. They left the rest of the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and started out for their own land, the land of Gilead, which they had taken as Jehovah commanded them through Moses.


text:
The children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manassah built a large altar by the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan.


text:
The children of Israel heard that the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar in the land of Canaan on the side belonging to the sons of Israel, at the Jordan when they passed by.


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When the people of Israel heard this, the whole community came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes.


text:
Then the people of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in the land of Gilead.


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Ten leading men went with Phinehas, one from each of the western tribes and each one the head of a family among the clans.


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Speaking for the whole assembly of Jehovahs people they said: »Why have you done this evil thing against the God of Israel? You have rebelled against Jehovah by building this altar for yourselves! You are no longer following him!


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»Do you remember our sin at Peor, when Jehovah punished his own people with an epidemic? We are still suffering because of that. Was that not enough sin?


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»Are you going to refuse to follow him now? If you rebel against Jehovah now, he will be angry with everyone in Israel.


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»If your land is not fit to worship in, come over into Jehovahs land, where his Tabernacle is. Claim some land among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of Jehovah our God.


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»Remember how Achan son of Zerah would not obey the command about the things condemned to destruction. The whole assembly of Israel was punished for that. Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin.


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»The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered the heads of the families of the western tribes:


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»The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! He knows why we did this, and we want you to know too! If we rebelled and did not keep faith with Jehovah, do not allow us to live any longer!


text:
»If we disobeyed Jehovah and built our own altar to burn sacrifices on or to use for grain offerings or fellowship offerings, let Jehovah himself punish us.


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»No! We did it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants would say to ours: What do you have to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel?


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»He made the Jordan a boundary between the people of Reuben and Gad and us. You have nothing to do with Jehovah. Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshiping Jehovah.


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but instead, as a sign for our people and yours, and for the generations after us, that we do indeed worship Jehovah. We do this before his sacred Tabernacle with our offerings to be burned and with sacrifices and fellowship offerings. This was to keep your descendants from saying that ours have nothing to do with Jehovah.«


text:
»We thought that if this should ever happen, our descendants could say: You see our ancestors made an altar just like Jehovahs altar. It was not for burning offerings or for sacrifice, but as a sign for our people and yours.«


text:
We would certainly not rebel against Jehovah or stop following him now by building an altar to burn offerings on or for grain offerings or sacrifices. We would not build any other altar than the altar of Jehovah our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle of his presence.


text:
Phinehas the priest and the ten leading men of the community with him, the heads of families of the western tribes, heard what the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had to say, and they were satisfied.


text:
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to them: »We know that Jehovah is with us. You have not rebelled against him. So you have saved the people of Israel from Jehovahs punishment.«


text:
Phinehas and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead and went back to Canaan, to the people of Israel, and reported to them.


text:
The Israelites were satisfied and praised God. They no longer talked about going to war to devastate the land where the people of Reuben and Gad had settled.


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The people of Reuben and Gad said: »This altar is a witness to all of us that Jehovah is God. Therefore they named it witness.«


text:
He called all Israel, the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of the people, and said: »I am very old now.


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»You have seen everything Jehovah your God has done to all these nations because of you. Jehovah your God fights for you.


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»I have assigned as the possession of your tribes the land of the nations that are still left, as well as of all the nations that I have already conquered, from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.


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»Jehovah your God will make them retreat from you. He will drive them away as you advance. You will possess their land, as Jehovah your God promised you.


text:
»Be careful to obey and do everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not neglect any of it.


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»You will not associate with these peoples left among you or speak the names of their gods or use those names in taking vows or worship those gods or bow down to them.


text:
»Jehovah has driven great and powerful nations from before you. No one has ever been able to stand against you.


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»One of you can make a thousand men run away, because Jehovah your God is fighting for you, as he promised.


text:
»If you are disloyal and join with the nations that are still left among you and intermarry with them,


text:
»Jehovah your God will no longer drive these nations out as you advance. Rather, they will be as dangerous for you as a trap or a pit and as painful as a whip on your back or thorns in your eyes. This will last until none of you are left in this good land that Jehovah your God gave you.


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»It is time for me to die. Every one of you knows in his heart and very being that Jehovah your God has given you all the good things he promised. Every promise he made has been kept; not one has failed.


text:
»If you do not obey the covenant Jehovah your God commanded you to obey and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you. Soon none of you will be left in this good land that he gave you.«


text:
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they came to the presence of God.


text:
Joshua said to all the people: »This is what Jehovah, the God of Israel says: Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor.


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»I took Abraham, your ancestor, from the land across the Euphrates and led him through the whole land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,


text:
and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Edom as his possession, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.


text:
»I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and cavalry. When your ancestors got to the Red Sea


text:
they cried out to me for help. I put darkness between them and the Egyptians. I made the sea come rolling over the Egyptians and drown them. You know what I did to Egypt. You lived in the desert a long time.


text:
»I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the east side of the Jordan. They fought you, but I gave you victory over them. You took their land. I destroyed them as you advanced.


text:
»The king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, fought against you. He sent word to Balaam son of Beor and asked him to put a curse on you.


text:
»You crossed the Jordan and traveled to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I gave you victory over all of them.


text:
»You advanced and I threw them into panic in order to drive out the two Amorite kings. Your swords and bows had nothing to do with it.


text:
»I gave you a land that you had never worked and cities that you had not built. Now live there and eat grapes from vines that you did not plant, and olives from trees that you did not plant.


text:
»Honor Jehovah and serve him sincerely and in truth. Get rid of the gods that your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only Jehovah.


text:
»If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve Jehovah.«


text:
»Jehovah our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt. We saw the miracles he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed.


text:
»As we advanced to this land, Jehovah drove out all the Amorites who lived here. We also will serve Jehovah. He is our God!«


text:
Joshua said to the people: »You may not be able to serve Jehovah. He is a holy God and will not forgive your sins. He will tolerate no rivals,


text:
and if you leave him to serve foreign gods, he will turn against you and punish you. He will destroy you, even though he was good to you before.«


text:
Joshua replied: »You are your own witnesses to the fact that you have chosen to serve Jehovah.« They said: »We are witnesses!«


text:
»Remove the foreign gods you have.« He demanded: »Pledge your loyalty to Jehovah, the God of Israel.«


text:
Joshua wrote these commands in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree in Jehovahs sanctuary.


text:
He told the people: »This stone will serve as our witness. It has heard all the words that Jehovah spoke to us. So it will be a witness against you, to keep you from rebelling against your God.«


text:
They buried him on his own land at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.


text:
As long as Joshua lived, the people of Israel served Jehovah. After his death they continued to do so as long as those leaders were alive who had seen for themselves everything Jehovah had done for Israel.


text:
The body of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, was buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. Josephs descendants inherited this land.


text:
Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, the town in the hill country of Ephraim that had been given to his son Phinehas.


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After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked Jehovah, saying: »Who will go first to fight against the Canaanites for us?«


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Judah said to Simeon his brother: »Come up with me to my allotted territory that we may fight against the Canaanites. I likewise will go with you to your territory.« So Simeon went with him.


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Judah went up and Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek.


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They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him. They killed the Canaanites and the Perizzites.


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And Adoni-bezek said: »Seventy kings with their big toes cut off have gathered food scrapes under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done.« So they brought him to Jerusalem where he died.


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The children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put it to the sword and set the city on fire.


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Afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that lived in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.


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Judah went against the Canaanites that lived in Hebron <i>previously called Kirjath-arba</i> and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.


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From there they advanced against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:


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Caleb said: »He that attacks Kirjath-sepher, and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter for a wife.«


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Othniel the son of Kenaz, Calebs younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.


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When she came to him she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey Caleb said to her: »What do you wish?«


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She said: »Give me a blessing: for you have given me a land south with spring water.« And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.


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The children of the Kenite, Moses father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah to the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the south of Arad to live with the people.


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And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they attacked the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it. The name of the city was Hormah.


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Judah took Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory as well as Ekron with its territory.


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Jehovah was with Judah. He drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.


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The children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem. The Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.


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The spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him: »Show us the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy.«


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When he showed them the entrance into the city, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But spared the man and all his family.


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The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city. He called it Luz, which is its name this day.


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Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites wanted to live in that land.


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When Israel was strong they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor. They did not completely drive them out.


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Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that lived in Gezer. But the Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.


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Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became forced laborers.


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Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:


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But the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.


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Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became forced laborers to them.


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And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain. They would not allow them to come down to the valley.


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But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became forced laborers.


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An angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: »I led you out of Egypt and brought you to the land about which I swore to your fathers that I would never break my covenant with you.


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»You will make no covenant with people of this land. You will throw down their altars. You have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this?«


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»I also said: I will not drive them out from before you. They will be thorns in your sides. Their gods will snare <i>trap</i> you.«


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When Joshua let the people go the children of Israel went, every man, to his inheritance to possess the land.


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The people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works Jehovah did for Israel.


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They buried him on the border of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of Gaash hill.


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After those generations were gathered to their fathers <i>died</i> another generation followed them. This new generation did not know Jehovah or the works he had done for Israel.


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They forsook Jehovah God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them. They bowed to them and provoked Jehovah to anger.


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The anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel. He delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.


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Wherever they went the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil. For Jehovah had sworn to them and as Jehovah had sworn they were greatly distressed.


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Nevertheless Jehovah established judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.


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Yet they would not listen to their judges, but prostituted themselves to other gods. They worshiped them. They turned quickly, out of the way in which their fathers walked obeying the commandments of Jehovah.


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When Jehovah established judges he supported each judge. He delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days the judge lived. He had compassion for them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.


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When the judge was dead they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers. They followed other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They did not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.


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The anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel. He said: »Because this people have transgressed my covenant, which I commanded their fathers, and have not listened to my voice;


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»That through them I may test Israel, to see whether they will keep the way of Jehovah and walk in it as their fathers did.«


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Therefore Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out. He did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua.


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Now these are the nations that Jehovah left to test the Israelites who had not known all the wars of Canaan.


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He did this to teach warfare to the generations of the children of Israel who had not had previous battle experience.


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Those left in the land were the five Philistine cities, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanon Mountains from Mount Baal Hermon as far as Hamath Pass.


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They were to be a test for Israel. This would find out whether or not the Israelites would obey the commandments that Jehovah gave their ancestors through Moses.


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The people of Israel settled down among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.


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The people of Israel forgot Jehovah their God. They sinned against him and worshiped the idols of Baal and Asherah.


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Jehovah became angry at Israel and let King Cushan Rishathaim of Mesopotamia conquer them. They were subject to him for eight years.


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The Israelites cried out to Jehovah, and he sent someone to free them. This was Othniel, the son of Calebs younger brother Kenaz.


