# verses

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The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement on behalf of the Nazirite, since he sinned because of the corpse. On that day he must consecrate his head [again].


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He is to rededicate his time of consecration to the LORD and to bring a year-old male lamb as a restitution offering. But do not count the previous period, because his consecrated hair became defiled.


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This is the law of the Nazirite: On the day his time of consecration is completed, he must be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.


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He is to present an offering to the LORD of one unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, one unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, one unblemished ram as a fellowship offering,


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along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil.


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The priest is to present [these] before the LORD and sacrifice the Nazirite's sin offering and burnt offering.


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He will also offer the ram as a fellowship sacrifice to the LORD, together with the basket of unleavened bread. Then the priest will offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.


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The Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair from his head, and put [it] on the fire under the fellowship sacrifice.


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The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put [them] into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.


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The priest is to wave them as a presentation offering before the LORD. It is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.


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This is the ritual of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD for his consecration, in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes in keeping with the ritual for his consecration."


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On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils. After he anointed and consecrated these things,


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the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestral houses, presented [an offering]. They were the tribal leaders who supervised the registration.


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They brought as their offering before the LORD six covered carts and 12 oxen, a cart from every two leaders and an ox from each one, and presented them in front of the tabernacle.


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Accept [these] from them to be used in the work of the tent of meeting, and give this offering to the Levites, to each [division] according to their service."


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and gave the Merarites four carts and eight oxen corresponding to their service, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.


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But he did not give [any] to the Kohathites, since their responsibility was service related to the holy objects carried on their shoulders.


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The leaders also presented the dedication gift for the altar when it was anointed. The leaders presented their offerings in front of the altar.


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The LORD told Moses, "Each day have one leader present his offering for the dedication of the altar."


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The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah.


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His offering was one silver dish weighing three and a quarter pounds and one silver basin weighing one and three-quarter pounds, [measured] by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.


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As his offering, he presented one silver dish weighing three and a quarter pounds and one silver basin weighing one and three-quarter pounds, [measured] by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.


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and two bulls, five rams, five male breeding goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.


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This was the dedication gift from the leaders of Israel for the altar when it was anointed: 12 silver dishes, 12 silver basins, and 12 gold bowls.


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Each silver dish [weighed] three and a quarter pounds, and each basin one and three-quarter pounds. The total [weight] of the silver articles was 60 pounds [measured] by the standard sanctuary shekel.


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The 12 gold bowls full of incense each [weighed] four ounces [measured] by the standard sanctuary shekel. The total [weight] of the gold bowls was three pounds.


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All the livestock for the burnt offering totaled 12 bulls, 12 rams, and 12 male lambs a year old, with their grain offerings, and 12 male goats for the sin offering.


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All the livestock for the fellowship sacrifice totaled 24 bulls, 60 rams, 60 male breeding goats, and 60 male lambs a year old. This was the dedication gift for the altar after it was anointed.


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When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him [that way].


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Speak to Aaron and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light in front of the lampstand."


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So Aaron did this; he set up its lamps [to give light] in front of the lampstand just as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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This is the way the lampstand was made: it was a hammered work of gold, hammered from its base to its flower petals. The lampstand was made according to the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.


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This is what you must do to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.


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They are to take a young bull and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.


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Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the LORD's work.


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Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites.


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You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the LORD as a presentation offering.


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In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to Me.


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After that the Levites may come to serve [at] the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering.


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For they have been exclusively assigned to Me from the Israelites. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn.


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For every firstborn among the Israelites is Mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to Myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.


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From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary."


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Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did [this] to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the LORD commanded Moses regarding the Levites.


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The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them before the LORD as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to ceremonially cleanse them.


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After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.


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In regard to the Levites: From 25 years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting.


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He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties."


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In the first month of the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, the LORD told Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai:


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You must observe it at its appointed time on the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; you are to observe it according to all its statutes and ordinances."


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and they observed it in the first month on the fourteenth day at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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But there were [some] men who were unclean because of a human corpse, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. These men came before Moses and Aaron the same day


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and said to him, "We are unclean because of a human corpse. Why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD's offering at its appointed time with the [other] Israelites?"


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Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the LORD.


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Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs;


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they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.


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But the man who is ceremonially clean, is not on a journey, and yet fails to observe the Passover is to be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD's offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.


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If a foreigner resides with you and wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreign resident and the native of the land."


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On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning.


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Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped.


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At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at the LORD's command they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped.


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Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites carried out the LORD's requirement and did not set out.


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Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for [only] a few days. They would camp at the LORD's command and set out at the LORD's command.


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Sometimes the cloud remained [only] from evening until morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Or if it remained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lifted.


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Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out.


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They camped at the LORD's command, and they set out at the LORD's command. They carried out the LORD's requirement according to His command through Moses.


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When both are sounded in long blasts, the entire community is to gather before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting.


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However, if one is sounded, only the leaders, the heads of Israel's clans, are to gather before you.


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When you sound short blasts a second time, the camps pitched on the south are to set out. Short blasts are to be sounded for them to set out.


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The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. Your use of these is a permanent statute throughout your generations.


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When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who is attacking you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and be delivered from your enemies.


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You are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your fellowship sacrifices and on your joyous occasions, your appointed festivals, and the beginning of each of your months. They will serve as a reminder for you before your God: I am the LORD your God."


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During the second year, in the second month on the twentieth [day] of the month, the cloud was lifted up above the tabernacle of the testimony.


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The Israelites traveled on from the Wilderness of Sinai, moving from one place to the next until the cloud stopped in the Wilderness of Paran.


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The military divisions of the camp of Judah with their banner set out first, and Nahshon son of Amminadab was over Judah's divisions.


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The tabernacle was then taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting the tabernacle.


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The military divisions of the camp of Reuben with their banner set out, and Elizur son of Shedeur was over Reuben's division.


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The Kohathites then set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.


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Next the military divisions of the camp of Ephraim with their banner set out, and Elishama son of Ammihud was over Ephraim's division.


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The military divisions of the camp of Dan with their banner set out, serving as rearguard for all the camps, and Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over Dan's division.


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Moses said to Hobab, son of Moses' father-in-law Reuel the Midianite: "We're setting out for the place the LORD promised: 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel."


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Please don't leave us," Moses said, "since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes.


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They set out from the mountain of the LORD on a three-day journey to seek a resting place for them, with the ark of the LORD's covenant traveling ahead of them for the three days.


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Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say: Arise, LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and those who hate You flee from Your presence.


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Now the people began complaining openly before the LORD about hardship. When the LORD heard, His anger burned, and the fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.


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Contemptible people among them had a strong craving [for other food]. The Israelites cried again and said, "Who will feed us meat?


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We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.


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The people walked around and gathered [it]. They ground [it] on a pair of grinding stones or crushed [it] in a mortar, then boiled [it] in a cooking pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a pastry cooked with the finest oil.


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Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents. The LORD was very angry; Moses was also provoked.


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So Moses asked the LORD, "Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people?


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Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, 'Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,' to the land that You swore to [give] their fathers?


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If You are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now. If You are pleased with me, don't let me see my misery [any more]."


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The LORD answered Moses, "Bring Me 70 men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you.


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Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put [the Spirit] on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.


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Tell the people: Purify yourselves [in readiness] for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you cried before the LORD: 'Who will feed us meat? We really had it good in Egypt.' The LORD will give you meat and you will eat.


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but for a whole month-- until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you-- because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, and cried to Him: 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'"


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But Moses replied, "I'm in the middle of a people with 600,000 foot soldiers, yet You say, 'I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.'


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If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?"


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The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's power limited? You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you."


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Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. He brought 70 men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.


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Then the LORD descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed [the Spirit] on the 70 elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again.


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Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them-- they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent-- and they prophesied in the camp.


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But Moses asked him, "Are you jealous on my account? If only all the LORD's people were prophets, and the LORD would place His Spirit on them."


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A wind sent by the LORD came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped [them] at the camp all around, three feet off the ground, about a day's journey in every direction.


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The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail-- the one who took the least gathered 33 bushels-- and they spread them out all around the camp.


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While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the LORD's anger burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a very severe plague.


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So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved [the meat].


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Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman).


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They said, "Does the LORD speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?" And the LORD heard [it].


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Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "You three come out to the tent of meeting." So the three of them went out.


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Then the LORD descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward,


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He said: "Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the LORD, I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.


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I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?"


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As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam's [skin] suddenly became diseased, as [white] as snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased


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Please don't let her be like a dead [baby] whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb."


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The LORD answered Moses, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in."


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So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in.


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Send men to scout out the land of Canaan I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes."


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Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the LORD's command. All the men were leaders in Israel.


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These were the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and Moses renamed Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua.


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When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, "Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country.


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Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land." It was the season for the first ripe grapes.


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So they went up and scouted out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob near the entrance to Hamath.


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They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were living. Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.


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When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which was carried on a pole by two men. [They] also [took] some pomegranates and figs.


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That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster [of grapes] the Israelites cut there.


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The men went back to Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for them and the whole community, and they showed them the fruit of the land.


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They reported to Moses: "We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit.


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However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there.


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The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan."


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Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, "We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!"


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But the men who had gone up with him responded, "We can't go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!"


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So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: "The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size.


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We even saw the Nephilim there." (The offspring of Anak were descended from the Nephilim.) "To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them."


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All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!


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Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"


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Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces [to the ground] in front of the whole assembly of the Israelite community.


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Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes


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and said to the entire Israelite community: "The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land.


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If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us.


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Only don't rebel against the LORD, and don't be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us. Don't be afraid of them!"


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While the whole community threatened to stone them, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.


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The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them?


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I will strike them with a plague and destroy them. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are."


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But Moses replied to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it, for by Your strength You brought up this people from them.


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They will tell [it to] the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people, how You, Lord, are seen face to face, how Your cloud stands over them, and how You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.


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'Since the LORD wasn't able to bring this people into the land He swore to [give] them, He has slaughtered them in the wilderness.'


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The LORD is slow to anger and rich in faithful love, forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion. But He will not leave [the guilty] unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children to the third and fourth generation.


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Please pardon the wrongdoing of this people in keeping with the greatness of Your faithful love, just as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now."


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none of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tested Me these 10 times and did not obey Me,


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will ever see the land I swore to [give] their fathers. None of those who have despised Me will see it.


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But since My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me completely, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it.


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Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the lowlands, turn back tomorrow and head for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea."


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How long [must I endure] this evil community that keeps complaining about Me? I have heard the Israelites' complaints that they make against Me.


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Your corpses will fall in this wilderness-- all of you who were registered [in the census], the entire number of you 20 years old or more-- because you have complained about Me.


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I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.


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I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it.


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Your children will be shepherds in the wilderness for 40 years and bear the penalty for your acts of unfaithfulness until all your corpses lie [scattered] in the wilderness.


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You will bear the consequences of your sins 40 years based on the number of the 40 days that you scouted the land, a year for each day. You will know My displeasure.


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I, the LORD, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against Me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die."


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So the men Moses sent to scout out the land, and who returned and incited the entire community to complain about him by spreading a bad report about the land--


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Only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive of those men who went to scout out the land.


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They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, "Let's go to the place the LORD promised, for we were wrong."


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The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The LORD won't be with you, since you have turned from following Him."


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But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the LORD's covenant and Moses did not leave the camp.


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Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that [part of the] hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah.


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and you make a fire offering to the LORD from the herd or flock-- either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals-- to produce a pleasing aroma for the LORD,


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the one presenting his offering to the LORD must also present a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of oil.


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If you prepare a grain offering with a ram, it must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon of oil.


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If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to the LORD,


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a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with two quarts of oil must be presented with the bull.


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Also present two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It is a fire offering of pleasing aroma to the LORD.


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Every Israelite is to prepare these things in this way when he presents a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.


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When a foreigner resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations.


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The assembly is to have the same statute for both you and the foreign resident as a permanent statute throughout your generations. You and the foreigner will be alike before the LORD.


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You are to offer a loaf from your first batch of dough as a contribution; offer it just like a contribution from the threshing floor.


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Throughout your generations, you are to give the LORD a contribution from the first batch of your dough.


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all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses, from the day the LORD issued the commands and onward throughout your generations--


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and if it was done unintentionally without the community's awareness, the entire community is to prepare one young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.


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The priest must then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven, for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, one made by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their unintentional sin.


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The entire Israelite community and the foreigner who resides among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.


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The priest must then make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven.


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You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you.


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But the person who acts defiantly, whether native or foreign resident, blasphemes the LORD. That person is to be cut off from his people.


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He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the LORD's word and broken His command; his guilt remains on him."


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Then the LORD told Moses, "The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp."


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So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at [each] corner.


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These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the LORD's commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes.


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I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD your God."


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Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took


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250 prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses.


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They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"


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Then he said to Korah and all his followers, "Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him, who is set apart, and [the one] He will let come near Him. He will let the one He chooses come near Him.


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place fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!"


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Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to Himself, to perform the work at the LORD's tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them?


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He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.


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Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should complain about him?"


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Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us?


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Furthermore, you didn't bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!"


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Then Moses became angry and said to the LORD, "Don't respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them."


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So Moses told Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow-- you, they, and Aaron.


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Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the LORD-- 250 firepans. You and Aaron [are] each [to present] your firepan also."


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Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.


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After Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community.


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But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, "God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will you vent Your wrath on the whole community?"


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


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So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, children, and infants.


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Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will:


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If these men die [naturally] as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the LORD has not sent me.


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But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD."


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The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah's people, and all [their] possessions.


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They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.


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At their cries, all [the people of Israel] who were around them fled because they thought, "The earth may swallow us too!"


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Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away.


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As for the firepans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they presented them before the LORD, and the firepans are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites."


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So Eleazar the priest took the bronze firepans that those who were burned had presented, and they were hammered into plating for the altar,


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just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. It was to be a reminder for the Israelites that no unauthorized person outside the lineage of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD and become like Korah and his followers.


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The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the LORD's people!"


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When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the LORD's glory appeared.


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Then Moses told Aaron, "Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the LORD; the plague has begun."


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So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people.


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But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident.


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Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted.


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Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral house, 12 staffs from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man's name on his staff.


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


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The staff of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the Israelites' complaints that they have been making about you."


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So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each of the leaders of their ancestral houses, 12 staffs [in all]. Aaron's staff was among them.


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The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds!


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Moses then brought out all the staffs from the LORD's presence to all the Israelites. They saw [them], and each man took his own staff.


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The LORD told Moses, "Put Aaron's rod back in front of the testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebels, so that you may put an end to their complaints before Me, or else they will die."


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The LORD said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your ancestral house will be responsible for sin against the sanctuary. You and your sons will be responsible for sin involving your priesthood.


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But also bring your brothers with you from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, so they may join you and serve with you and your sons in front of the tent of the testimony.


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They are to perform duties for you and for the whole tent. They must not come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar; otherwise, both they and you will die.


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They are to join you and guard the tent of meeting, doing all the work at the tent, but no unauthorized person may come near you.


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Look, I have selected your fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift for you, assigned by the LORD to work at the tent of meeting.


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But you and your sons will carry out your priestly responsibilities for everything concerning the altar and for what is inside the veil, and you will do that work. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but an unauthorized person who comes near [the sanctuary] will be put to death."


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Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, "Look, I have put you in charge of the contributions brought to Me. As for all the holy offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a perpetual statute.


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A portion of the holiest offerings [kept] from the fire will be yours; every one of their offerings that they give Me, whether the grain offering, sin offering, or restitution offering will be most holy for you and your sons.


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The contribution of their gifts also belongs to you. I have given all the Israelites' presentation offerings to you and to your sons and daughters as a perpetual statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your house may eat it.


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I am giving you all the best of the fresh olive oil, new wine, and grain, which the Israelites give to the LORD as their firstfruits.


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The firstfruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, belong to you. Every clean person in your house may eat them.


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The firstborn of every living thing, man or animal, presented to the LORD belongs to you. But you must certainly redeem the firstborn of man, and redeem the firstborn of an unclean animal.


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You will pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five shekels of silver by the standard sanctuary shekel, which is 20 gerahs.


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However, you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a fire offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD.


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But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh.


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I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the LORD as a perpetual statute. It is a perpetual covenant of salt before the LORD for you as well as your offspring."


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The LORD told Aaron, "You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.


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Look, I have given the Levites every tenth in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting.


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The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the [consequences] of their sin. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites; this is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.


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For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the LORD as a contribution for [their] inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites."


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Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD-- a tenth of the tenth.


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Your offering will be credited to you as if [it were your] grain from the threshing floor or the full harvest from the winepress.


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You are to present an offering to the LORD from every tenth you receive from the Israelites. Give some of it to Aaron the priest as an offering to the LORD.


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You must present the entire offering due the LORD from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth is to be consecrated.


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Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress,


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then you and your household may eat it anywhere. It is your wage in return for your work at the tent of meeting.


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You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites' holy offerings, so that you will not die."


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This is the legal statute that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red cow that has no defect and has never been yoked.


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Give it to Eleazar the priest, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence.


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


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The cow must be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood, are to be burned along with its dung.


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The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson yarn, and throw [them] onto the fire where the cow is burning.


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Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.


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The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will remain unclean until evening.


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A man who is clean is to gather up the cow's ashes and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place. The ashes must be kept by the Israelite community for [preparing] the water [to remove] impurity; it is a sin offering.


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Then the one who gathers up the cow's ashes must wash his clothes, and he will remain unclean until evening. This is a perpetual statute for the Israelites and for the foreigner who resides among them.


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He is to purify himself with the water on the third day and the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean.


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Anyone who touches a body of a person who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person will be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean because the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, and his uncleanness is still on him.


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This is the law when a person dies in a tent: everyone who enters the tent and everyone who is [already] in the tent will be unclean for seven days,


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Anyone in the open field who touches a person who has been killed by the sword or has died, or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.


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For [the purification of] the unclean person, they are to take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering, [put them] in a jar, and add fresh water to them.


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A person who is clean is to take hyssop, dip [it] in the water, and sprinkle the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, a corpse, or a person who had been killed.


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The one who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and the seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being purified must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and he will be clean by evening.


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But a person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.


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This is a perpetual statute for them. The person who sprinkles the water for impurity is to wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water for impurity will be unclean until evening.


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Anything the unclean person touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches [it] will be unclean until evening."


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The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.


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The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD.


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Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It's not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!"


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Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces [to the ground], and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.


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Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock."


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Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?"


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Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.


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But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them."


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These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness to them.


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Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, "This is what your brother Israel says, 'You know all the hardships that have overtaken us.


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Our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many years, but the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.


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When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an Angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your territory.


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Please let us travel through your land. We won't travel through [any] field or vineyard, or drink [any] well water. We will travel the King's Highway; we won't turn to the right or the left until we have traveled through your territory.'"


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But Edom answered him, "You must not travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with the sword."


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We will go on the main road," the Israelites replied to them, "and if we or our herds drink your water, we will pay its price. There will be no problem; only let us travel through on foot."


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Yet Edom insisted, "You must not travel through." And they came out to confront them with a large force of heavily-armed people.


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Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will not enter the land I have given the Israelites, because you both rebelled against My command at the waters of Meribah.


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Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered [to his people] and die there."


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After Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.


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When the whole community saw that Aaron had passed away, the entire house of Israel mourned for him 30 days.


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When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the Atharim road, he fought against Israel and captured some prisoners.


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Then Israel made a vow to the LORD, "If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will completely destroy their cities."


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The LORD listened to Israel's request, the Canaanites were defeated, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So they named the place Hormah.


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Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the people became impatient because of the journey.


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The people spoke against God and Moses: "Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!"


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Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit them so that many Israelites died.


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The people then came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so that He will take the snakes away from us." And Moses interceded for the people.


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Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake [image] and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will recover.


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So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. Whenever someone was bitten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he recovered.


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They set out from there and camped on the other side of the Arnon [River], in the wilderness that extends from the Amorite border, because the Arnon was the Moabite border between Moab and the Amorites.


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Therefore it is stated in the Book of the LORD's Wars: Waheb in Suphah and the ravines of the Arnon,


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From there [they went] to Beer, the well the LORD told Moses about, "Gather the people so I may give them water."


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The princes dug the well; The nobles of the people hollowed it out with a scepter and with their staffs. [They went] from the wilderness to Mattanah,


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from Bamoth to the valley in the territory of Moab near the Pisgah highlands that overlook the wasteland.


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Let us travel through your land. We won't go into the fields or vineyards. We won't drink [any] well water. We will travel the King's Highway until we have traveled through your territory."


text:
But Sihon would not let Israel travel through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel.


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Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, [but only up] to the Ammonite border, because it was fortified.


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Israel took all the cities and lived in all these Amorite cities, including Heshbon and all its villages.


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Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon.


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For fire came out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of Arnon's heights.


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Woe to you, Moab! You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the Amorite king.


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We threw them down; Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon. We caused desolation as far as Nophah, which reaches as far as Medeba.


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After Moses sent spies to Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.


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Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan came out against them with his whole army to do battle at Edrei.


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But the LORD said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon."


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So they struck him, his sons, and his whole army until no one was left, and they took possession of his land.


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So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field." Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab's king at that time,


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he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. Balak said to him: "Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land and are living right across from me.


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Please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed."


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The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and reported Balak's words to him.


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He said to them, "Spend the night here, and I will give you the answer the LORD tells me." So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.


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'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.'"


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Then God said to Balaam, "You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed."


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So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak's officials, "Go back to your land, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you."


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They came to Balaam and said to him, "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: 'Let nothing keep you from coming to me,


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for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me!'"


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But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the LORD my God to do [anything] small or great.


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Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me."


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God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you."


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But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.


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When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing on the path with a drawn sword in His hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path.


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Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side.


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The donkey saw the Angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam's foot against it. So he hit her once again.


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The Angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left.


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When the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.


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Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she asked Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"


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Balaam answered the donkey, "You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I'd kill you now!"


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But the donkey said, "Am I not the donkey you've ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?" "No," he replied.


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Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the path with a drawn sword in His hand. Balaam knelt and bowed with his face [to the ground].


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The Angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because what you are doing is evil in My sight.