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The Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he became Israels leader <i>judge</i> . Othniel went to war, and Jehovah gave him the victory over the king of Mesopotamia.


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The people of Israel sinned against Jehovah again. Because of this Jehovah made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel.


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Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites. They defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees.


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Then the Israelites cried out to Jehovah. So he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him.


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Ehud made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He fastened it on his right side under his clothes.


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But Ehud turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said: »Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.« So the king ordered his servants: »Leave us alone!« Then they all went out.


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The king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof. Ehud went over to him and said: »I have a message from God for you.« The king stood up.


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The whole sword went in, handle and all, and the fat covered it up. Ehud did not pull it out of the kings belly, and it stuck out behind, between his legs.


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Then he left. The servants came and saw that the doors to the upstairs room were locked. They only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself.


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They waited as long as they thought they should. When he still did not open the door, they took the key and opened it. There lying dead on the floor was their master.


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When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle. Then he led them down from the hills.


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He said to them: »Follow me! Jehovah has given you victory over your enemies, the Moabites.« So they followed Ehud and captured the place where the Moabites were to cross the Jordan. They did not allow anyone to cross.


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The next leader was Shamgar son of Anath. He too rescued Israel, and did so by killing six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.


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Jehovah let them be conquered by Jabin, a Canaanite king who ruled in the city of Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth-Hagoyim.


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Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he ruled the people of Israel with cruelty and violence for twenty years. The people of Israel cried out to Jehovah for help.


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Now Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was serving as a judge for the Israelites at that time.


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She held court under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The children of Israel came to her for judgment.


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She sent for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him: »Has Jehovah the God of Israel commanded, saying: Go and deploy troops at mount Tabor. Take ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?


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»And I will lure Sisera, the captain of Jabins army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.«


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Barak said to her: »If you will go with me, then I will go. If you will not go with me I will not go.«


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She said: »I will surely go with you. Never the less there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking. For Jehovah will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.« Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.


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Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men under his command. Deborah went with him.


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Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent at the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.


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Sisera gathered together all his nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the nations to the Kishon River.


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Deborah said to Barak: »Get up, for this is the day in which Jehovah has delivered Sisera into your hand. Jehovah has gone out before you.« So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.


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Jehovah routed Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. Sisera dismounted his chariot, and fled away on his feet.


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But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the army to Harosheth-Hagoyim. All of Siseras army fell by the edge of the sword. Not one person was left.


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Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. There was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.


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Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him: »Come my lord, come right in. Do not be afraid.« When he came in to her tent, she covered him with a mantle.


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He said to her: »Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.« She opened a jug of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.


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Again he said: »Stand at the door of the tent. When any man comes to inquire and asks: Is there a man here? Say: »No.« «


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Then Jael Hebers wife picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went to him while he was fast asleep and drove the peg into his temple and it went down into the ground. He was fast asleep and weary. So he died.


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Barak pursued Sisera and Jael came out to meet him. She said to him: »Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.« He went to her tend and saw Sisera lay dead with the peg in his temple.


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The children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.


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»Jehovah, when you left the mountains of Seir, when you came out of Edom, the earth shook, and rain fell from the sky. Yes, water poured out of the clouds.


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»In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted. Travelers used the back roads.


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»The towns of Israel were abandoned. They stood empty until I Deborah came, came like a mother for Israel.


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»There was war in the land when the Israelites chose new gods. Of the forty thousand men in Israel, did anyone carry shield or spear?


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»Speak of it, you who ride on white donkeys, sitting on saddles. You that must walk wherever you go.


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»Listen! The noisy crowds around the wells are telling about Jehovahs victories, the victories of Israels people! Then Jehovahs people marched down from their cities.


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»Wake up, wake up, Deborah: awake, awake, and utter a song. Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, you son of Abinoam.


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»Then he made those who remain to dominate over the nobles among the people. Jehovah made me have dominion over the mighty.


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»They came from Ephraim to the valley. They were behind the tribe of Benjamin and its people. The commanders came down from Machir. The officers came down from Zebulun.


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»The leaders of Issachar came with Deborah. Issachar came and Barak too, and they followed him into the valley. But the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come.


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»Why did they stay behind with the sheep? Did they listen to shepherds calling the flocks? Yes, the tribe of Reuben was divided; they could not decide to come.


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»The tribe of Gad stayed east of the Jordan. The tribe of Dan remained by the ships. The tribe of Asher stayed by the seacoast. They remained by the shore.


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»The kings fought at Taanach, by the stream of Megiddo. The kings of Canaan fought, but they took no silver away.


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»The River Kishon swept them away. That ancient flooding river swept them away. March on! March on and be strong.


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»Curse Meroz, says Jehovahs angel: Curse those who live there. They did not come to help Jehovah. They did not come as soldiers to fight for him.


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»Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, is the most blessed of women. The most blessed of women who live in tents.


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»She took a tent peg in one hand and hammer in the other. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull. Yes, she pierced him through the head.


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»Siseras mother looked thru the window. From behind the lattice she looked. Why is his chariot so late in coming? She asked. Why are his horses so slow to return?


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»They are finding things to capture and divide. They find a woman or two for every soldier, rich cloth for Sisera, embroidered pieces for the queen.


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»May all your enemies die like that, Jehovah, may your friends shine like the rising sun! There was peace in the land for forty years.«


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Again the people of Israel sinned against Jehovah. Therefore he let the people of Midian rule them for seven years.


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The Midianites were very oppressive over Israel. So much so that the people of Israel hid from them in caves and other safe places in the mountains.


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When the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites along with the desert tribes attacked them.


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They camped on the land and destroyed the crops as far south as Gaza. They took all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and left nothing for the Israelites to live on.


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They came with their livestock and tents, as thick as locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels. They entered the land and destroyed it.


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Then Jehovah sent a man, a prophet, to the Israelites. He said to them: »Jehovah, the God of Israel says, It was I who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.


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»I rescued you from the Egyptians and from the people who fought you in this land. I drove them out as you advanced. I gave you their land.


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»I said to you: I am Jehovah your God. You should not worship the gods of the Amorites, whose land you are now living in. But you have not listened to me.«


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The angel of Jehovah came to the village of Ophrah. He sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him.


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Gideon said to him: »May I ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if Jehovah is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us Jehovah used to do, how he brought them out of Egypt? Jehovah has abandoned us. He left us to the mercy of the Midianites.«


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Jehovah answered him: »Go in the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you.«


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Gideon replied: »But Jehovah, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. I am the least important member of my family.«


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Jehovah answered: »You can do it. I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.«


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»Please do not leave until I return and bring you an offering.« Jehovah said: »I will stay until you come back.«


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So Gideon went into his house and cooked a young goat and used a bushel of flour to make bread without any yeast. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, brought them to Jehovahs angel under the oak tree, and gave them to him.


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The angel told him: »Put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.« Gideon did so.


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Jehovahs angel reached out and touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick he was holding. Fire came out of the rock and burned up the meat and the bread. Then the angel disappeared.


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With that Gideon realized that it was Jehovahs angel he saw. He said in terror: »Sovereign Lord Jehovah! I have seen your angel face-to-face!«


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Gideon built an altar to Jehovah there and named it: »Jehovah is Peace.« <i>Jehovah-shalom</i> It is still standing at Ophrah and belongs to the clan of Abiezer.


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That night Jehovah told Gideon: »Take your fathers bull and another seven year old bull, tear down your fathers altar to Baal, and cut down the symbol of the goddess Asherah, that is beside it.


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»Build a well-constructed altar to Jehovah your God on top of this mound. Take the second bull and burn it as a whole offering. Cut down the symbol of Asherah and use it for firewood.«


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So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what Jehovah instructed him to do. He was afraid of his family and the people in town, so he did it at night.


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The people in town got up early the next morning. They found that the altar to Baal and the symbol of Asherah had been cut down. The second bull had been burned on the altar that was built there.


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They asked each other: »Who did this?« They investigated and found out that Gideon, son of Joash, did it.


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They said to Joash: »Bring your son here. We will kill him!« He tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the symbol of Asherah!


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Joash replied: »Are you arguing for Baal? Are you defending him? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If Baal really is a god he can defend himself. It is his altar that was torn down.«


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From then on Gideon was known as Jerubbaal, because Joash said: »Let Baal defend himself for his altar was torn down.«


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The Midianites, Amalekites, and the desert tribes assembled, crossed the Jordan River, and camped in Jezreel Valley.


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The Spirit of Jehovah took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him.


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He sent messengers throughout the territory of both parts of Manasseh to call them to follow him. He sent messengers to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they also came to join him.


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»Look I will place wool on the threshing floor where we thresh the wheat. If in the morning there is dew only on the wool but not on the ground, I will know that you are going to use me to rescue Israel.«


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That is what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the wool and wrung enough dew out of it to fill a bowl with water.


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Then Gideon said to God: »Do not be angry with me. Allow me to speak just once more. Please let me make one more test with the wool. This time let the wool be dry, and the ground wet.«


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Gideon and all his men got up early and camped beside Harod Spring. The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north of them by Moreh Hill.


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Jehovah said to Gideon: »The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves and not give me credit.


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»Announce to the people: Anyone who is afraid should go back home. We will stay here at Mount Gilead. Twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.«


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Jehovah said to Gideon: »You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go.«


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Gideon took the men to the water. Jehovah told him: »Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.«


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There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it. The others got down on their knees to drink.


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Jehovah said: »I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Use the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home.«


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Gideon sent the Israelites home, except the three hundred. They kept all the supplies and trumpets. The Midianite camp was below them in the valley.


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»You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack.« Gideon and his servant Purah went to the edge of the enemy camp.


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The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts. They had so many camels they could not be counted. They were as plentiful as there are grains of sand on the seashore.


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When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying: »I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground.«


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His friend responded: »This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. For God delivered Midian and its army to this man of Israel.«


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When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel, and called out: »Arise! Jehovah has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.«


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He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He put a trumpet in every mans hand, with empty jars, and lamps within the jars.


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He said to them: »Look at me, and do as I do. When I come to the outside of the camp do the same as I do.


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»When I blow the trumpet, all who are with me should blow the trumpets. Blow the trumpets on every side of the camp and say: The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!«


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Gideon and the hundred men, who were with him, came to the outside of the camp. It was the beginning of the middle watch and they had just posted the new watch. They blew the trumpets, and broke the jars that were in their hands.


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The three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the jars, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands. Then they cried: »The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!«


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The three hundred blew the trumpets. Jehovah set every mans sword against his companions. They turned on each other throughout all the army. The army fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, to Tabbath.


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The men of Israel gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.


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Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say: »Come down and fight the Midianites! Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them.« The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah.


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They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.


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Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon: »Why did you not call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?« They complained bitterly about it.