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The donkey saw Me and turned away from Me these three times. If she had not turned away from Me, I would have killed you by now and let her live."


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Balaam said to the Angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that You were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in Your sight, I will go back."


text:
Then the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you." So Balaam went with Balak's officials.


text:
When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory.


text:
Balak asked Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?"


text:
Balaam said to him, "Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth."


text:
In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him to Bamoth-baal. From there he saw the outskirts of the people's camp.


text:
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me."


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Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the LORD will meet with me. I will tell you whatever He reveals to me." So he went to a barren hill.


text:
God met with him and Balaam said to Him, "I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar."


text:
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.


text:
Balaam proclaimed his poem: Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains: "Come, put a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel!"


text:
I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations.


text:
Who has counted the dust of Jacob or numbered the dust clouds of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright; let the end of my [life] be like theirs.


text:
What have you done to me?" Balak asked Balaam. "I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed [them]!"


text:
Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won't see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me."


text:
So Balak took him to Lookout Field on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.


text:
The LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then He said, "Return to Balak and say what I tell you."


text:
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the LORD say?"


text:
God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?


text:
He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and there is rejoicing over the King among them.


text:
There is no magic curse against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said about Jacob and Israel, "What [great things] God has done!"


text:
A people rise up like a lioness; They rouse themselves like a lion. They will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.


text:
Again Balak said to Balaam, "Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there."


text:
Since Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned toward the wilderness.


text:
and he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,


text:
the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls [into a trance] with [his] eyes uncovered:


text:
they stretch out like river valleys, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the water.


text:
Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be by abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.


text:
God brought him out of Egypt; He is like the horns of a wild ox for them. He will feed on enemy nations and gnaw their bones; he will strike [them] with his arrows.


text:
He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness-- who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.


text:
Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, "I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed [them these three times].


text:
If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the LORD's command, to do [anything] good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the LORD says.


text:
Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future."


text:
Then he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;


text:
the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God and has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls [into a trance] with [his] eyes uncovered:


text:
I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.


text:
Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant.


text:
Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem: Amalek was first among the nations, but his future is destruction.


text:
Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem: Your dwelling place is enduring; your nest is set in the cliffs.


text:
Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will afflict Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction.


text:
While Israel was staying in Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.


text:
The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods.


text:
The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel."


text:
An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.


text:
When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw [this], he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,


text:
followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman-- through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped,


text:
Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal.


text:
It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites."


text:
The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite ancestral house.


text:
The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian.


text:
For they attacked you with the treachery that they used against you in the Peor incident. They did the same in the case involving their sister Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite leader who was killed the day the plague came at Peor."


text:
Take a census of the entire Israelite community by their ancestral houses of those 20 years old or more who can serve in Israel's army."


text:
So Moses and Eleazar the priest said to them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho,


text:
[Take a census of] those 20 years old or more, as the LORD had commanded Moses and the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt."


text:
Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. Reuben's descendants: the Hanochite clan [from] Hanoch; the Palluite clan from Pallu;


text:
The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. (It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the community, who fought against Moses and Aaron; they and Korah's followers fought against the LORD.


text:
The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men. They [serve as] a warning sign.


text:
Simeon's descendants by their clans: the Nemuelite clan from Nemuel; the Jaminite clan from Jamin; the Jachinite clan from Jachin;


text:
Gad's descendants by their clans: the Zephonite clan from Zephon; the Haggite clan from Haggi; the Shunite clan from Shuni;


text:
Judah's descendants by their clans: the Shelanite clan from Shelah; the Perezite clan from Perez; the Zerahite clan from Zerah.


text:
Zebulun's descendants by their clans: the Seredite clan from Sered; the Elonite clan from Elon; the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.


text:
Manasseh's descendants: the Machirite clan from Machir. Machir fathered Gilead; the Gileadite clan from Gilead.


text:
Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons-- only daughters. The names of Zelophehad's daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


text:
These were Ephraim's descendants by their clans: the Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah; the Becherite clan from Becher; the Tahanite clan from Tahan.


text:
These were the Ephraimite clans [numbered] by their registered men: 32,500. These were Joseph's descendants by their clans.


text:
Benjamin's descendants by their clans: the Belaite clan from Bela; the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel; the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram;


text:
These were Dan's descendants by their clans: the Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan by their clans.


text:
Asher's descendants by their clans: the Imnite clan from Imnah; the Ishvite clan from Ishvi; the Beriite clan from Beriah.


text:
Increase the inheritance for a large [tribe], and decrease it for a small one. Each is to be given its inheritance according to those who were registered in it.


text:
The land must be divided by lot; they will receive an inheritance according to the names of their ancestral tribes.


text:
These were the Levites registered by their clans: the Gershonite clan from Gershon; the Kohathite clan from Kohath; the Merarite clan from Merari.


text:
These were the Levite family groups: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Kohath was the ancestor of Amram.


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


text:
Those registered were 23,000, every male one month old or more; they were not registered among the [other] Israelites, because no inheritance was given to them among the Israelites.


text:
These were the ones registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they registered the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.


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But among them there was not one of those who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.


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For the LORD had said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.


text:
The daughters of Zelophehad approached; [Zelophehad was the] son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh from the clans of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


text:
They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the entire community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,


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Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among Korah's followers, who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons.


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Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father's brothers."


text:
What Zelophehad's daughters say is correct. You are to give them hereditary property among their father's brothers and transfer their father's inheritance to them.


text:
Tell the Israelites: When a man dies without having a son, transfer his inheritance to his daughter.


text:
If his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative of his clan, and he will take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites as the LORD commanded Moses."


text:
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go up this mountain of the Abarim [range] and see the land that I have given the Israelites.


text:
When the community quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against My command to show My holiness in their sight at the waters." Those were the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.


text:
who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the LORD's community won't be like sheep without a shepherd."


text:
The LORD replied to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.


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Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, and commission him in their sight.


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He will stand before Eleazar who will consult the LORD for him with the decision of the Urim. He and all the Israelites with him, even the entire community, will go out and come back in at his command."


text:
Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire community,


text:
Command the Israelites and say to them: Be sure to present to Me at its appointed time My offering and My food as My fire offering, a pleasing aroma to Me.


text:
And say to them: This is the fire offering you are to present to the LORD: "Each day [present] two unblemished year-old male lambs as a regular burnt offering.


text:
It is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the LORD.


text:
The drink offering is to be a quart with each lamb. Pour out the offering of beer to the LORD in the sanctuary area.


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Offer the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.


text:
On the Sabbath day [present] two unblemished year-old male lambs, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and its drink offering.


text:
It is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.


text:
At the beginning of each of your months present a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, seven male lambs a year old-- [all] unblemished--


text:
with six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each bull, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for the ram,


text:
and two quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for each lamb. It is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the LORD.


text:
Their drink offerings are to be two quarts of wine with each bull, one and a third quarts with the ram, and one quart with each male lamb. This is the monthly burnt offering for all the months of the year.


text:
And one male goat is to be offered as a sin offering to the Lord, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its drink offering.


text:
On the fifteenth day of this month there will be a festival; unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days.


text:
Present a fire offering, a burnt offering to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. Your animals are to be unblemished.


text:
The grain offering with them is to be of fine flour mixed with oil; offer six quarts with each bull and four quarts with the ram.


text:
You are to offer the same food each day for seven days as a fire offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It is to be offered with its drink offering and the regular burnt offering.


text:
On the day of firstfruits, you are to hold a sacred assembly when you present an offering of new grain to the LORD at your [Festival of] Weeks; you are not to do any daily work.


text:
Present a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD: two young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old,


text:
with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram,


text:
Offer [them] with their drink offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain offering. Your animals are to be unblemished.


text:
You are to hold a sacred assembly in the seventh month, on the first [day] of the month, and you are not to do any daily work. This will be a day of jubilation for you.


text:
Offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old-- [all] unblemished--


text:
with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram,


text:
These are in addition to the monthly and regular burnt offerings with their grain offerings and drink offerings. They are a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the LORD.


text:
You are to hold a sacred assembly on the tenth [day] of this seventh month and practice self-denial; you must not do any work.


text:
Present a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma: one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. [All] your animals are to be unblemished.


text:
Their grain offering is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram,


text:
[Offer] one male goat for a sin offering. The regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offerings are in addition to the sin offering of atonement.


text:
You are to hold a sacred assembly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; you must not do any daily work. You are to celebrate a seven-day festival for the LORD.


text:
Present a burnt offering, a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: 13 young bulls, two rams, and 14 male lambs a year old. They are to be unblemished.


text:
Their grain offering is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with each of the 13 bulls, four quarts with each of the two rams,


text:
Also [offer] one male goat as a sin offering. These are in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain and drink offerings.


text:
On the second day [present] 12 young bulls, two rams, and 14 male lambs a year old-- [all] unblemished--


text:
On the seventh day [present] seven bulls, two rams, and 14 male lambs a year old-- [all] unblemished--


text:
Present a burnt offering, a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old-- [all] unblemished--


text:
You must offer these to the LORD at your appointed times in addition to your vow and freewill offerings, whether burnt, grain, drink, or fellowship offerings."


text:
When a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word; he must do whatever he has promised.


text:
When a woman in her father's house during her youth makes a vow to the LORD or puts [herself] under an obligation,


text:
and her father hears about her vow or the obligation she put herself under, and he says nothing to her, all her vows and every obligation she put herself under are binding.


text:
But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears [about it], none of her vows and none of the obligations she put herself under are binding. The LORD will absolve her because her father has prohibited her.


text:
and her husband hears [about it] and says nothing to her when he finds out, her vows are binding, and the obligations she put herself under are binding.


text:
But if her husband prohibits her when he hears [about it], he will cancel her vow that is binding or the rash commitment she herself made, and the LORD will forgive her.


text:
and her husband hears [about it], says nothing to her, and does not prohibit her, all her vows are binding, and every obligation she put herself under is binding.


text:
But if her husband cancels them on the day he hears [about it], nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or her obligation, is binding. Her husband has canceled them, and the LORD will absolve her.


text:
If her husband says nothing at all to her from day to day, he confirms all her vows and obligations, which are binding. He has confirmed them because he said nothing to her when he heard [about them].


text:
These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses concerning [the relationship] between a man and his wife, or between a father and his daughter in his house during her youth.


text:
Execute vengeance for the Israelites against the Midianites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."


text:
So Moses spoke to the people, "Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Midian to inflict the LORD's vengeance on them.


text:
So 1,000 were recruited from each Israelite tribe out of the thousands in Israel-- 12,000 equipped for war.


text:
Moses sent 1,000 from each tribe to war. They went with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, in whose care were the holy objects and signal trumpets.


text:
Along with the others slain by them, they killed the Midianite kings-- Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.


text:
The Israelites took the Midianite women and their children captive, and they plundered all their cattle, flocks, and property.


text:
They brought the prisoners, animals, and spoils of war to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite community at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.


text:
But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign.


text:
Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam's advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the LORD in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the LORD's community.


text:
You are to remain outside the camp for seven days. All of you and your prisoners who have killed a person or touched the dead are to purify yourselves on the third day and the seventh day.


text:
Also purify everything: garments, leather goods, things made of goat hair, and every article of wood."


text:
Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone to battle, "This is the legal statute the LORD commanded Moses:


text:
everything that can withstand fire-- put through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be purified with the purification water. Anything that cannot withstand fire, put through the water.


text:
You, Eleazar the priest, and the family leaders of the community are to take a count of what was captured, human and animal.


text:
Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the fighting men who went out to war: one out of [every] 500 humans, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.


text:
Take [the tribute] from their half and give [it] to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the LORD.


text:
From the Israelites' half, take one out of every 50 from the people, cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who perform the duties of the LORD's tabernacle."


text:
Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar the priest as a contribution for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.


text:
Moses took one out of [every] 50, selected from the people and the livestock from the Israelites' half. He gave them to the Levites who perform the duties of the LORD's tabernacle, as the LORD had commanded him.


text:
The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, approached Moses


text:
and told him, "Your servants have taken a census of the fighting men under our command, and not one of us is missing.


text:
So we have presented to the LORD an offering of the gold articles each man found-- armlets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces-- to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."


text:
All the gold of the contribution they offered to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, was 420 pounds.


text:
Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and brought it into the tent of meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD.


text:
The Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. When they surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, they saw that the region was a [good] one for livestock.


text:
So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community and said:


text:
which the LORD struck down before the community of Israel, is [good] land for livestock, and your servants own livestock."


text:
They said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don't make us cross the Jordan."


text:
After they went up as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the LORD had given them.


text:
'Because they did not follow Me completely, none of the men 20 years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore [to give] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--


text:
none except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, because they did follow the LORD completely.'


text:
The Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness 40 years until the whole generation that had done what was evil in the LORD's sight was gone.


text:
And here you, a brood of sinners, stand in your fathers' place adding even more to the LORD's burning anger against Israel.


text:
If you turn back from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them."


text:
Then they approached him and said, "We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our dependents.


text:
But we will arm ourselves and be ready [to go] ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our dependents will remain in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.


text:
We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has taken possession of his inheritance.


text:
Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance will be across the Jordan to the east."


text:
and every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven His enemies from His presence,


text:
and the land is subdued before the LORD-- afterwards you may return and be free from obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.


text:
But if you don't do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD; be sure your sin will catch up with you.


text:
Our little children, wives, livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead,


text:
but your servants are equipped for war before the LORD and will go across to the battle as my lord orders."


text:
So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the family leaders of the Israelite tribes.


text:
Moses told them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, every man in battle formation before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.


text:
But if they don't go across with you in battle formation, they must accept land in Canaan with you."


text:
We will cross over in battle formation before the LORD into the land of Canaan, but we will keep our hereditary possession across the Jordan."


text:
So Moses gave them-- the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph-- the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them.


text:
as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.


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


text:
These were the stages of the Israelites' journey when they went out of the land of Egypt by their military divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.


text:
At the LORD's command, Moses wrote down the starting points for the stages of their journey; these are the stages [listed] by their starting points:


text:
They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month. On the day after the Passover the Israelites went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians.


text:
Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying every firstborn male the LORD had struck down among them, for the LORD had executed judgment against their gods.


text:
They departed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol.


text:
They departed from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness. They took a three-day journey into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.


text:
They departed from Marah and came to Elim. There were 12 springs of water and 70 date palms at Elim, so they camped there.


text:
At the LORD's command, Aaron the priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first [day] of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites went out of the land of Egypt.


text:
At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard the Israelites were coming.


text:
They departed from the Abarim [range] and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.


text:
you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images and cast images, and demolish all their high places.


text:
You are to take possession of the land and settle in it because I have given you the land to possess.


text:
You are to receive the land as an inheritance by lot according to your clans. Increase the inheritance for a large clan and decrease it for a small one. Whatever place the lot indicates for someone will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to your ancestral tribes.


text:
But if you don't drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become thorns in your eyes and in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you will live.


text:
Command the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to you as an inheritance with these borders:


text:
Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea.


text:
Your border will turn south of the Ascent of Akrabbim, proceed to Zin, and end south of Kadesh-barnea. It will go to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon.


text:
Your western border will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea; this will be your western border.


text:
The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah east of Ain. It will continue down and reach the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinnereth.


text:
Then the border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land [defined] by its borders on all sides."


text:
So Moses commanded the Israelites, "This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the LORD commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes.


text:
For the tribe of the Reubenites and the tribe of the Gadites have received [their inheritance] according to their ancestral houses, and half the tribe of Manasseh has received its inheritance.


text:
The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, eastward toward the sunrise."


text:
These are the names of the men who are to distribute the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun.


text:
These are the ones the LORD commanded to distribute the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.


text:
Command the Israelites to give cities out of their hereditary property for the Levites to live in and pastureland around the cities.


text:
The cities will be for them to live in, and their pasturelands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their [other] animals.


text:
The pasturelands of the cities you are to give the Levites [will extend] from the city wall 500 yards on every side.


text:
Measure 1,000 yards outside the city for the east side, 1,000 yards for the south side, 1,000 yards for the west side, and 1,000 yards for the north side, with the city in the center. This will belong to them as pasturelands for the cities.


text:
The cities you give the Levites will include six cities of refuge, which you must provide so that the one who kills someone may flee there; in addition to these, give 42 [other] cities.


text:
Of the cities that you give from the Israelites' territory, you should take more from a larger [tribe] and less from a smaller one. Each [tribe] is to give some of its cities to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance it receives."


text:
designate cities to serve as cities of refuge for you, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.


text:
You will have the cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the one who kills someone will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.


text:
Select three cities across the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan to be cities of refuge.


text:
These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or temporary resident among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.


text:
If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death.


text:
If a man has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another man and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.


text:
If a man has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and he dies, the murderer must be put to death.


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Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws [an object] at him with malicious intent and he dies,


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or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.


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But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent


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or drops a stone without looking that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and wasn't trying to harm him,


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The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.


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and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills him, the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed,


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for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses.


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These [instructions] will be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.


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If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death based on the word of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of one witness.


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You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing someone; he must be put to death.


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Neither should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to his city of refuge, allowing him to return and live in the land before the death of the [high] priest.


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Do not defile the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it.


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Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I reside; for I, the Lord, reside among the Israelites."


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The family leaders from the clan of the descendants of Gilead-- the son of Machir, son of Manasseh-- one of the clans of the sons of Joseph approached and addressed Moses and the leaders who were over the Israelite families.


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They said, "The LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelites. My lord was further commanded by the LORD to give our brother Zelophehad's inheritance to his daughters.


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If they marry any of the men from the [other] Israelite tribes, their inheritance will be taken away from our fathers' inheritance and added to that of the tribe into which they marry. Therefore, part of our allotted inheritance would be taken away.


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When the Jubilee comes for the Israelites, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe."


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So Moses commanded the Israelites at the word of the LORD, "What the tribe of Joseph's descendants says is right.


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This is what the LORD has commanded concerning Zelophehad's daughters: They may marry anyone they like provided they marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe.


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An inheritance belonging to the Israelites must not transfer from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of his ancestral tribe.


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Any daughter who possesses an inheritance from an Israelite tribe must marry someone from the clan of her ancestral tribe, so that each of the Israelites will possess the inheritance of his fathers.


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No inheritance is to transfer from one tribe to another, because each of the Israelite tribes is to retain its inheritance."


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


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They married [men] from the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father's clan.


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These are the commands and ordinances the LORD commanded the Israelites through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.


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These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.


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In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him [to say] to them.


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


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Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the lowlands, the Negev and the sea coast-- to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.


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See, I have set the land before you. Enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants after them.'


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May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times more, and bless you as He promised you.


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Appoint for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your leaders.


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So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and set them over you as leaders: officials for thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and officers for your tribes.


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I commanded your judges at that time: Hear [the cases] between your brothers, and judge rightly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.


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Do not show partiality when rendering judgment; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.


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We then set out from Horeb and went across all the great and terrible wilderness you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,


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I said to you: You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.


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See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.


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Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let's send men ahead of us, so that they may explore the land for us and bring us back a report about the route we should go up and the cities we will come to.'


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They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, carried [it] down to us, and brought us back a report: 'The land the LORD our God is giving us is good.'


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You grumbled in your tents and said, 'The LORD brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites so they would destroy us, because He hated us.


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Where can we go? Our brothers have discouraged us, saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens. We also saw the descendants of the Anakim there.'


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And you saw in the wilderness how the LORD your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place.


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who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel.


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except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD completely.'


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Joshua son of Nun, who attends you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.


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Your little children who you said would be plunder, your sons who don't know good from evil, will enter there. I will give them the land, and they will take possession of it.


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You answered me, 'We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight just as the LORD our God commanded us.' Then each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.


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But the LORD said to me, 'Tell them: Don't go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from being defeated by your enemies.'


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So I spoke to you, but you didn't listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and defiantly went up into the hill country.


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Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir as far as Hormah.


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When you returned, you wept before the LORD, but He didn't listen to your requests or pay attention to you.


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Then we turned back and headed for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had told me, and we traveled around the hill country of Seir for many days.


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Command the people: You are about to travel through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.


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Don't fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even an inch of it, because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as [his] possession.


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For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you this past 40 years, and you have lacked nothing.'


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So we bypassed our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. [We turned] away from the Arabah road and from Elath and Ezion-geber. We traveled along the road to the Wilderness of Moab.


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The LORD said to me, 'Show no hostility toward Moab, and do not provoke them to battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot.'"


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The Horites had previously lived in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out, destroying them completely and settling in their place, just as Israel did in the land of its possession the LORD gave them.


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The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley was 38 years until the entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.


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Indeed, the LORD's hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all perished.


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When you get close to the Ammonites, don't show any hostility to them or fight with them, for I will not give you any of the Ammonites' land as a possession; I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.'"


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This too used to be regarded as the land of the Rephaim. The Rephaim lived there previously, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim,


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a great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim. The LORD destroyed the Rephaim at the advance of the Ammonites, so that they drove them out and settled in their place.


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This was just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites before them; they drove them out and have lived in their place until now.


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The Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, and settled in their place.


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[The LORD also said,] 'Get up, move out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have handed Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land over to you. Begin to take possession [of it]; engage him in battle.


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Today I will begin to put the fear and dread of you on the peoples everywhere under heaven. They will hear the report about you, tremble, and be in anguish because of you.'


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So I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon from the Wilderness of Kedemoth, saying,


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'Let us travel through your land; we will keep strictly to the highway. We will not turn to the right or the left.


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You can sell us food in exchange for silver so we may eat, and give us water for silver so we may drink. Only let us travel through on foot,


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just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir did for us, and the Moabites who live in Ar, until we cross the Jordan into the land the LORD our God is giving us.'


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But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us travel through his land, for the LORD your God made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to hand him over to you, as has now taken place.


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Then the LORD said to me, 'See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land to you. Begin to take possession of it.'


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At that time we captured all his cities and completely destroyed the people of every city, including the women and children. We left no survivors.


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There was no city that was inaccessible to us, from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead. The LORD our God gave everything to us.