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He said: »What have I accomplished compared to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer?


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»God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, to you. What was I able to do in comparison to you?« Then their anger toward him subsided at what he said.


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He said to the men of Succoth: »Give my troops some bread. They are tired. I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.«


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The princes of Succoth said: »Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?«


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Gideon said: »When Jehovah delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.«


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He went up to Penuel and made the same request of them. The men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Succoth.


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Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. Their armies were with them, about fifteen thousand men all that were left of all the armies of the children of the east. They had already lost a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen.


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Gideon went up by the way of the nomads who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah. They attacked the army while the camp felt secure.


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He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. He described the princes of Succoth, and the elders and even seventy-seven men.


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Then Gideon went to the men of Sukkoth and said: »Remember when you refused to help me? You said that you could not give any food to my exhausted army because I had not captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Well, here they are!«


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Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna: »What kind of men were the men you killed at Tabor?« They answered: »They looked like you, every one of them like the son of a king.«


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He said: »They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Jehovah lives, if you had saved them alive, I will not kill you.«


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He said to Jether his firstborn: »Rise up and kill them.« But the youth would not draw his sword. He was afraid because he was still a youth.


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Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon: »Kill us yourself. It takes a man to do this job.« Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.


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The Israelites said to Gideon: »Be our ruler, you and your descendants after you. You saved us from the Midianites.«


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He also said: »Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you must give me the earrings you took.« <i>The Midianites wore gold earrings.</i>


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They answered: »We will gladly give them to you.« They spread out a cloth, and everyone put the earrings that he had taken on it.


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The gold earrings that Gideon got weighed over forty pounds. This did not include the ornaments, necklaces, and purple clothes that the kings of Midian wore. It also did not include the collars that were around the necks of their camels.


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Gideon made an idol from the gold and placed it in his hometown, Ophrah. The Israelites abandoned God and went there to worship the idol. It was a trap for Gideon and his family.


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Midian was defeated by the Israelites and was no longer a threat. The land was at peace for forty years, until Gideon died.


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Gideon son of Joash died at an old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah. Ophrah was the town of the clan of Abiezer.


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After Gideons death the people of Israel were unfaithful to God again. They worshiped the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.


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Gideons son Abimelech went to the town of Shechem. All his mothers relatives lived there. He told them:


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»Ask the men of Shechem: Which is better for you. To have all seventy of Gideons sons govern you or to have just one man? Remember that Abimelech is your own flesh and blood.«


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His mothers relatives talked to the men of Shechem about this for him. The men of Shechem decided to follow Abimelech because: »He is our relative.«


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They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men to join him.


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He went to his fathers house at Ophrah. There on top of a single stone he killed his seventy brothers, Gideons sons. Gideons youngest son Jotham hid and therefore was not killed.


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All the men of Shechem and Bethmillo got together and went to the sacred oak tree at Shechem, where they made Abimelech king.


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Jotham heard about this. He stood on top of Mount Gerizim and shouted out to them: »Men of Shechem, listen to me and God may listen to you!


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»The olive tree answered: I would have to stop producing my oil in order to govern you. My oil is used to honor gods and human beings.


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»But the vine answered: I could not govern you for I would have to stop producing my wine. It makes gods and human beings happy.


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»The thorn bush answered: If you really want to make me your king, then come and take shelter in my shade. If you do not, fire will blaze out of my thorny branches and burn up the cedars of Lebanon.


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»Think about it, Jotham continued: Were you really honest and sincere when you made Abimelech king? Have you respected Gideons memory? Did you treat his family properly, as his actions deserved?


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»Today you turned against my fathers family. You killed his sons, seventy men on a single stone. And this because Abimelech, his son by his servant woman, is your relative, you have made him king of Shechem.


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»If you have acted in truth and sincerity today to Gideon and his family then be happy with Abimelech and let him be happy with you.


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»But if not, may fire blaze out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and Bethmillo. May fire blaze out from the men of Shechem and Bethmillo and burn Abimelech up.«


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God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. The men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:


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That the cruelty done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged on their brother Abimelech. For he killed them and the men of Shechem helped him kill his brother.


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And the men of Shechem set men in ambush on the top of the mountains. They robbed all who came along that way. This was reported to Abimelech.


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Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.


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They all went to their vineyards and picked the grapes. Then they made wine from them, and held a festival. They went to the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and made fun of Abimelech.


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Gaal said: »Who is Abimelech and who is Schechem that we should serve them? Who is he? The son of Gideon! And Zebul takes orders from him, but why should we serve him? Be loyal to your ancestor Hamor, the one who founded your clan!


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»If I were leading this people I would get rid of Abimelech! I would tell him to: call out your army, come on out and fight!«


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He sent messengers to Abimelech at Arumah. They said: »Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem. They are not going to let you enter into the city.


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»Get up early in the morning at sunrise and attack the city. When he and the people who are with him come out against you do what you can against them.«


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Abimelech and all his troops, in four companies, took up concealed positions at night against Shechem.


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Abimelech and his men saw Gaal come out and stand at the city gate. So they got up from their hiding places.


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Gaal saw them and said to Zebul: »There are men coming down from the mountaintops!« Zebul answered: »They are not men. They are only shadows on the mountains.«


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Gaal responded: »Do you see? There are men coming down from the top of the mountain. Some are coming along the road from the big tree of Meonenim <i>big tree of magic</i> !«


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Zebul said to him: »Where is all your big talk now? You asked why we should serve this man Abimelech. These are the men you made fun of. You go fight them!«


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Abimelech lived in Arumah. Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. They could no longer live there.


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The next day it was reported to Abimelech that the people of Shechem were planning to go out into the fields.


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He divided his men into three groups. They hid in the fields, waiting. When he saw the people come out of the city, he came out of hiding to kill them.


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Abimelech and his group rushed forward to guard the city gate. The other two companies attacked the people in the fields and killed all of them.


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The fighting lasted all day. Abimelech captured the city and killed its people. He tore down the city and covered the ground with salt.


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When all the men in the fort at Shechem heard this, they sought safety in the stronghold of the temple of Baal-Berith.


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He traveled up to Mount Zalmon with his men. He took an ax, cut a limb off a tree, and put it on his shoulder. He told his men to hurry and do the same thing.


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So everyone cut off a tree limb. They followed Abimelech and piled the wood up against the stronghold. They set the fort on fire. All the people of the fort died. About a thousand men and women died.


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There was a strong tower there. The men and women in the city, including the leaders, ran to it. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof.


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He quickly called the young man who was carrying his weapons and told him: »Draw your sword and kill me. I do not want it said that a woman killed me.« The young man ran him through with his sword and he died.


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Thus God paid Abimelech back for the crime that he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.


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God also made the men of Shechem suffer for their wickedness. Jotham, Gideons son, said they would when he cursed them.


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After Abimelech died Tola, the son of Puah and grandson of Dodo, came to save Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar and lived at Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.


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He had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys. They had thirty cities in the land of Gilead. They are called the villages of Jair.


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Once again the Israelites did evil against Jehovah by worshiping the Baals and the Astartes. They also worshiped the gods of Syria, of Sidon, of Moab, of Ammon, and of the Philistines. They abandoned Jehovah and stopped worshiping him.


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The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel. So he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to conquer them.


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They afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel. For eighteen years they lived in Amorite country east of the Jordan River in Gilead.


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The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was greatly distressed.


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The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah: »We sinned against you. We left our God and served the Baals.«


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Jehovah answered: »Did I free you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines?


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»Did I save you from the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? They oppressed you and you cried out to me.


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But the people of Israel said to Jehovah: »We have sinned. Do to us what seems best to you, only please, save us today!«


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So they removed the foreign gods and worshiped Jehovah. He could bear the distress of Israel no longer.


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Then the Ammonite army prepared camped in Gilead. They prepared for battle. The people of Israel gathered and camped at Mizpah in Gilead.


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There the people and the leaders of Gilead asked one another: »Who is the man to lead the fight against the Ammonites? Whoever does will be the leader of everyone in Gilead.«


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They had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They told him: »You will have no inheritance from our father for you are the son of another woman.«


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Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. There a group of worthless men joined with him and they went around together.


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Jephthah answered: »You hated me so much that you forced me to leave my fathers house. Why have you come to me now that you are in trouble?«


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They replied: »We turn to you now because we want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites and lead all the people of Gilead.«


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Jephthah said: »If you take me back home to fight the Ammonites and Jehovah gives me victory, will I be your ruler?«


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Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their ruler and leader. Jephthah stated his terms at Mizpah in Jehovahs presence.


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Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. He said: »What do you have against us that you want to fight us? Why have you invaded our country?«


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The king of Ammon answered Jephthahs messengers: »Because Israel took away our land when they came out of Egypt. They took land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully.«


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»It happened this way: when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh.


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»They sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but he would not let them go through his land. So the people of Israel stayed at Kadesh.


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»Then they went through the desert around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab.


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»The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. They asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land.


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»But Sihon refused to let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel.


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»Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the people of Israel victory over Sihon and his army. So the people of Israel took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country.


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»They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west.


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»Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything Jehovah, our God, has taken for us.


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»Do you think you are better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever challenge Israel or fight with them?


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»Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer for three hundred years, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why did you not retake them during that time?


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»I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong to me by making war on me. Jehovah is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.«


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The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh and returned to Mizpah in Gilead and went on to Ammon.


text:
»I will sacrifice with a burnt offering the first person that comes out of my house to meet me, when I return from the victory. I will offer that person to you as a sacrifice.« (Jeremiah 19:5)


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He struck at them from Aroer to the area around Minnith, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel Keramim. It was a great slaughter. The Ammonites were defeated by Israel.


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Jephthah went back home to Mizpah. His daughter came out to meet him, dancing and playing the tambourine. She was his only child.


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When he saw her, he ripped his clothes in sorrow and said: »Oh, my daughter! My heart is breaking! Why must it be you? I have made a solemn promise to Jehovah, and I cannot take it back!«


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She said: »If you made a promise to Jehovah, do what you said you would do to me, since Jehovah has given you revenge on your enemies, the Ammonites.«


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She asked her father: »Do this for me. Leave me alone for two months, so that I can go with my friends to wander in the mountains and grieve that I must die a virgin.«


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He sent her away for two months. She and her friends went up into the mountains and grieved because she was going to die unmarried and childless.


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She returned to her father after two months. He did what he had promised Jehovah, and she died still a virgin. This was the origin of the custom in Israel.


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The Israelite women would go out for four days every year to grieve for the daughter of Jephthah of Gilead.


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The men of Ephraim were ready for battle. They crossed the Jordan River to Zaphon and said to Jephthah: »Why did you cross the border to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We are going to burn the house down over your head!«


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Jephthah replied: »My people and I had a great struggle with the Ammonites. I called you, but you would not rescue me from them.