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But you did not go near the Ammonites' land, all along the bank of the Jabbok River and the cities of the hill country, everything that the LORD our God had commanded.


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Then we turned and went up the road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan, with his whole army, came out against us for battle at Edrei.


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But the LORD said to me, 'Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.'


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So the LORD our God also handed over Og king of Bashan and his whole army to us. We struck him until there was no survivor left.


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We captured all his cities at that time. There wasn't a city that we didn't take from them: 60 cities, the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.


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All these were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides a large number of rural villages.


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We completely destroyed them, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying the men, women, and children of every city.


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At that time we took the land from the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon,


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


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(Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed was made of iron. Isn't it in Rabbah of the Ammonites? It is 13 feet six inches long and six feet wide by a standard measure.)


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At that time we took possession of this land. I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites [the area extending] from Aroer by the Arnon Valley, and half the hill country of Gilead along with its cities.


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I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all Bashan, the kingdom of Og. The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.


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Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took over the entire region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites. He called Bashan by his own name, Jair's Villages, as it is today.


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and I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites [the area extending] from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites.


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The Arabah and Jordan are also borders from Chinnereth as far as the Sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, under the slopes of Pisgah on the east.


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I commanded you at that time: The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your fighting men will cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers the Israelites.


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But your wives, young children, and livestock-- I know that you have a lot of livestock-- will remain in the cities I have given you


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until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as He has to you, and they also take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving them across the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession that I have given you.


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I commanded Joshua at that time: Your own eyes have seen everything the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms you are about to enter.


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Lord God, You have begun to show Your greatness and power to Your servant, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts like Yours?


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Please let me cross over and see the beautiful land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.


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But the LORD was angry with me on account of you and would not listen to me. The LORD said to me, 'That's enough! Do not speak to Me again about this matter.


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Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see [it] with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.


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But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see.'


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Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and take possession of the land the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.


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You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you.


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Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed every one of you who followed Baal of Peor.


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Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to possess.


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Carefully follow [them], for this will [show] your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, 'This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.'


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For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the LORD our God is [to us] whenever we call to Him?


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And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?


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Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don't forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don't slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.


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The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, 'Assemble the people before Me, and I will let them hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.'


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You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire into the heavens and enveloped in a dense, black cloud.


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Then the LORD spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn't see a form; there was only a voice.


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He declared His covenant to you. He commanded you to follow the Ten Commandments, which He wrote on two stone tablets.


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At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to follow in the land you are about to cross into and possess.


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Be extremely careful for your own good-- because you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire--


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not to act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of any figure: a male or female form,


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When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars-- all the array of heaven-- do not be led astray to bow down and worship them. The LORD your God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.


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But the LORD selected you and brought you out of Egypt's iron furnace to be a people for His inheritance, as you are today.


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The LORD was angry with me on your account. He swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.


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I won't be crossing the Jordan because I am going to die in this land. But you are about to cross over and take possession of this good land.


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Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything He has forbidden you.


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When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, provoking Him to anger,


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I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will quickly perish from the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not live long there, but you will certainly be destroyed.


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The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be reduced to a few survivors among the nations where the LORD your God will drive you.


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But from there, you will search for the LORD your God, and you will find [Him] when you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul.


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When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, you will return to the LORD your God in later days and obey Him.


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He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them by oath, because the LORD your God is a compassionate God.


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Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created man on the earth and from one end of the heavens to the other: Has anything like this great event [ever] happened, or has anything like it been heard of?


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Or has a god [ever] attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of [another] nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?


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You were shown [these things] so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.


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He let you hear His voice from heaven to instruct you. He showed you His great fire on earth, and you heard His words from the fire.


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Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,


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to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance, as is now taking place.


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Today, recognize and keep in mind that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other.


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Keep His statutes and commands, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time."


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where one could flee who committed manslaughter and killed his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him. He could flee to one of these cities and stay alive:


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Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau land, belonging to the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, belonging to the Gadites; or Golan in Bashan, belonging to the Manassites.


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These are the decrees, statutes, and ordinances Moses proclaimed to them after they came out of Egypt,


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across the Jordan in the valley facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites. He lived in Heshbon, and Moses and the Israelites defeated him after they came out of Egypt.


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They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings who were across the Jordan to the east,


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and all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Dead Sea below the slopes of Pisgah.


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Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully.


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At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to report the word of the LORD to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And He said:


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Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.


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You must not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin to the third and fourth [generations] of those who hate Me,


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Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will punish anyone who misuses His name.


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but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work-- you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.


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Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.


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Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the LORD your God is giving you.


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Do not desire your neighbor's wife or covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.


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The LORD spoke these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the fire, cloud, and thick darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.


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All of you approached me with your tribal leaders and elders when you heard the voice from the darkness and while the mountain was blazing with fire.


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You said, 'Look, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God speaks with a person, yet he still lives.


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But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.


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For who out of all mankind has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and lived?


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Go near and listen to everything the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.'


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The LORD heard your words when you spoke to me. He said to me, 'I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. Everything they have said is right.


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If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commands, so that they and their children will prosper forever.


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But you stand here with Me, and I will tell you every command-- the statutes and ordinances-- you are to teach them, so that they may follow [them] in the land I am giving them to possess.'


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Be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left.


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Follow the whole instruction the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.


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This is the command-- the statutes and ordinances-- the LORD your God has instructed [me] to teach you, so that you may follow [them] in the land you are about to enter and possess.


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[Do this] so that you may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life by keeping all His statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life.


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Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow [them], so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.


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Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.


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When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you-- a [land with] large and beautiful cities that you did not build,


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houses full of every good thing that you did not fill [them with], wells dug that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant-- and when you eat and are satisfied,


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be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.


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for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and wipe you off the face of the earth.


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Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the LORD your God swore to [give] your fathers,


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When your son asks you in the future, 'What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you?'


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tell him, 'We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.


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Before our eyes the LORD inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh and all his household,


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but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers.


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The LORD commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today.


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Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.'


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When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, and He drives out many nations before you-- the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you--


text:
and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you and you defeat them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaty with them and show them no 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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because they will turn your sons away from Me to worship other gods. Then the LORD's anger will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.


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Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their standing pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn up their carved images.


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For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.


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The LORD was devoted to you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.


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But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.


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Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.


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But He directly pays back and destroys those who hate Him. He will not hesitate to directly pay back the one who hates Him.


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If you listen to and are careful to keep these ordinances, the LORD your God will keep His covenant loyalty with you, as He swore to your fathers.


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He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless your descendants, and the produce of your soil-- your grain, new wine, and oil-- the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks, in the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you.


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You will be blessed above all peoples; there will be no infertile male or female among you or your livestock.


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The LORD will remove all sickness from you; He will not put on you all the terrible diseases of Egypt that you know about, but He will inflict them on all who hate you.


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You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God is delivering over to you and not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.


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the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear.


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The LORD your God will also send the hornet against them until all the survivors and those hiding from you perish.


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The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them all at once; otherwise, the wild animals will become too numerous for you.


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The LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.


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He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them.


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You must burn up the carved images of their gods. Don't covet the silver and gold on the images and take it for yourself, or else you will be ensnared by it, for it is abhorrent to the LORD your God.


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You must not bring any abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You are to utterly detest and abhor it, because it is set apart for destruction.


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You must carefully follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to your fathers.


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Remember that the LORD your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.


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He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.


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For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams of water, springs, and deep water sources, flowing in both valleys and hills;


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a land where you will eat food without shortage, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper.


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Be careful that you don't forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His command-- the ordinances and statutes-- I am giving you today.


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and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases,


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[be careful] that your heart doesn't become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.


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He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flintlike rock for you.


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He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.


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but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today.


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If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will perish.


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Like the nations the LORD is about to destroy before you, you will perish if you do not obey the LORD your God.


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Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan to go and drive out nations greater and stronger than you [with] large cities fortified to the heavens.


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The people are strong and tall, the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them and you have heard it said about them, 'Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?'


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But understand that today the LORD your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the LORD has told you.


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When the LORD your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, 'The LORD brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.' Instead, the LORD will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness.


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You are not going to take possession of their land because of your righteousness or your integrity. Instead, the LORD your God will drive out these nations before you because of their wickedness, in order to keep the promise He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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Understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.


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Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. You have been rebelling against the LORD from the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place.


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When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat bread or drink water.


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On the day of the assembly the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by God's finger. The exact words were on them, which the LORD spoke to you from the fire on the mountain.


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The LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant, at the end of the 40 days and 40 nights.


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The LORD said to me, 'Get up and go down immediately from here. For your people you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned from the way that I commanded them; they have made a cast image for themselves.'


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Leave Me alone, and I will destroy them and blot out their name under heaven. Then I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.'


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So I went back down the mountain, while it was blazing with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.


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I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made a calf image for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way the LORD had commanded for you.


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Then I fell down like the first time in the presence of the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights; I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and provoking Him to anger.


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I was afraid of the fierce anger the LORD had directed against you, because He was about to destroy you. But again, the LORD listened to me on that occasion.


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I took the sinful calf you had made, burned it up, and crushed it, thoroughly grinding it to powder as [fine as] dust. Then I threw it into the stream that came down from the mountain.


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When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, He said, 'Go up and possess the land I have given you'; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not believe or obey Him.


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I fell down in the presence of the LORD 40 days and 40 nights because the LORD had threatened to destroy you.


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I prayed to the LORD: Lord God, do not annihilate Your people, Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.


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Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard this people's stubbornness, and their wickedness and sin.


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Otherwise, those in the land you brought us from will say, 'Because the LORD wasn't able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, He brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.'


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But they are Your people, Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and outstretched arm.


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The LORD said to me at that time, 'Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come to Me on the mountain and make a wooden ark.


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I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.'


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So I made an ark of acacia wood, cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and climbed the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.


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Then, on the day of the assembly, the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain from the fire. The LORD gave them to me,


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and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made. And they have remained there, as the LORD commanded me."


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The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. Aaron died and was buried there, and Eleazar his son became priest in his place.


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At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the LORD's covenant, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to bless in His name, as it is today.


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For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God told him.


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I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights like the first time. The LORD also listened to me on this occasion; He agreed not to annihilate you.


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Then the LORD said to me, 'Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to give their fathers.'


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And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?


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The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the LORD your God, as does the earth and everything in it.


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Yet the LORD was devoted to your fathers and loved them. He chose their descendants after them-- [He chose] you out of all the peoples, as it is today.


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For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe.


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He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreign resident, giving him food and clothing.


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You are to fear the LORD your God and worship Him. Remain faithful to Him and take oaths in His name.


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He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome works your eyes have seen.


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Your fathers went down to Egypt, 70 people in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.


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Therefore, love the LORD your God and always keep His mandate and His statutes, ordinances, and commands.


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You must understand today that it is not your children who experienced or saw the discipline of the LORD your God: His greatness, strong hand, and outstretched arm;


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what He did to Egypt's army, its horses and chariots, when He made the waters of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you, and He destroyed them completely;


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and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when in the middle of the whole Israelite [camp] the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing with them.


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Keep every command I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to cross into and possess the land you are to inherit,


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and so that you may live long in the land the LORD swore to your fathers to give them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.


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For the land you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated by hand as in a vegetable garden.


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But the land you are entering to possess is a land of mountains and valleys, watered by rain from the sky.


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It is a land the LORD your God cares for. He is always watching over it from the beginning to the end of the year.


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If you carefully obey My commands I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and worship Him with all your heart and all your soul,


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I will provide rain for your land in season, the early and late rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and oil.


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Then the LORD's anger will burn against you. He will close the sky, and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land the LORD is giving you.


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Impress these words of Mine on your hearts and souls, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.


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Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.


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so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your fathers.


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For if you carefully observe every one of these commands I am giving you to follow-- to love the LORD your God, walk in all His ways, and remain faithful to Him--


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the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will drive out nations greater and stronger than you are.


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Every place the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.


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No one will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put fear and dread of you in all the land where you set foot, as He has promised you.


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and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the LORD your God, and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known.


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When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.


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Aren't these mountains across the Jordan, beyond the western road in the land of the Canaanites, who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, near the oaks of Moreh?


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For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you possess it and settle in it,


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Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth.


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Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are driving out worship their gods-- on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every flourishing tree.


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Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.


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Instead, you must go to the place the LORD your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling.


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You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.


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You will eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.


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You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone [is doing] whatever seems right in his own eyes.


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Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.


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When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,


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then the LORD your God will choose the place to have His name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions, and all your choice offerings you vow to the LORD.


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You will rejoice before the LORD your God-- you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.


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You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the LORD chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.


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But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,


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Within your gates you may not eat: the tenth of your grain, new wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.


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You must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God chooses-- you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you do,


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When the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, 'I want to eat meat' because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.


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If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.


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Indeed, you may eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the clean and the unclean may eat it.


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Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.


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But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD chooses.


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Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your [other] sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.


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Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.


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When the LORD your God annihilates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you drive them out and live in their land,


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be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also do the same.'


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You must not do the same to the LORD your God, because they practice for their gods every detestable thing the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.


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You must be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.


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and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, 'Let us follow other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us worship them,'


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do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul.


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You must follow the LORD your God and fear Him. You must keep His commands and listen to His voice; you must worship Him and remain faithful to Him.


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That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has urged rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slavery, to turn you from the way the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you.


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If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods'-- which neither you nor your fathers have known,


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any of the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other--


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Instead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.


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Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.


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that wicked men have sprung up among you, led the inhabitants of their city astray, and said, 'Let us go and worship other gods,' which you have not known,


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you are to inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable thing has happened among you,


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you must strike down the inhabitants of that city with the sword. Completely destroy everyone in it as well as its livestock with the sword.


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You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn up the city and all its spoil for the LORD your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt.


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Nothing set apart for destruction is to remain in your hand, so that the LORD will turn from His burning anger and grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as He swore to your fathers.


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This [will occur] if you obey the LORD your God, keeping all His commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.


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You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead,


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for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His special people out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.


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But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat these: the camel, the hare, and the hyrax, though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves-- they are unclean for you;


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and the pig, though it has hooves, it does not [chew] the cud-- it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.


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You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a resident alien within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.


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You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God.


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But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you,


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then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.


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You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family.


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At the end of [every] three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store [it] within your gates.


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Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreign resident, fatherless, and widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.


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This is how to cancel debt: Every creditor is to cancel what he has lent his neighbor. He is not to collect [anything] from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD's release of debts has been proclaimed.


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There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD is certain to bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance--


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if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today.


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When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised you, you will lend to many nations but not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.


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If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the LORD your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.


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Be careful that there isn't this wicked thought in your heart, 'The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near,' and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him [nothing]. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty.


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Give to him, and don't have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.


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For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, 'You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land.'


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If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year.


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Give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You are to give him whatever the LORD your God has blessed you with.


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Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.


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But if your slave says to you, 'I don't want to leave you,' because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you,


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take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.


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Do not regard it as a hardship when you set him free, because he worked for you six years-- worth twice the wages of a hired hand. Then the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.


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You must consecrate to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herd and flock. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work or shear the firstborn of your flock.


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But if there is a defect in the animal, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.


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Eat it within your gates; both the unclean person and the clean [may eat it], as though it were a gazelle or deer.


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Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib.


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Sacrifice to the LORD your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the LORD chooses to have His name dwell.


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You must not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship-- because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry-- so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt.


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No yeast is to be found anywhere in your territory for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in the evening of the first day is to remain until morning.


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You must only sacrifice the Passover animal at the place where the LORD your God chooses to have His name dwell. [Do this] in the evening as the sun sets at the [same] time [of day] you departed from Egypt.


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You are to cook and eat [it] in the place the LORD your God chooses, and you are to return to your tents in the morning.


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You must eat unleavened bread for six days. On the seventh day there is to be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.


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You are to count seven weeks, counting the weeks from the time the sickle is first [put] to the standing grain.


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You are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you.


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Rejoice before the LORD your God in the place where He chooses to have His name dwell-- you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow among you.


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You are to celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days when you have gathered in [everything] from your threshing floor and winepress.


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Rejoice during your festival-- you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates.


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You are to hold a seven-day festival for the LORD your God in the place He chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you will have abundant joy.


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All your males are to appear three times a year before the LORD your God in the place He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths. No one is to appear before the LORD empty-handed.


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Everyone [must appear] with a gift suited to his means, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.


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Appoint judges and officials for your tribes in all your towns the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.


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Do not deny justice or show partiality [to anyone]. Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.


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Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.


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Do not set up an Asherah of any kind of wood next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,


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You must not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or sheep with a defect or any serious flaw, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.


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If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the LORD your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violating His covenant


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and has gone to worship other gods by bowing down to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky-- which I have forbidden--


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and if you are told or hear [about it], you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel,


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you must bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing and stone them to death.


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The one condemned to die is to be executed on the testimony of two or three witnesses. No one is to be executed on the testimony of a single witness.


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The witnesses' hands are to be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from you.


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If a case is too difficult for you-- concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults-- cases disputed at your gates, you must go up to the place the LORD your God chooses.


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You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a verdict in the case.


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You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you.


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You must abide by the instruction they give you and the verdict they announce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the decision they declare to you.


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The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the LORD your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.


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When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, 'We want to appoint a king over us like all the nations around us,'


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you are to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people.


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However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the LORD has told you, 'You are never to go back that way again.'


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He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself.


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When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.


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It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes.


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Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel.


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The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the LORD's fire offerings; that is their inheritance.


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Although Levi has no inheritance among his brothers, the LORD is his inheritance, as He promised him.


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This is the priests' share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether it is an ox, a sheep, or a goat; the priests are to be given the shoulder, jaws, and stomach.


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You are to give him the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first sheared [wool] of your flock.


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For the LORD your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD's name from now on.


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When a Levite leaves one of your towns where he lives in Israel and wants to go to the place the LORD chooses,


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he may serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who minister there in the presence of the LORD.


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When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable customs of those nations.


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No one among you is to make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery,


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Everyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you because of these detestable things.


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Though these nations you are about to drive out listen to fortune-tellers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do this.


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The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.


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This is what you requested from the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, 'Let us not continue to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die!'


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I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.


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But the prophet who dares to speak in My name a message I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods-- that prophet must die.'


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When a prophet speaks in the LORD's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.


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When the LORD your God annihilates the nations whose land He is giving you, so that you drive them out and live in their cities and houses,


text:
you are to set apart three cities for yourselves within the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.


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You are to determine the distances and divide the land the LORD your God is granting you as an inheritance into three regions, so that anyone who commits manslaughter can flee to these cities.


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Here is the law concerning a case of someone who kills a person and flees there to save his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him:


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If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.


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Otherwise, the avenger of blood in the heat of his anger might pursue the one who committed manslaughter, overtake him because the distance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not deserve to die, since he did not previously hate his neighbor.


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If the LORD your God enlarges your territory as He swore to your fathers, and gives you all the land He promised to give them--


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provided you keep every one of these commands I am giving you today and follow them, loving the LORD your God and walking in His ways at all times-- you are to add three more cities to these three.


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In this way, innocent blood will not be shed, and you will not become guilty of bloodshed in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.


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But if someone hates his neighbor, lies in ambush for him, attacks him, and strikes him fatally, and flees to one of these cities,


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the elders of his city must send [for him], take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood and he will die.


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You must not look on him with pity but purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and you will prosper.


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You must not move your neighbor's boundary marker, established at the start in the inheritance you will receive in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.


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One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.


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the two people in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and judges in authority at the time.


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The judges are to make a careful investigation, and if the witness turns out to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,


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Then everyone else will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything evil like this among you.


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You must not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.


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When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.


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He is to say to them: 'Listen, Israel: Today you are about to engage in battle with your enemies. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, alarmed, or terrified because of them.


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For the LORD your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.'


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The officers are to address the army, 'Has any man built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise, he may die in battle and another man dedicate it.


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Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.


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Has any man become engaged to a woman and not married her? Let him leave and return home. Otherwise he may die in battle and another man marry her.'


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The officers will continue to address the army and say, 'Is there any man who is afraid or fainthearted? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers' hearts won't melt like his own.'


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When the officers have finished addressing the army, they will appoint military commanders to lead it.


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If it accepts your offer of peace and opens [its gates] to you, all the people found in it will become forced laborers for you and serve you.


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But you may take the women, children, animals, and whatever else is in the city-- all its spoil-- as plunder. You may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.


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This is how you are to treat all the cities that are far away from you and are not among the cities of these nations.


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However, you must not let any living thing survive among the cities of these people the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.


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You must completely destroy them-- the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite-- as the LORD your God has commanded you,


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so that they won't teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.


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When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can get food from them. You must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human, to come under siege by you?


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But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is waging war with you, until it falls.


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If a murder victim is found lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,


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your elders and judges must come out and measure [the distance] from the victim to the nearby cities.


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The elders of the city nearest to the victim are to get a cow that has not been yoked or used for work.


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The elders of that city will bring the cow down to a continually flowing stream, to a place not tilled or sown, and they will break the cow's neck there by the stream.


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Then the priests, the sons of Levi, will come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in the LORD's name, and they are to give a ruling in every dispute and [case of] assault.


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All the elders of the city nearest to the victim will wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken.


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LORD, forgive Your people Israel You redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.' Then they will be absolved of responsibility for bloodshed.


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You must purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, for you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.


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When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God hands them over to you and you take some of them prisoner, and


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remove the clothes she was wearing when she was taken prisoner, live in your house, and mourn for her father and mother a full month. After that, you may have sexual relations with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife.


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Then if you are not satisfied with her, you are to let her go where she wants, but you must not sell her for money or treat her as merchandise, because you have humiliated her.


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If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved bear him sons, and if the unloved wife has the firstborn son,


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when that man gives what he has to his sons as an inheritance, he is not to show favoritism to the son of the loved [wife] as his firstborn over the firstborn of the unloved wife.


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He must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of everything that belongs to him, for he is the firstfruits of his virility; he has the rights of the firstborn.


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If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father or mother and doesn't listen to them even after they discipline him,


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his father and mother must take hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown.


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They will say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he doesn't obey us. He's a glutton and a drunkard.'


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Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. You must purge the evil from you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.