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»When I realized you were not going to, I risked my life and crossed the border to fight them. Jehovah gave me victory over them. Why are you coming to fight me now?«


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To keep the Ephraimites from escaping, the Gileadites captured the places where the Jordan could be crossed. When any Ephraimite who was trying to escape would ask permission to cross, the men of Gilead would ask: »Are you an Ephraimite?« If he said: »No,«


text:
they would tell him to say »Shibboleth.« But he would say »Sibboleth,« because he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they would kill him at the Jordan River crossing. Forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites were killed.


text:
He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters in marriage outside the clan and brought thirty young women from outside the clan for his sons to marry. Ibzan led Israel for seven years,


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He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. Abdon led Israel for eight years,


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Abdon died and was buried at Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim in the mountains of the Amalekites.


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There was a man named Manoah from the town of Zorah. He was a member of the tribe of Dan. His wife was not able to have children.


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Jehovahs angel appeared to her and said: »You have not been able to have children, but you will become pregnant and have a son.


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»After your son is born never cut his hair. This is because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite. He will begin the work of delivering Israel from the Philistines.«


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Then the woman told her husband: »A man of God came to me. He looked as frightening as the angel of God. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.


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»He told me I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me: Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. This is because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a Nazirite as long as he lives.«


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Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah: »Please, Jehovah, let the man of God that you sent come back to teach us what we must do with the boy when he is born.«


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God did what Manoah asked. His angel came back to the woman while she was in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her,


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Manoah followed his wife to the man and asked, »Are you the man who talked to my wife?« »Yes,« he answered.


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»She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine. She must not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. She must do everything I told her to do.«


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Not knowing that it was Jehovahs angel, Manoah said: »Please do not go yet. Let us cook a young goat for you.«


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The angel replied: »If I stay I will not eat your food. But if you want to prepare it, burn it as an offering to Jehovah.«


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So Manoah took a young goat and some grain, and offered them on the rock altar to Jehovah the God who works wonders.


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While the flames were going up from the altar, Manoah and his wife saw Jehovahs angel go up toward heaven in the flames. They did not see the angel again.


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Manoah knew then that the man was Jehovahs angel. He and his wife fell on their faces to the ground.


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His wife answered: »If Jehovah wanted to kill us he would not accept our offerings. He would not have shown us all this or told us these things.«


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He went home and told his father and mother: »A Philistine woman at Timnah caught my attention. Get her for me. I want to marry her.«


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His father and mother asked him: »Why do you go to those heathen Philistines to get a wife? Can you not find someone in our own family or among all our people?« Samson told his father: »I like her! She is the one I want. Get her for me.«


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His parents did not know Jehovah was leading Samson to do this. Jehovah was looking for an opportunity to fight the Philistines. At this time the Philistines were ruling Israel.


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Samson went to Timnah with his father and mother. When they traveled through the vineyards he heard a young lion roaring.


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Suddenly the power of Jehovah made Samson strong. He tore the lion apart with his bare hands, as if it were a young goat. But he did not tell his parents what he had done.


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A few days later Samson returned to marry her. On the way he left the road to look at the lion he had killed. He found a swarm of bees and some honey inside the dead body.


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He scraped the honey out into his hands and ate it as he walked along. Then he went to his father and mother and gave them some. They ate it, but Samson did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the dead body of a lion.


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Samsons father went to the womans house. Samson gave a banquet there. This was a custom among the young men.


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Samson said to them: »Let me tell you a riddle. If you can tell me the meaning before the seven days of the wedding feast are over, I will give each of you a piece of fine linen and a change of fine clothes.« »Tell us your riddle,« they said: »Let us hear it.«


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»If you cannot tell me the answer you must give me thirty pieces of fine linen and thirty sets of fine clothes.« »Tell us the riddle,« they said.


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He said: »Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet.« Three days later they still could not figure out the riddle.


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On the fourth day they said to Samsons wife: »Trick your husband into telling us what the riddle means. If you do not, we will burn your fathers house with you in it. Did you invite us here to rob us?«


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Samsons wife approached him in tears and said: »You do not love me! You just hate me! You told my friends a riddle and did not tell me its meaning!« He said: »I have not told my father and mother. Why should I tell you?«


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She cried about it for the whole seven days of the feast. She nagged him so that on the seventh day he told her what the riddle meant. Then she told the Philistines.


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On the seventh day, before Samson went into the bedroom, the men of the city said to him: »What could be sweeter than honey? What could be stronger than a lion?« Samson replied: »If you had not been plowing with my cow, you would not know the answer now.«


text:
Suddenly the power of Jehovah made him strong. He went to Ashkelon, where he killed thirty men. He stripped them and gave their fine clothes to the men who had solved the riddle. He returned home, furious about what had happened.


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Later Samson went to visit his wife during the wheat harvest and took her a young goat. He told her father: »Let me go to my wife in her room. But he would not let him go in.«


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He told Samson: »I thought that you hated her, so I gave her to your friend. Her younger sister is prettier. You can have her, instead.«


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He caught three hundred foxes. Two at a time, he tied their tails together and put torches in the knots.


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Then he set fire to the torches and turned the foxes loose in the Philistine wheat fields. In this way he burned up both the shocks and the standing grain still in the fields. The olive orchards were also burned.


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When the Philistines asked who had done this, they learned that Samson had done it because his father-in-law, a man from Timnah, had given Samsons wife to a friend of Samsons. So the Philistines burned the woman to death and burned down her fathers house.


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He attacked them fiercely and killed many of them. After that he stayed in the cave in the cliff at Etam.


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The men of Judah asked: »Why do you attack us?« They answered: »We came to take Samson prisoner and to treat him as he treated us.«


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These three thousand men of Judah went to the cave in the cliff at Etam and said to Samson: »Do you know that the Philistines are our rulers? What did you do?« He answered: »I did to them just what they did to me.«


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They replied: »We have come here to tie you up and hand you over to them.« Samson said: »Give me your word that you will not kill me.«


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They said: »We are only going to tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.« So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him back from the cliff.


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When he got to Lehi, the Philistines shouted and ran toward him. Suddenly Jehovahs power made him strong. He broke the ropes around his arms and hands as if they were burnt flax.


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Then Samson said: »With the jawbone of a donkey I piled them in piles. With the jawbone of a donkey I killed a thousand men.«


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When he finished speaking he threw the jawbone away. The place where this happened was named Ramath Lehi.


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Samson became very thirsty. He called to Jehovah: »You gave me this great victory. Will I now die of thirst and be captured by these heathen Philistines?«


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God opened a hollow place in the ground there at Lehi, and water came out of it. Samson drank it and felt better. The spring was named Hakkore. It still exists there at Lehi.


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The people of Gaza discovered that Samson was there. They surrounded the place and waited for him all night long at the city gate. They were quiet all night, thinking: »We will wait until daybreak and kill him.«


text:
However Samson stayed in bed until midnight. He got up and took hold of the city gate and pulled it up, doors, posts, lock, and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them far off to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron.


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The five Philistine kings said to her: »Entice Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him. Tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.«


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Samson answered: »If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, Ill be as weak as anybody else.«


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The Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up.


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She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. They still did not know the secret of his strength.


text:
Delilah told Samson: »You made a fool of me. What is the truth? Please tell me how someone could tie you up.«


text:
Delilah tied him with new ropes. Then she shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« The men were waiting in another room. However he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread.


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Delilah said to Samson: »You still make a fool of me. What is the truth? Tell me how someone could tie you up.« He told her: »If you weave my seven locks of hair into a loom, and make it tight with a peg, I will be weak.«


text:
Delilah lulled him to sleep. She took his seven locks of hair and wove them into the loom. She made it tight with a peg and shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« He woke up and pulled his hair loose from the loom.


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»How can you say you love me,« she asked: »when you do not mean it? You have made a fool of me three times. You still have not told me what makes you strong.«


text:
So finally he told her the truth: »My hair has never been cut,« he said: »I have been dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the time I was born. I would lose my strength if my hair were cut.«


text:
When Delilah realized that he told her the truth, she sent a message to the Philistine kings: »Come back one more time. He told me the truth. They came and brought the money with them.«


text:
Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and called a man, who cut off Samsons seven locks of hair. Then she tormented him, for he had lost his strength.


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She shouted: »Samson! The Philistines are coming!« He woke up and thought: »I will get loose and go free, as always.« He did not know that Jehovah had left him.


text:
The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with copper chains. They put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison.


text:
The Philistine kings met together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said: »Our god gave us victory over our enemy Samson!«


text:
They praised their god and said: »Call Samson, and make him entertain us!« They brought Samson out of the prison and they made him entertain them.


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They forced him to stand between the columns. When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: »Our god gave us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!«


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Samson said to the boy who led him by the hand: »Let me touch the columns that hold up the building. I want to lean on them.«


text:
The building was crowded with men and women. All five Philistine kings were there. There were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching Samson entertain them.


text:
Samson prayed: »Sovereign Lord Jehovah please remember me. Please, God, give me my strength just this one time. With this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes.«


text:
Then Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. He put one hand on each column. He pushed against them.


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Samson shouted: »Let me die with the Philistines!« He pushed with all his might, and the building fell down on the five kings and everyone else. Samson killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life.


text:
His brothers and the rest of his family came to get his body. They took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had been Israels judge for twenty years.


text:
He said to his mother: »When someone stole those eleven hundred pieces of silver from you, you put a curse on the robber. I heard you do it. Look, I have the money. I am the one who took it.« His mother said: »Jehovah blesses you.«


text:
He gave the money back to his mother. She said: »To keep the curse from falling on my son, I myself solemnly dedicate the silver to Jehovah. It will be used to make a wooden idol covered with silver. Now I will give the pieces of silver back to you.«


text:
He returned them to his mother. She took two hundred of the pieces of silver and gave them to a metalworker. The metalworker made an idol, carving it from wood and covering it with the silver. It was placed in Micahs house.


text:
Micah had his own place of worship. He made some idols and an ephod, and appointed one of his sons as his priest.


text:
The man left Bethlehem to find another place to live. While he was traveling, he came to Micahs house in the mountains of Ephraim.


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Micah asked him: »Where do you come from?« He answered: »I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I need a place to live.«


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Micah said: »Stay here with me. Be my adviser and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year along with some clothes, and your food.«


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There was no king in Israel in those days. The tribe of Dan was looking for territory to claim and settle in because they had not yet received any land of their own among the tribes of Israel.


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The people of Dan sent five qualified men out of all the families in the tribe from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol with instructions to explore the land and spy on it. When they arrived in the mountains of Ephraim, they stayed at Micahs house.


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While they were at Micahs house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked: What are you doing here? Who brought you here?