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If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,


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you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung [on a tree] is under God's curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.


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If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, you must not ignore it; make sure you return it to your brother.


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If your brother does not live near you or you don't know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him.


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Do the same for his donkey, his garment, or anything your brother has lost and you have found. You must not ignore [it].


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If you see your brother's donkey or ox fallen down on the road, you must not ignore it; you must help him lift it up.


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A woman is not to wear male clothing, and a man is not to put on a woman's garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD your God.


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If you come across a bird's nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young.


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You may take the young for yourself, but be sure to let the mother go free, so that you may prosper and live long.


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If you build a new house, make a railing around your roof, so that you don't bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.


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Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; otherwise, the entire harvest, both the crop you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled.


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and accuses [her] of shameful conduct, and gives her a bad name, saying, 'I married this woman and was intimate with her, but I didn't find [any] evidence of her virginity,'


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the young woman's father and mother will take the evidence of her virginity and bring [it] to the city elders at the gate.


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The young woman's father will say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he hates her.


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He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying: 'I didn't find [any] evidence of your daughter's virginity, but here is the evidence of my daughter's virginity.' They will spread out the cloth before the city elders.


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They will also fine him 100 silver [shekels] and give [them] to the young woman's father, because that man gave an Israelite virgin a bad name. She will remain his wife; he cannot divorce her as long as he lives.


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they will bring the woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father's house. You must purge the evil from you.


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If a man is discovered having sexual relations with [another] man's wife, both the man who had sex with the woman and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.


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If there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and [another] man encounters her in the city and has sex with her,


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you must take the two of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death-- the young woman because she did not cry out in the city and the man because he has violated his neighbor's fiance. You must purge the evil from you.


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But if the man encounters the engaged woman in the open country, and he seizes and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die.


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Do nothing to the young woman, because she is not guilty of an offense deserving death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.


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If a man encounters a young woman, a virgin who is not engaged, takes hold of her and rapes her, and they are discovered,


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the man who raped her must give the young woman's father 50 silver [shekels], and she must become his wife because he violated her. He cannot divorce her as long as he lives.


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No man whose [testicles] have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may enter the LORD's assembly.


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No one of illegitimate birth may enter the LORD's assembly; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, may enter the LORD's assembly.


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No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the LORD's assembly; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, may ever enter the LORD's assembly.


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This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the journey after you came out of Egypt, and because Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim was hired to curse you.


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Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but He turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.


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Do not despise an Edomite, because he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you were a foreign resident in his land.


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If there is a man among you who is unclean because of a bodily emission during the night, he must go outside the camp; he may not come anywhere inside the camp.


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When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may come inside the camp.


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You must have a digging tool in your equipment; when you relieve yourself, dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement.


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For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you; so your encampments must be holy. He must not see anything improper among you or He will turn away from you.


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Do not bring a female prostitute's wages or a male prostitute's earnings into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.


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You may charge a foreigner interest, but you must not charge your brother interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are entering to possess.


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If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will require it of you, and it will be counted against you as sin.


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Be careful to do whatever comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed what you promised to the LORD your God.


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When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you want until you are full, but you must not put [any] in your container.


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When you enter your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor's grain.


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If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds something improper about her, he may write her a divorce certificate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.


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and the second man hates her, writes her a divorce certificate, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house or if he dies,


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the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt on the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.


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When a man takes a bride, he must not go out with the army or be liable for any duty. He is free [to stay] at home for one year, so that he can bring joy to the wife he has married.


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Do not take a pair of millstones or an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that is like taking a life as security.


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If a man is discovered kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from you.


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Be careful in a case of infectious skin disease, following carefully everything the Levitical priests instruct you to do. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.


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When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect what he offers as security.


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Be sure to return it to him at sunset. Then he will sleep in it and bless you, and this will be counted as righteousness to you before the LORD your God.


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Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the foreigners residing within a town in your land.


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You are to pay him his wages each day before the sun sets, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be held guilty.


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Fathers are not to be put to death for [their] children or children for [their] fathers; each person will be put to death for his own sin.


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Do not deny justice to a foreign resident [or] fatherless child, and do not take a widow's garment as security.


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Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.


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When you reap the harvest in your field, and you forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.


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When you knock down the fruit from your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow.


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When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean what is left. What remains will be for the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow.


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If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court, and the judges will hear their case. They will clear the innocent and condemn the guilty.


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If the guilty party deserves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number [of lashes] appropriate for his crime.


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He may be flogged with 40 lashes, but no more. Otherwise, if he is flogged with more lashes than these, your brother will be degraded in your sight.


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When brothers live on the same property and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside [the family]. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her.


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The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be blotted out from Israel.


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But if the man doesn't want to marry his sister-in-law, she must go to the elders at the [city] gate and say, 'My brother-in-law refuses to preserve his brother's name in Israel. He isn't willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.'


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The elders of his city will summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, 'I don't want to marry her,'


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then his sister-in-law will go up to him in the sight of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she will declare, 'This is what is done to a man who will not build up his brother's house.'


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If two men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his genitals,


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You must have a full and honest weight, a full and honest dry measure, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.


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They met you along the way and attacked all your stragglers from behind when you were tired and weary. They did not fear God.


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When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget.


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When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and live in it,


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you must take some of the first of all the soil's produce that you harvest from the land the LORD your God is giving you and put [it] in a container. Then go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to have His name dwell.


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When you come before the priest who is serving at that time, you must say to him, 'Today I acknowledge to the LORD your God that I have entered the land the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.'


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Then the priest will take the container from your hand and place it before the altar of the LORD your God.


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You are to respond by saying in the presence of the LORD your God: My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with a few people and lived there. There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation.


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So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.


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Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders.


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I have now brought the first of the land's produce that You, LORD, have given me. You will then place the container before the LORD your God and bow down to Him.


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You, the Levite, and the foreign resident among you will rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given you and your household.


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When you have finished paying all the tenth of your produce in the third year, the year of the tenth, you are to give [it] to the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.


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Then you will say in the presence of the LORD your God: I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levite, the foreign resident, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commands You gave me. I have not violated or forgotten Your commands.


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I have not eaten any of it while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done all You commanded me.


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Look down from Your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.


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The LORD your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be careful to follow them with all your heart and all your soul.


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Today you have affirmed that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His statutes, commands, and ordinances, and obey Him.


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And today the LORD has affirmed that you are His special people as He promised you, that you are to keep all His commands,


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that He will put you far above all the nations He has made in praise, fame, and glory, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God as He promised."


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At the time you cross the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, you must set up large stones and cover them with plaster.


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Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.


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When you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to cover them with plaster.


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Use uncut stones to build the altar of the LORD your God and offer burnt offerings to the LORD your God on it.


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There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God.


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Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, "Be silent, Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the LORD your God.


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When you have crossed the Jordan, these [tribes] will stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.


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And these [tribes] will stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.


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'Cursed is the person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the LORD, the work of a craftsman, and sets [it] up in secret.' And all the people will reply, ' Amen!'


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'Cursed is the one who leads a blind person astray on the road.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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'Cursed is the one who denies justice to a foreign resident, a fatherless child, or a widow.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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'Cursed is the one who sleeps with his father's wife, for he has violated his father's marriage bed.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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'Cursed is the one who sleeps with his sister, whether his father's daughter or his mother's daughter.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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'Cursed is the one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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'Cursed is anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice.' And all the people will say, 'Amen!'


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Now if you faithfully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.


text:
Your descendants will be blessed, and your soil's produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks.


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The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you from one direction but flee from you in seven directions.


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The LORD will grant you a blessing on your storehouses and on everything you do; He will bless you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.


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The LORD will establish you as His holy people, as He swore to you, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.


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Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the LORD's name, and they will stand in awe of you.


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The LORD will make you prosper abundantly with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your soil's produce in the land the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.


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The LORD will open for you His abundant storehouse, the sky, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.


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The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God's commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow [them].


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Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today, and do not go after other gods to worship them.


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But if you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:


text:
Your descendants will be cursed, and your soil's produce, the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks.


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The LORD will send against you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you do until you are destroyed and quickly perish, because of the wickedness of your actions in abandoning Me.


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The LORD will make pestilence cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess.


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The LORD will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought, blight, and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish.


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The LORD will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.


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The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.


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Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land, and no one will scare them away.


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The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured.


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so that at noon you will grope as a blind man gropes in the dark. You will not be successful in anything you do. You will only be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will help [you].


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You will become engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not enjoy its fruit.


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Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will be taken away from you and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to your enemies, and no one will help you.


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Your sons and daughters will be given to another people, while your eyes grow weary looking for them every day. But you will be powerless to do anything.


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A people you don't know will eat your soil's produce and everything you have labored for. You will only be oppressed and crushed continually.


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The LORD will afflict you on your knees and thighs with painful and incurable boils from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.


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The LORD will bring you and your king that you have appointed to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone.


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You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the peoples where the LORD will drive you.


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You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather [the grapes], because worms will eat them.


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You will have olives trees throughout your territory but not anoint yourself with oil, because your olives will drop off.


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You will father sons and daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will be taken prisoner.


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The foreign resident among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink lower and lower.


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All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commands and statutes He gave you.


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Because you didn't serve the LORD your God with joy and a cheerful heart, even though [you had] an abundance of everything,


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you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you, in famine, thirst, nakedness, and a lack of everything. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.


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The LORD will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you don't understand,


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They will eat the offspring of your livestock and your soil's produce until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish.


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They will besiege you within all your gates until your high and fortified walls, that you trust in, come down throughout your land. They will besiege you within all your gates throughout the land the LORD your God has given you.


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You will eat your children, the flesh of your sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you.


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The most sensitive and refined man among you will look grudgingly at his brother, the wife he embraces, and the rest of his children,


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refusing to share with any of them his children's flesh that he will eat because he has nothing left during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you in all your towns.


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The most sensitive and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her refinement and sensitivity, will begrudge the husband she embraces, her son, and her daughter,


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the afterbirth that comes out from between her legs and the children she bears, because she will secretly eat them for lack of anything [else] during the siege and hardship your enemy imposes on you within your gates.


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If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awesome name-- Yahweh, your God--


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He will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.


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He will afflict you again with all the diseases of Egypt, which you dreaded, and they will cling to you.


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The LORD will also inflict you with every sickness and plague not recorded in the book of this law, until you are destroyed.


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Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the LORD your God.


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Just as the LORD was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so He will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be deported from the land you are entering to possess.


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Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.


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You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit.


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Your life will hang in doubt before you. You will be in dread night and day, never certain of survival.


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In the morning you will say, 'If only it were evening!' and in the evening you will say, 'If only it were morning!'-- because of the dread you will have in your heart and because of what you will see.


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The LORD will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy [you]."


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These are the words of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with them at Horeb.


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Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "You have seen with your own eyes everything the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to his entire land.


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When you reached this place, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in battle, but we defeated them.


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We took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.


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Therefore, observe the words of this covenant and follow them, so that you will succeed in everything you do.


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All of you are standing today before the LORD your God-- your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel,


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so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today, so that you may enter into His oath


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and so that He may establish you today as His people and He may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


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but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not here today.