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So the five men left and traveled to the town of Laish. They saw how the people there lived in security like the Sidonians. They were a peaceful, quiet people, with no argument with anyone. They had all they needed. They lived far away from the Sidonians and had nothing to do with any other people.


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They said: »Come and attack Laish. We saw the land, and it is very good. Do not stay here doing nothing. Enter and possess the land.


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»When you go you will find a secure people who do not suspect a thing. It is a big country. God has given it to you and it has all you could want.«


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They went up and camped west of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still called Camp of Dan.


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The five men who had gone to spy on the country around Laish said to their companions: »Did you know that here in one of these houses there is a wooden idol covered with silver? There are also other idols and an ephod. Consider what you should do.«


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The five spies went straight into the house. They took the wooden idol covered with silver, the other idols, and the ephod. The priest stayed at the gate with the six hundred armed men.


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The men went into Micahs house and took the sacred objects. The priest asked them: »What are you doing?«


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They told him: »Be quiet. Do not say a word. Come with us and be our priest and adviser. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?«


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They turned around and started off, with their children, their livestock, and their belongings going ahead.


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They traveled a good way from the house when Micah gathered his neighbors for battle. They caught up with the Danites.


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They shouted at them. The Danites turned around and asked Micah, »What is the problem? Why have you gathered such a company?«


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Micah answered: »What do you mean? You take my priest and the gods that I made, and walk off! What do I have left?«


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The Danites responded: »Do not say anymore or these men will get angry and attack you. You and your whole family would die.«


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They took the things Micah made and the priest who belonged to him and attacked Laish. Laish was a town of peaceful, quiet people in the same valley as Bethrehob. They killed the inhabitants and burned the town.


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There was no one to save them, because Laish was a long way from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any other people. The Danites rebuilt the town and settled down there.


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The Danites set up the idol to be worshiped, and Jonathan, the son of Gershom and grandson of Moses, served as a priest for the Danites. His descendants served as their priests until the people were taken away into exile.


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There was still no king in Israel. There was a Levite who lived in the remote area of Mount Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.


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She was unfaithful to him and went to her fathers house at Bethlehem in Judah. She was there four whole months.


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The man went after her to persuade her to return. He took his servant and two donkeys with him. The woman invited the Levite into the house, and when her father saw him, he gave him a friendly greeting.


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The young womans father insisted that he stay. So he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there.


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The morning of the fourth day they woke up early and prepared to go. But the womans father said to the Levite: Eat first. You will feel better. You can go later.


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The two men sat down and ate and drank together. Then the womans father told him: »Spend the night and enjoy yourself.«


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The Levite got up to go. However the father encouraged him to stay, so he spent another night there.


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The morning of the fifth day he started to leave. The womans father said: »Eat something and wait until later in the day.« The two men ate together.


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When the man, his concubine, and the servant once more started to leave, the father said: »It is almost evening. Please spend the night. It will be dark soon. Stay and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early for the trip and go home.«


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The man did not want to spend another night there. He and his concubine started on their way, with their servant and two donkeys with packsaddles.


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It was late in the day when they came near Jebus <i>that is, Jerusalem</i> . The servant said to his master: »Why not stop and spend the night here in this Jebusite city?«


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They passed by Jebus and continued on their way. It was sunset when they came to Gibeah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.


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They turned off the road to spend the night there. They went into town and sat down in the city square. However no one offered to take them home for the night.


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An old man came by at the end of a days work on the farm. He was originally from the mountains of Ephraim, but he was now living in Gibeah. <i>The other people there were from the tribe of Benjamin.</i>


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The old man saw the traveler in the city square and asked: »Where do you come from? Where are you going?«


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The Levite answered: »We have been in Bethlehem in Judah. We are on our way home deep in the mountains of Ephraim. No one will put us up for the night.


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»We have fodder and straw for our donkeys and we have bread and wine for my concubine and me and for my servant. We have everything we need.«


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The old man said: »Come to my home. You are welcome! I will take care of you. You do not have to spend the night in the square.«


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They were enjoying themselves when suddenly some sexual perverts from the town surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They said to the old man: Bring out the man who came to your house! We want to have sex with him!


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The old man went outside and said to them: »No, my friends! Please! Do not do such an evil, immoral thing! This man is my guest.


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»Here is his concubine and my virgin daughter. I will bring them out now. You can have them. Do whatever you want with them. But do not do such an awful thing to this man!«


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The men would not listen to him. The Levite took his concubine and put her outside with them. They raped her and abused her all night long and did not stop until morning.


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At dawn the woman came and fell down at the door of the old mans house. She was still there when daylight came.


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When her master opened the door that morning to go on his way, he found his concubine lying in front of the house with her hands reaching for the door.


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He said: »Get up and let us go.« But there was no answer. Then he put her body across the donkey and started on his way home.


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When he arrived at his house he got a knife. He took his concubines body and cut it into twelve pieces. He sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.


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Everyone who saw it said: »No such deed has been seen or done since the people of Israel left Egypt! We must do something about this! What will we do?«


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The people of Israel came from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, as well as from the land of Gilead in the east. They were united in Jehovahs presence at Mizpah.


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The leaders of all the tribes of Israel were present at this gathering of Gods people. There were four hundred thousand foot soldiers.


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Now the people of Benjamin heard that all the other Israelites had gathered at Mizpah. The Israelites asked: »Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?«


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»The Levite whose concubine had been murdered answered: »My concubine and I went to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.


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»The men of Gibeah came to get me. They surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me. Instead they raped my concubine, and she died.


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»I took her body and cut it in pieces. Then I sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel for these people have committed an evil and immoral act.


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The people stood together and said: »None of us, whether he lives in a tent or in a house, will go home.


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»One tenth of the men in Israel will provide food for the army. The others will go and punish Gibeah for this immoral act they committed in Israel.«


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The tribes of Israel sent messengers through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin to say: »What is this crime that you have committed?


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»Hand over those perverts in Gibeah, so that we can kill them and remove this evil from Israel.« But the people of Benjamin would not listen to their brothers.


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Besides these, the citizens of Gibeah gathered seven hundred specially chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a strand of hair and never miss.


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Not including the tribe of Benjamin, the well-trained soldiers of Israel numbered four hundred thousand.


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The Israelites went to the house of God at Bethel, and there they asked God: »Which of us should attack the Benjaminites first?« Jehovah answered: »The tribe of Judah.«


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They went to attack the army of Benjamin, and placed the soldiers in battle array to fight against Gibeah.


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The army of Benjamin came out of the city. That day they killed twenty-two thousand Israelite soldiers.


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The Israelite army was encouraged as they placed the soldiers in position again at the place where they put themselves the first day.


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They mourned in the presence of Jehovah until evening. They asked him if they should go again in battle against their brothers the Benjaminites? Jehovahs answer was: »Yes.«


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The second time the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah. This time they killed eighteen thousand trained Israelite soldiers.


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The people of Israel went up to Bethel and mourned. They sat there in Jehovahs presence and fasted until evening. They offered fellowship sacrifices and burned some sacrifices whole in the presence of Jehovah.


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The Ark of the Covenant was there at Bethel in those days. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, was in charge of it.


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The people asked Jehovah: »Should we go to battle against our brothers the Benjaminites again, or should we cease?« Jehovah answered: »Fight. Tomorrow I will give you victory over them.«


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Then for the third straight day they marched against the army of Benjamin. They placed their soldiers in battle position facing Gibeah, as they had done before.


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The Benjaminites came out to fight and were drawn away from the city. Just as before they killed some Israelites in the open country, on the road to Bethel and on the road to Gibeah. They killed about thirty Israelites.


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The Benjaminites said: »They are defeated just as before. But the Israelites planned to retreat and lead them away from the city onto the roads.«


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The main army of the Israelites pulled back and regrouped at Baaltamar. The men surrounding Gibeah suddenly rushed out of hiding in the rocky country around the city.


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Ten thousand, specially chosen men, out of all Israel, attacked Gibeah, and the fighting was fierce. The Benjaminites did not realize they were about to be destroyed.


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Jehovah gave Israel victory over the army of Benjamin. The Israelites killed twenty five thousand one hundred of the enemy that day,


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The Benjaminites knew they were defeated. The main body of the Israelite army had retreated from the Benjaminites. This is because they relied on the men that were hiding around Gibeah.


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The main Israelite army and the men in hiding had a prearranged signal. When they saw a big cloud of smoke going up from the town,


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the Israelites out on the battlefield were to turn around. By this time the Benjaminites had already killed the thirty Israelites. They told themselves: »We have beaten them.«


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The signal appeared. A cloud of smoke rose above the town. The Benjaminites looked behind them to see the whole city going up in flames.


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Then the Israelites turned around. The Benjaminites were thrown into panic because they could see that they were about to be destroyed.


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They retreated from the Israelites. They ran toward the open country and could not escape. They were caught between the main army and the men now coming out of the city. They were destroyed.


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The Israelites trapped the enemy. Without stopping they pursued them as far as a point east of Gibeah. They killed them as they advanced.


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The others turned and ran to the open country to Rimmon Rock. Five thousand of them were killed on the roads. The Israelites continued to pursue the rest to Gidom, killing two thousand.


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Six hundred men were able to escape to the open country to Rimmon Rock. They stayed there four months.


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The Israelites turned back against the rest of the Benjaminites and killed them all, men and women, children and animals as well. They burned every town in the area.


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The Israelites gathered at Mizpah. They made a solemn promise to Jehovah: »None of us will allow a daughter to marry a Benjaminite.«


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The people of Israel went to Bethel and sat there in the presence of God until evening. They lifted their voices and wept bitterly.


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They said: »Jehovah God of Israel, why has this happened? Why is the tribe of Benjamin about to disappear from Israel?«


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The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.


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They asked: »Is there any group out of all the tribes of Israel that did not go to the gathering in Jehovahs presence at Mizpah?« <i>They had taken a solemn oath that anyone who had not gone to Mizpah would be put to death.</i>


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The people of Israel felt sorry for their brothers the Benjaminites. They said: »Israel has lost one of its tribes.


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»We have made a solemn promise to Jehovah that we will not give them any of our daughters. How can we make sure that the remaining men of Benjamin will have wives?«


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When they asked if some group out of the tribes of Israel had not gone to the gathering at Mizpah, they found out that no one from Jabesh in Gilead had been there.


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The assembly sent twelve thousand of their bravest men with the orders: Go kill everyone in Jabesh, including women and children.


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They found four hundred young virgins among the people in Jabesh. They brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.


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The whole assembly sent word to the Benjaminites who were at Rimmon Rock and offered to end the war.


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The Benjaminites came back. And the other Israelites gave them the young women from Jabesh whom they had not killed. But there were not enough of them.


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The people felt sorry for the Benjaminites because Jehovah had broken the unity of the tribes of Israel.


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So the leaders said: »There are no more women in the tribe of Benjamin. What shall we do to provide wives for the men who are left?


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»Israel must not lose one of its twelve tribes. We must find a way for the tribe of Benjamin to survive.


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»We cannot allow them to marry our daughters. We have put a curse on anyone who allows a Benjaminite to marry one of our daughters.«


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They said: »The yearly festival of Jehovah at Shiloh is coming soon. <i>Shiloh is north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and east of the road between Bethel and Shechem.</i> «


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»When the young women of Shiloh come out to dance during the festival, you come out of the vineyards. Each of you should take a wife by force from among them and take her back to the territory of Benjamin with you.


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»If their fathers or brothers come to you and protest, you can tell them: Please let us keep them, because we did not take them from you in battle to be our wives. Since you did not give them to us, you are not guilty of breaking your promise.«


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The Benjaminites did this. Each of them chose a wife from the young women who were dancing at Shiloh and carried her away. They went back to their own territory, rebuilt their towns, and lived there.


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The rest of the Israelites left, and every man went back to his own tribe and family and to his own property.


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There was a famine in the land in the days when the judges ruled. And a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.


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The man was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi, and the two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. They went to Moab and stayed there.


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They took two women of Moab as their wives. One was Orpah and the other Ruth. They made their home there for about ten years.


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Some time later Naomi heard that Jehovah blessed his people by giving them good crops. So she got ready to leave Moab with her daughters-in-law.


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On the way she said to them: »Go back home and stay with your mothers. Jehovah should be as good to you as you have been to me and to those who have died.


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»May Jehovah make it possible for each of you to marry again and have a home.« Then Naomi kissed them good-bye and they cried.


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»You must go back, my daughters,« Naomi replied. »Why do you want to come with me? Do you think I could have sons again for you to marry?


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»Return home, my daughters. I am too old to get married again. Even if I thought there was still hope, and got married and had sons,


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»would you wait for them to grow up? Would this keep you from marrying someone else? No, my daughters, you know that is not possible. Jehovah has turned against me. I feel sorry for you.«


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They started crying again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye and went back home. Ruth held on to her.


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Naomi said to her: »Ruth, your sister-in-law went back to her people and her gods. Go back home with her.


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Ruth replied: »Do not ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.


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»Wherever you die, I will die. That is where I will be buried. May Jehovahs worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!«


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The two of them traveled to Bethlehem. When they arrived at Bethlehem the whole town was excited because of them. The women said: »Is this Naomi?«


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She said: »Do not call me Naomi <i>meaning pleasant</i> . Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life bitter.


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»I went away full, and Jehovah sent me back empty. Why do you give me the name Naomi, seeing that Jehovah has given witness against me, and the Almighty has brought sorrow to me?«


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So Naomi came back out of the country of Moab. Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, came with her. They came to Bethlehem in the first days of the barley harvest.


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Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi: »Now let me go into the fields and pick up the heads of grain after anyone in whose eyes I find favor.« She said to her: »Go, my daughter.«


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So she went and picked up the heads of grain in the field after the cutters. By chance she went into that part of the field owned by Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.


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Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the grain-cutters, »Jehovah is with you.« They answered: »Jehovah gives you his blessing.«


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She said to me: »Let me come into the grain-field and pick up the grain after the cutters.« So she came, and has been here from morning till now, without resting even for a minute.


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Then Boaz said to Ruth: »Listen to me, my daughter; do not go to pick up the grain in another field. Do not leave here, but stay with my servant girls.


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»Keep your eyes on the field the men are harvesting and follow with the girls. I told the men not to touch you. When you are thirsty, drink from the water jars the men keep filled.«


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Then she bowed down on her face to the earth, and said to him: »Why have I found favor in your eyes? For you give me attention and I am a foreigner.«


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Boaz answered: »I have heard about everything you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband. You went away from your father and mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people who are strange to you.


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»May Jehovah reward you for what you have done. May you have a full reward from Jehovah the God of Israel, to whom you have come for protection!«


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Ruth answered: »You are very kind to me, sir. You make me feel better by speaking gently to me, even though I do not even have the standing of one of your servants.«


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At mealtime Boaz said to her: »Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.« So she sat beside the reapers. He served her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.


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She rose to glean. Boaz commanded his servants, saying: »Let her glean among the sheaves, and do not bother her.


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»Pull some heads of grain out of what has been corded up and drop them for her to take. Say no sharp word to her.«


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She gathered the heads of grain till evening. After crushing out the seed, it came to about an ephah of grain.


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She carried it back to town to show her mother-in-law what she gathered. She kept enough for herself and gave Naomi the rest.


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Her mother-in-law said to her: »Where did you gather grain today? Where did you work? Blessed is the man who gave you this attention.« So she gave her mother-in-law an account of where she had been working, and said: »The name of the man with whom I was working today is Boaz.«


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Naomi said to her daughter-in-law: »May Jehovah bless him. The man is kind to the living and to the dead.« Then Naomi admitted to her: »The man is of our family, one of our near relatives.«


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And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law: »It is better, my daughter, for you to go out with his servant girls, so that no danger may come to you in another field.«


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So she kept near the servant girls of Boaz to gather the grain till the cutting of the early grain and the cutting of the late grain was ended. She continued living with her mother-in-law.


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Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her: »My daughter, Should I try to find a secure home for you where you will be well treated?


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»Boaz is of our kindred, with whose servant girls you have been. He winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.


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»Wash and perfume yourself and put on your best clothes. Go down to the floor. Make yourself known to the man after he is done eating and drinking.


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»When he lies down, notice the place where he lies down. Go in, uncover his feet and lay down. He will tell you what you should do.«


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After Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of barley. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.


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He said: »Who are you?« She answered: »I am your servant Ruth. Spread your garment over me, for you are my kinsman.«


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He said: »You are blessed of Jehovah, my daughter: for this kindness is greater than what you showed earlier. You have not pursued younger men, whether poor or rich.


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»And now, my daughter, have no fear. I will do for you whatever you say, for it is clear to all my townspeople that you are a woman of virtue.


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»Rest here tonight. In the morning, if he wants to redeem you, for it is right for a relation to do this, very well, let him do so. But if he will not, then as surely as Jehovah lives, I will do so.«


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She slept there at his feet until morning. She got up before it was light enough for anyone to see. He said: »Do not let anyone know that a woman came to the grain floor.«


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He said: »Take your robe and stretch it out in your hands.« She did so, and he took six measures of grain and put them into it. Then she went back to town.


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When she got back, her mother-in-law asked her: »How did it go with you, my daughter?« And she gave her an account of all that the man did to her.


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She said: »He gave me these six measures of grain, saying, Do not go back to your mother-in-law with nothing in your hands.«


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Naomi said: »Wait until you find out what happened. The man will not rest till he sees this thing through.«


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Boaz went to the public place in the town and sat down. When the kinsman-redeemer came along, the one he had mentioned, Boaz said: »Come here, and sit down.« He came and was seated.


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Then he got ten of the responsible men of the town, and said: »Be seated here. And they took their seats.«


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Then Boaz said to the close relative: »Naomi has come back from the country of Moab. She is offering for a price that bit of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.


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»I am giving you a chance to take it with the approval of those seated here, the responsible men of my people. If you are ready to do what it is right for a relative to do, then do it. If you will not do it, say so to me now. There is no one who has the right to do it but you, and after you, myself.« And he said: »I will do it.«


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Then Boaz said: »On the day when you take this field, you will have to take with it Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, so that you may keep the name of the dead living in his heritage.«


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The near relative said: »I am not able to redeem it for myself, for fear of damaging the heritage I have. You may do it in my place, for I am not able to do it myself.«


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It was the custom for the seller to take off his sandal and give to the buyer to settle a sale or exchange of property. By doing this, Israelites showed that the matter was settled.


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Then Boaz said to the leaders and all the others there: »You are all witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and to his sons Chilion and Mahlon.


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»In addition, Ruth the Moabite, Mahlons widow, becomes my wife. This will keep the property in the dead mans family, and his family line will continue among his people in his hometown. Today you are witnesses to this.«


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The leaders and the others said: »Yes, we are witnesses. May Jehovah make your wife become like Rachel and Leah, who bore many children to Jacob. May you become rich in the clan of Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.


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»May your family be like the family of Perez, the son whom Tamar gave to Judah, from the offspring that Jehovah may give you by this young woman.«


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Boaz took Ruth to be his wife. He slept with her and Jehovah enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son.


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The women said to Naomi: »A blessing on Jehovah. He has not let you be without a near relative. May his name be great in Israel.


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»He will be a giver of new life to you. He will be your comforter when you are old, because your daughter-in-law, who in her love for you is better than seven sons, has given birth to him.«


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Her neighbor women gave it a name. They said: »Naomi has a child.« They gave him the name of Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.


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There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite of the mountains of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph an Ephraimite.


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He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah was the mother of children. Hannah had no children.


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This man went to Shiloh every year to worship and to make offerings to Jehovah of Hosts. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were the priests of Jehovah at Shiloh.


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The day came for Elkanah to make his offering. So he gave a part of the feast to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and daughters.


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He gave a double portion to Hannah. Hannah was very dear to him even though Jehovah had not given her children.


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The other wife did everything possible to make her unhappy. This is because Jehovah had not given her children.


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Year after year when Peninnah went to the Temple of Jehovah, she kept on provoking Hannah. It bothered Hannah so much she wept and did not eat.


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Her husband Elkanah said to her: »Hannah, why are you weeping? Why are you not eating? Why is your heart troubled? Am I not more to you than ten sons?«


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So after they finished eating and drinking in Shiloh Hannah got up. The priest Eli sat by the pillars near the door in the Temple of Jehovah.


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»O Jehovah of Hosts: If you will truly notice the sorrow of your servant. Remember me. Do not turn away from me. If you will give me a son, then I will give him to you, Jehovah, all the days of his life. His hair will never be cut.«


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She prayed silently. Her lips were moving, but she made no sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk.


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»No, I am not drunk,« she answered. »I have not been drinking! I am desperate. I have prayed and poured out my troubles to Jehovah.


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»Do not consider your maidservant a worthless woman. I pray like this because I am miserable and filled with grief.«


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»Let your maidservant find favor in your sight,« she replied. Then she went away, ate some food, and was no longer sad <i>self-concerned</i> .


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The next morning Elkanah and his family got up early. After worshiping Jehovah, they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had intercourse with his wife Hannah and Jehovah answered her prayer.


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So it was that she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel. She explained: »I asked Jehovah for him.«


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The time came again for Elkanah and his family to go to Shiloh and offer to Jehovah the yearly sacrifice and the special sacrifice he promised.


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This time Hannah did not go. She told her husband: As soon as the child is weaned, I will take him to the Temple of Jehovah, where he will stay all his life.


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Elkanah answered: »All right, do what seems best to you. Stay at home until you have weaned him. May Jehovah make your promise come true.« So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her child.


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After she weaned him she took him to Shiloh. She also took a three-year-old bull, a bushel of flour, and a leather bag full of wine. She took Samuel, young as he was, to the Temple of Jehovah at Shiloh.


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Hannah said to him: »My lord. Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to Jehovah.


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»So I am dedicating <i>giving granting</i> him to Jehovah. As long as he lives, he will belong to Jehovah.« Then they worshiped Jehovah there.


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Hannah prayed: »My heart rejoices in Jehovah. My horn <i>strength power</i> is exalted in Jehovah. I speak against <i>mock</i> my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation.


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»Boast no more so proudly. Remove arrogance from your mouth. Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and he measures his actions <i>deeds</i> .


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»Those who were full have hired themselves out for food. The hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven. She who has had many sons has languished.


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»He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to set them among the princes. He causes them to inherit a throne of glory <i>honor</i> . The pillars of the earth are Jehovahs. He sets the world on them.


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»He guards the feet of his holy ones. The wicked are silenced in darkness. Man will not prevail by strength.


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»The adversaries of Jehovah will be broken to pieces. He thunders in the heavens against them. Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn <i>power</i> of His anointed.«


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The priests had a custom with the people. If any man offered sacrifice, the priests servant came while the flesh was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand.


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He stuck it into the pan, kettle, caldron or pot. All that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites that came there.


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Before they burned the fat the priests servant came and said to the man who sacrificed: »Give flesh to roast for the priest. For he will not have boiled flesh from you, but raw!«


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If any man said to him: »Let them burn the fat first, you may take as much as you desire.« Then he would answer him, »No! But you will give it now! If not, I will take it by force.«


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His mother made him a little robe. She brought it to him when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.


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Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said: »May Jehovah give you children from this woman for the loan made to Jehovah.« They returned to their home.


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Jehovah visited Hannah so that she conceived. She bore three sons and two daughters. At the same time the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.


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Eli was very old. He heard everything his sons did to Israel. He heard how they slept with the women who served at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.


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»If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against Jehovah, who will intercede for him?« But his sons did not listen to the voice of their father. Jehovah desired to put them to death.


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A man of God came to Eli. He said: »Thus says Jehovah: Did I plainly appear to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaohs house?


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»Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod in my presences me? Did I give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire from the sons of Israel?


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»Why do you kick at my sacrifice and my offering, which I have commanded in my house? Do you honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?


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»Jehovah, the God of Israel says: I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me all the days of your life.« Now Jehovah says: »Far be it from me. I will honor those who honor me. I will not regard those who think little of me.


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»The days are coming when I will cut off your arm <i>reduce your strength</i> and the arm of your fathers house. No old man shall be in your house!


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»You will see the enemy in my house even though God does good for Israel. There will not be an old man in your house forever.


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»Yet I will keep one of your descendants alive. He will serve me as priest. But he will become blind and lose all hope. All your other descendants will die in the prime of life.


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»Your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will both die on the same day. This will show you a sign that everything I have said will come true.


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»I will choose a priest who will be faithful to me and do everything I desire him to do. I will give him descendants, who will always serve in the presence of my anointed ones forever.


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»Your descendants who survive will have to go to that priest and ask him for money and food, and beg to be allowed to help the priests, in order to have something to eat.«


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When the boy Samuel was serving Jehovah under the direction of Eli, there were very few messages from Jehovah. Visions from him were rare.


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He ran to Eli and said: »Here I am. You called me?« »I did not call you,« Eli replied. »Go back to bed.« So Samuel went back to bed.


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Jehovah called Samuel again. Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said: »Here I am. You called me.« Eli responded: »I did not call you, son. Go back to bed.«


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Samuel had no experience with Jehovah, because the word of Jehovah had not yet been revealed to him.


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Jehovah called Samuel a third time. Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said: »Here I am. You called me!« Eli realized <i>discerned</i> that Jehovah was calling the boy.


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»Go, lie down,« Eli told Samuel. When he calls you, say: »Speak Jehovah I am listening.« So Samuel went back to bed in his room.


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Jehovah came and stood there. He called as he had called the other times: »Samuel! Samuel!« Samuel replied: »Speak! Your servant is listening.«


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Jehovah said to Samuel: »I will do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle.


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»I told him I would hand down a long lasting judgment against his household because he knew about his sons sin. They were cursing God but he did not restrain them.


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»I have taken an oath concerning Elis family line. No offering or sacrifice will ever be able to make peace for the sins that Elis family committed.«


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Samuel remained in bed until morning. Then he opened the doors of Jehovahs house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.


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»What did Jehovah tell you?« He asked. »Please do not hide it from me. May God strike you dead if you hide anything he told you from me.«


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Jehovah continued to appear in Shiloh, since Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh through the word of Jehovah. And Samuel spoke to all Israel.


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Samuels words came to all Israel. Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They camped near Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek.


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The Philistines deployed their troops to meet Israel in battle. The Philistines defeated Israel and killed about four thousand soldiers in the field.


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The army of Israel retreated to their camp. The leaders of Israel asked: »Why has Jehovah used the Philistines to defeat us today? Let us get the Ark of Jehovahs Covenant from Shiloh so that he may be with us and save us from our enemies.«


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They sent men to Shiloh to bring back the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of Hosts who is enthroned over the angels. Elis two sons, Hophni and Phinehas came along with Gods ark.


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When the Philistines heard the noise, they asked: »What is all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?« The Philistines found out that Jehovahs ark was brought 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 are in trouble now! Who will deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with plagues in the desert wilderness.


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»Be strong, Philistines, and conduct your selves like men <i>with courage</i> . 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 thirty thousand Israelite foot soldiers died.


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A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran all the way from the battlefield to Shiloh and arrived there the same day. To show his grief he had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head.


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Eli was very worried about the Ark of the Covenant. He sat besides the road staring. When the man spread the news throughout the town everyone cried out in fear.


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Eli heard the noise and asked: »What is all this noise about?« The man hurried to Eli to tell him the news.


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The man said: »I have escaped from the battle and ran all the way here today.« Eli asked him: »What happened, my son?«


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The messenger answered: »Israel ran away from the Philistines. It was a great slaughter and a terrible defeat for us! Besides that, your sons Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and Gods Ark of the Covenant was captured!«


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When the man mentioned the Ark of God Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He was so old and fat that the fall broke his neck and he died. He was a leader in Israel for forty years.


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Elis daughter-in-law the wife of Phinehas was pregnant. It was almost time for her baby to be born. When she heard that Gods Ark of the Covenant was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she suddenly went into labor and gave birth.


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She too was dying. The women helping her said: »Do not be afraid. You have given birth to a son.« But she did not answer or pay attention.


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She called the boy Ichabod <i>No Glory</i> , saying: »Israels 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 Jehovahs 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 Jehovahs Ark. Dagons head and his two hands were cut off and were lying on the temples threshold. The rest of Dagons body was intact.


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That is why the priests of Dagon and everyone else who enters Dagons temple in Ashdod do not step on the temples threshold, even to this day.


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Jehovah 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. Their God is dealing harshly with our god Dagon and with us.«


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The people of Ashdod called together the Philistine rulers. »What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?« They asked. The rulers said: »The Ark of the God of Israel must be taken to Gath.« So the people took the Ark of the God of Israel there.


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After they had moved it, Jehovah threw the city into a great panic. He struck all the 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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The people of Ekron called for another meeting of the Philistine rulers and told them: »Send this chest back where it belongs. Then it will not kill us.« Everyone was in a panic, because God was causing a lot of people to die.


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the Philistines called in their priests and fortunetellers, and asked: »What should we do with this Ark of Jehovah? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs!«


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They answered: »If you return the Ark of the Covenant of the God of Israel, you must send with it a gift <i>guilt offering</i> to him to pay for your sin. The Ark must not go back without a gift. In this way you will be healed. You will find out why he continues to punish you.«


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»What guilt offering <i>trespass gift</i> shall we send him?« The people asked. They answered: »Five gold models of tumors and five gold mice, one of each for each Philistine king. The same plague was sent on all of you and on the five kings.


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»You must make these models of the tumors and of the mice that are ravaging your country. You must give honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will stop punishing you, your gods, and your land.


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»Why are you as stubborn as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh were? When he did terrible <i>mighty</i> things among them did he let the Israelites go?


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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 Jehovah and put it on the cart. Put the gold objects that you are giving him as a guilt offering in a box beside the Ark. Send the cart on its way.


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»Then watch where it goes. If it goes up the road to its own country toward Beth Shemesh, then this disaster is Jehovahs doing. But if not, we will know it was not his hand that struck us, but what happened to us was an accident.«


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The men did this. They took two milk cows and tied them to the cart. They placed their calves in pens at home.


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They laid the Ark of Jehovah on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.


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The cows went straight ahead to Bethshemesh. They went on the highway lowing as they went. They did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Bethshemesh.


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The people of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. They looked up and saw the ark. They rejoiced to see it.


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The cart came to the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there. There was a great stone. They cut the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Jehovah.


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The Levites removed the cart the Ark of Jehovah and the box that contained the gold objects. They put them on the large rock. The people of Bethshemesh presented burnt offerings and sacrifices to Jehovah that day.


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The Philistines sent the five gold tumors to Jehovah as a gift <i>guilt offering</i> to pay for their sins. They included one for each of the cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.


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They also sent gold mice, one for each of the cities ruled by the five Philistine kings, both the fortified towns and the villages without walls. The large rock in the field of Joshua of Bethshemesh, on which they placed the Ark of Jehovahs Covenant, is still there as a witness to what happened.


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Some of the men of Bethshemesh looked inside the Ark. Jehovah killed seventy of them. This made the people of Bethshemesh very sad.


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They said: »No other God is like Jehovah! Who can go near him and still live? We must send the chest away from here. But where can we send it?«


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They sent messengers to tell the people of Kiriath-Jearim: »The Philistines have returned the Ark of Jehovah. Will you take it and keep it there with you?«


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The people of Kiriath Jearim got the Ark and took it to Abinadabs house on a hill in their town. His son Eleazar took care of it.


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It stayed there for twenty years. During this this long period of time everyone in Israel was very sad and begged Jehovah for help.


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Samuel told the entire nation of Israel: »If you return to Jehovah with all your hearts you must get rid of the foreign gods you have, including the statues of the goddess Astarte. You must dedicate your lives to Jehovah and serve him only. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.«


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Samuel called all the Israelites to meet at Mizpah. He told them: »I will pray to Jehovah for you there.«


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The Israelites gathered at Mizpah. They drew some water, poured it out in front of Jehovah and fasted that day. They confessed: »We have sinned against Jehovah.« So Samuel judged Israel in Mizpah.


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The Philistines heard that the Israelites gathered at Mizpah. So 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: »Do not stop crying to Jehovah our God for us! Ask him to deliver us from the Philistines!«


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Samuel killed a young lamb and burned it whole as a sacrifice to Jehovah. Then he prayed to Jehovah to help Israel. Jehovah answered his prayer.


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While Samuel was offering the burnt sacrifice, the Philistines moved forward to attack. Just then Jehovah thundered from heaven against them. They became completely confused and fled in panic.


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The Israelites marched out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and drove them back as far as Bethcar. They killed them along the way.


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Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He said: »Jehovah helped us all the way.« He named it: »Stone of Help.«


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The Philistines were defeated. Jehovah prevented them from invading Israels territory as long as Samuel lived.


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The cities between Ekron and Gath that the Philistines took from Israel were returned to Israel. 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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The name of his firstborn son was Joel. He named his second son Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.


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The sons did not follow their fathers example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.


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They said: »You are an old man. You set a good example for your sons. But they have not followed it. Now we want a king to be our leader like all the other nations. Choose one for us!«


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Jehovah answered: »Samuel, do everything they want you to do. I am really the one they have rejected as their king.


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»Ever since the day I rescued my people from Egypt, they have turned from me to worship idols. Now they are turning away from you.


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»Listen to them. But be sure to warn them and tell them about the behavior and rights of a king who rules over them.«


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Samuel said: »These are the rights of a king: He will draft your sons and 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 one thousand or over fifty soldiers. He will have them plow his ground and harvest his crops. He will require them to make weapons and equipment for his chariots.


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»He will take away the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials.


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»He will confiscate your male and female slaves, your best cattle, and your donkeys for his own use.


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»You will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. Jehovah will not answer you when that day comes.«


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»We want to be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles.«


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Jehovah answered: »Do what they want. Give them a king.« Then Samuel told all the men of Israel to go back home.


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There was a wealthy and influential man named Kish. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror. He belonged to the family of Becorath, a part of the clan of Aphiah.


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He had a son named Saul. Saul was a handsome young man in the prime of life. Saul was a foot taller than anyone else in Israel and more handsome as well.


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Some donkeys belonging to Kish wandered off. He said to Saul: »Take one of the servants with you and look for the donkeys.«


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They went through the mountains of Ephraim and the region of Shalishah, but did not find them. They went on through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then they went through the territory of Benjamin, but still did not find them.


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When they came to the territory of Zuph, Saul told his servant who was with him: »Let us go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us instead.«


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The servant responded: »Theres a man of God in this city, a highly respected man. Everything he says is sure to happen. Let us go there. Maybe he will tell us which way we should go.«


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Saul said: »How can we talk to the prophet when I do not have anything to give him? We do not even have any food left in our sacks. What can we give him?«


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»I have a small piece of silver,« the servant answered. »We can give him that. Then he will tell us where to look for the donkeys.«


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Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask God a question, he would say: »Come; lets go to the seer.« This is because a prophet used to be called a seer.


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Saul told his servant: »That is a good idea! Come on let us go.« They went to the city where the man of God was.


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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 is there ahead of you. Hurry! He just went into the city today since the people are offering a sacrifice at 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. He blesses the sacrifice. Then those who are invited may eat. You should be able to find him now.«


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Saul and his servant went to the city. Samuel was coming toward them as they entered. He was on his way to the worship site.


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»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. I have seen my people suffering and their cry has reached me.«


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Samuel noticed Saul. Jehovah told him: »There is the man I told you about. This man will govern my people.«


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Samuel replied: »Im the seer. Go ahead of me to the worship site. You will eat with me today. In the morning I will let you go after I tell you all that is on your mind.


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»Do not trouble yourself about the donkeys that were lost three days ago. They have been found. Who will have all that is desirable in Israel? Will it be you and your fathers family?«


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Saul replied: »I am a man from the tribe of Benjamin. It is the smallest tribe of Israel. My family is the most insignificant of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Why are you saying such things to me?«


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Samuel brought Saul and his servant to the banquet hall. They sat down at the head of thirty guests.


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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 set aside.«


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The cook picked up the leg and thigh and laid it in front of Saul. Samuel said: This was set apart for you. Eat it. When I invited people to the feast, I set it aside for you. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.


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At dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof: »Get up! It is time for me to send you away.« Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside.


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As they traveled toward the city limits, Samuel told Saul: »Have the servant go ahead of you.« He went ahead. »You stay here, and I will tell you Gods word.«


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Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Sauls head. He kissed him and said: »Jehovah has anointed you to be ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people. You will save them from all their enemies. This will be the sign that Jehovah has anointed you to be ruler of his people.


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»When you leave me today two men will be at Rachels grave on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you: We have found the donkeys you are looking for. Your father no longer cares about them. Instead he is worried about you. He keeps asking: What can I do to find my son?«


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»You will go from there until you find the oak tree of Tabor. You will see three men going up to God to Bethel. One will have three young goats and another three cakes of bread and another a skin full of wine:


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»They will say: Peace be with you. They will give you two cakes of bread that you should take from them.


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»After that you will come to Gibeah, the hill of God, where an armed force of the Philistines is stationed. When you come to the town, you will see a band of prophets coming down from the high place with instruments of music before them. They will be acting like prophets:


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»The Spirit of Jehovah will come upon you with power. You will be acting like a prophet with them, and will be changed into a different person.


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»Go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to sacrifice burnt offerings and make fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to tell you what to do.«


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When Saul came to the hill a group of prophets came to meet him. Gods Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them.


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All those who knew him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets. They asked one another: »What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets?«


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A man from that place asked: »Who is their father?« So it became a proverb: »Is Saul one of the prophets?«


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Sauls uncle asked him and his servant: »Where did you go?« Saul answered: »To look for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel.«


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»He assured us the donkeys had been found,« Saul answered his uncle. But Saul did not tell him what Samuel said about his becoming king.


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He said to the Israelites: »This is what Jehovah 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.


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»You have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and distresses. You said to him: »No! Place a king over us. Now then, stand in front of Jehovah by your tribes and family groups.« «


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He had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families. The family of Matri <i>Matrites</i> was chosen. Then Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. They looked for him but could not find him.


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They asked Jehovah again: »Has he arrived here yet?« Jehovah answered: »Hes hiding among the baggage.«


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They ran and got him from there. He stood among the people and was a head taller than everyone else.


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Samuel asked the people: »Do you see whom Jehovah has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.« Then all the people shouted: »Long live the king!«


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Samuel explained the laws concerning kingship to the people. He wrote the laws on a scroll, which he placed in front of Jehovah. Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes.


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Some good-for-nothing people asked: »How can this man save us?« They despised him and would not bring him presents. He did not respond.


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Nahash the Ammonite came up and put his forces in position for attacking Jabesh in Gilead. The men of Jabesh said to Nahash: »Make an agreement with us and we will be your servants.«


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Nahash answered: »I will make a treaty with you on one condition. I will put out everyones right eye and so bring disgrace on all Israel.«


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The elders of Jabesh said: »Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the land of Israel. If no one will help us, then we will surrender to you.«


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The messengers arrived at Gibeah where Saul lived. When they told the news, the people started crying in despair.


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Just then Saul came from the field from behind some oxen. »Why are these people crying?« Saul asked. They told him the news about the men of Jabesh.


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Saul took a pair of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the territory of Israel with the following message: »This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle.« The people were afraid of Jehovah. They came out united behind Saul.


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When Saul counted them at Bezek, there were three hundred thousand troops from Israel and thirty thousand troops from Judah.


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They told the messengers: »This is what you are to say to the men of Jabesh in Gilead: Tomorrow, by the time the sun gets hot, you will be rescued.« When the men of Jabesh received the message, they were overjoyed.


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They said to Nahash the Ammonite: »Tomorrow we will surrender to you. You may do to us whatever you think is right.«


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The next day Saul arranged the army in three divisions. They came into the Ammonite camp during the morning hours. They continued to defeat the Ammonites until it got hot that day. The survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.


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The people asked Samuel: »Who said: Saul should not rule us? Let us have them, and we will kill them.«


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Then Samuel said to the people: »Come to Gilgal. Let us make the kingdom strong in the hands of Saul.«


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So all the people went to Gilgal. In Gilgal they made Saul king before Jehovah. Peace offerings were offered before Jehovah. Saul and all the men of Israel were glad with great joy.


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Samuel said to all Israel: »I listened to everything you said to me and established a king over you.


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»Now you have a king as your leader. I am old and gray and my sons are with you. I walked before you <i>served as your leader</i> from childhood until this day.


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»Here I am! Testify against me before Jehovah and before his anointed one. Whose bull have I stolen? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheated anyone? Have I oppressed any? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make it right.«


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The people answered: »You have not cheated us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from anyone.«


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Samuel replied: »Jehovah and the king he has chosen are witnesses today that you have found me to be completely innocent«. They answered: »That is right, Jehovah is our witness!«


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»Now stand where you are. I will judge you before Jehovah by reminding you of all the mighty actions Jehovah did to save you and your ancestors.


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»When Jacob and his family went to Egypt the Egyptians oppressed them. Your ancestors cried to Jehovah for help. He sent Moses and Aaron, who brought them out of Egypt and settled them in this land.


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»But the people forgot Jehovah their God. So he let the Philistines and the king of Moab and Sisera, commander of the army of the city of Hazor, fight against your ancestors and conquer them.


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»Again they cried to Jehovah for help! They said: We have sinned, because we turned away from you, Jehovah. We worshiped the idols of the Baals and the Ashtoreth <i>Greek: Astarte</i> . Rescue us from our enemies. We will worship you!«


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»Jehovah sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and finally me. Each of us rescued you from your enemies. You lived in safety.


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»But when you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was about to attack you, you rejected Jehovah as your king. You said to me: We want a <i>human</i> king to rule us.«


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»All will go well with you if you honor Jehovah your God, serve him, listen to him, and obey his commands. If you and your king follow Jehovah all will be well.


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»But if you do not listen to Jehovah but disobey his commands, he will be against you and your king. He was against your fathers because they disobeyed.


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»It is the dry season and the wheat harvest. I will pray and Jehovah will send thunder and rain. When this happens, you will realize that you committed a great sin against Jehovah when you asked him for a king.«


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Samuel prayed. That same day Jehovah sent thunder and rain. Then all the people became afraid of Jehovah and of Samuel.


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They said to Samuel: »Please pray to Jehovah your God for us, that we will not die. We now realize that we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a <i>human</i> king.«