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Indeed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the nations where you traveled.


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You saw their detestable images and idols [made] of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.


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Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.


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When someone hears the words of this oath, he may bless himself in his mind, thinking, 'I will have peace even though I follow my [own] stubborn heart.' This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered [land] as well as the dry [land].


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The LORD will not be willing to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against that person, and every curse written in this scroll will descend on him. The LORD will blot out his name under heaven,


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and single him out for harm from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this book of the law.


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Future generations of your children who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a distant country will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses the LORD has inflicted on it.


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All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown, producing nothing, with no plant growing on it, just like the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD demolished in His fierce anger.


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All the nations will ask, 'Why has the LORD done this to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?'


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Then people will answer, 'It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He had made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.


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They began to worship other gods, bowing down to gods they had not known-- gods that the LORD had not permitted them [to worship].


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Therefore the LORD's anger burned against this land, and He brought every curse written in this book on it.


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The LORD uprooted them from their land in [His] anger, fury, and great wrath, and threw them into another land where they are today.'


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The hidden things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.


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When all these things happen to you-- the blessings and curses I have set before you-- and you come to your senses [while you are] in all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,


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and you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am giving you today,


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then He will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.


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The LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than [He did] your fathers.


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The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul, so that you will live.


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The LORD your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands with children, the offspring of your livestock, and your soil's produce. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your prosperity, as He delighted in that of your fathers,


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when you obey the LORD your God by keeping His commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to Him with all your heart and all your soul.


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It is not in heaven, so that you have to ask, 'Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?'


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And it is not across the sea, so that you have to ask, 'Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?'


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For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.


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But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow down to other gods and worship them,


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I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not live long in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.


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I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,


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love the LORD your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."


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saying, "I am now 120 years old; I can no longer act as your leader. The LORD has told me, 'You will not cross this Jordan.'


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The LORD your God is the One who will cross ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will drive them out. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said.


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The LORD will deal with them as He did Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when He destroyed them.


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Be strong and courageous; don't be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you."


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Moses then summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land the LORD swore to give to their fathers. You will enable them to take possession of it.


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The LORD is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged."


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Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the LORD's covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.


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Moses commanded them, "At the end of [every] seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation, during the Festival of Booths,


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when all Israel assembles in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He chooses, you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.


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Gather the people-- men, women, children, and foreigners living within your gates-- so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and be careful to follow all the words of this law.


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Then their children who do not know [the law] will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."


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The LORD said to Moses, "The time of your death is now approaching. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, so that I may commission him." When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting,


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the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.


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The LORD said to Moses, "You are about to rest with your fathers, and this people will soon commit adultery with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon Me and break the covenant I have made with them.


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My anger will burn against them on that day; I will abandon them and hide My face from them so that they will become easy prey. Many troubles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say, 'Haven't these troubles come to us because our God is no longer with us?'


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I will certainly hide My face on that day because of all the evil they have done by turning to other gods.


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Therefore write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the Israelites.


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When I bring them into the land I swore to [give] their fathers, [a land] flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising Me and breaking My covenant.


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And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do, even before I bring them into the land I swore [to give them]."


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The LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun, "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you."


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Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.


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For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the LORD now, while I am still alive, how much more [will you rebel] after I am dead!


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Assemble all your tribal elders and officers before me, so that I may speak these words directly to them and call heaven and earth as witnesses against them.


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For I know that after my death you will become completely corrupt and turn from the path I have commanded you. Disaster will come to you in the future, because you will do what is evil in the LORD's sight, infuriating Him with what your hands have made."


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Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants.


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The Rock-- His work is perfect; all His ways are entirely just. A faithful God, without prejudice, He is righteous and true.


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His people have acted corruptly toward Him; this is their defect-- they are not His children but a devious and crooked generation.


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Is this how you repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Isn't He your Father and Creator? Didn't He make you and sustain you?


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Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you.


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When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel.


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He found him in a desolate land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, cared for him, and guarded him as the pupil of His eye.


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He watches over His nest like an eagle and hovers over His young; He spreads His wings, catches him, and lifts him up on His pinions.


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He made him ride on the heights of the land and eat the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from flintlike rock,


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cream from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat; you drank wine from the finest grapes.


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Then Jeshurun became fat and rebelled-- you became fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.


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They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known, new gods that had just arrived, which your fathers did not fear.


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He said: "I will hide My face from them; I will see what will become of them, for they are a perverse generation-- unfaithful children.


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They have provoked My jealousy with [their] so-called gods; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will provoke their jealousy with an inferior people; I will enrage them with a foolish nation.


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For fire has been kindled because of My anger and burns to the depths of Sheol; it devours the land and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.


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They will be weak from hunger, ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs, as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust.


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Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, there will be terror; the young man and the virgin [will be killed], the infant and the gray-haired man.


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if I had not feared insult from the enemy, [or feared] that these foes might misunderstand and say: Our own hand has prevailed; it wasn't the LORD who did all this."


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How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?


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For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.


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Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly."


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The LORD will indeed vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that [their] strength is gone and no one is left-- slave or free.


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Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let it be a shelter for you.


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See now that I alone am He; there is no God but Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue [anyone] from My hand.


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when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.


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I will make My arrows drunk with blood while My sword devours flesh-- the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders."


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Rejoice, you nations, over His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants. He will take vengeance on His adversaries; He will purify His land and His people.


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Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the presence of the people.


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he said to them, "Take to heart all these words I am giving as a warning to you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law.


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For they are not meaningless words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."


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Go up Mount Nebo in the Abarim [range] in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and view the land of Canaan I am giving the Israelites as a possession.


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Then you will die on the mountain that you go up, and you will be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.


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For [both of] you broke faith with Me among the Israelites at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.


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Although you will view the land from a distance, which I am giving the Israelites, you will not go there."


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He said: The LORD came from Sinai and appeared to them from Seir; He shone [on them] from Mount Paran and came with ten thousand holy ones, with lightning from His right hand for them.


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Indeed He loves the people. All Your holy ones are in Your hand, and they assemble at Your feet. Each receives Your words.


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He said this about Judah: LORD, hear Judah's cry and bring him to his people. He fights for his cause with his own hands, but may You be a help against his foes.


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He said about Levi: Your Thummim and Urim belong to Your faithful one; You tested him at Massah and contended with him at the waters of Meribah.


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He said about his father and mother, "I do not regard them." He disregarded his brothers and didn't acknowledge his sons, for they kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.


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They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your instruction to Israel; they will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.


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LORD, bless his possessions, and accept the work of his hands. Smash the loins of his adversaries and enemies, so that they cannot rise again.


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He said about Benjamin: The LORD's beloved rests securely on Him. He shields him all day long, and he rests on His shoulders.


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He said about Joseph: May his land be blessed by the LORD with the dew of heaven's bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath;


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with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it; and with the favor of Him who appeared in the [burning] bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the crown of the prince of his brothers.


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His firstborn bull has splendor, and horns like those of a wild ox; he gores all the peoples with them to the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh.


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They summon the peoples to a mountain; there they offer acceptable sacrifices. For they draw from the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.


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He said about Gad: The one who enlarges Gad's [territory] will be blessed. He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or even a head.


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He chose the best [part] for himself, because a ruler's portion was assigned there for him. He came [with] the leaders of the people; he carried out the LORD's justice and His ordinances for Israel.


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He said about Naphtali: Naphtali, enjoying approval, full of the LORD's blessing, take possession to the west and the south.


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He said about Asher: May Asher be the most blessed of the sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in [olive] oil.


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There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid on the clouds in His majesty.


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The God of old is [your] dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, and commands, "Destroy!"


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So Israel dwells securely; Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine; even his skies drip with dew.


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How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread on their backs.


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Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land: Gilead as far as Dan,


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all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,


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The LORD then said to him, "This is the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it."


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He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is.


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The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab 30 days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.


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Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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[He was unparalleled] for all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do against the land of Egypt-- to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land,


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and for all the mighty [acts of] power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.


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After the death of Moses the LORD's servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses:


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Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites.


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Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River-- all the land of the Hittites-- and west to the Mediterranean Sea.


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No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.


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Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.


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Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.


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This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.


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Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."


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Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit.'"


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Remember what Moses the LORD's servant commanded you when he said, 'The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.'


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Your wives, young children, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But your fighting men must cross over in battle formation ahead of your brothers and help them


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until the LORD gives our brothers rest, as [He has given] you, and they too possess the land the LORD your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of what Moses the LORD's servant gave you on the east side of the Jordan."


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They answered Joshua, "Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go.


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We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.


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Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!"


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Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from Acacia Grove, saying, "Go and scout the land, especially Jericho." So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.


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The king of Jericho was told, "Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land."


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Then the king of Jericho sent [word] to Rahab and said, "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land."


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But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, "Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn't know where they were from.


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At nightfall, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don't know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!"


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But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.


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The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut.


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and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given you this land and that dread of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.


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For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed across the Jordan.


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When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.


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Now please swear to me by the LORD that you will also show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign


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that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death."


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The men answered her, "[We will give] our lives for yours. If you don't report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the LORD gives us the land."


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Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was [built] into the wall of the city.


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Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won't find you," she said to them. "Hide yourselves there for three days until they return; afterwards, go on your way."


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unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into your house.


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If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his blood will be on our heads.


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Let it be as you say," she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.


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So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them.


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Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed [the Jordan]. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.


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They told Joshua, "The LORD has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us."


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Joshua started early the next morning and left Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.


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and commanded the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it.


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But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards between yourselves and the ark. Don't go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven't traveled this way before."


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Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, because the LORD will do wonders among you tomorrow."


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Then he said to the priests, "Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people." So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.


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The LORD spoke to Joshua: "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.


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Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.'"


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He said, "You will know that the living God is among you and that He will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites


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When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the Jordan's waters, its waters will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up [in] a mass."


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When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people.


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Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge


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and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up [in] a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.


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The priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.


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and command them, 'Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests' feet are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.'"


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and said to them, "Go across to the ark of the LORD your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes,


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so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean to you?'


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you should tell them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the LORD's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's waters were cut off.' Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites."


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The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The 12 men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just as the LORD had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.


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Joshua also set up 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are there to this day.


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The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across,


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and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.


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The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites, as Moses had instructed them.


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On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.


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When the priests carrying the ark of the LORD's covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet stepped out on solid ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over all the banks as before.


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The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.


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and he said to the Israelites, "When your children ask their fathers in the future, 'What is the meaning of these stones?'


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For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.


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This is so that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD's hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God."


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When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.


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This is the reason Joshua circumcised [them]: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males-- all the men of war-- had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt.


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Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt.


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For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years until all the nation's men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.


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Joshua raised up their sons in their place; it was these he circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.


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After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered.


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The LORD then said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you." Therefore, that place has been called Gilgal to this day.


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While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.


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And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.


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When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?"


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Neither," He replied. "I have now come as commander of the LORD's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?"


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The commander of the LORDS's army said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.


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Have seven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the trumpets.


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When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the people will advance, each man straight ahead."


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So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven trumpets in front of the ark of the LORD."


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He said to the people, "Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed troops go ahead of the ark of the LORD."


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After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven trumpets before the LORD moved forward and blew the trumpets; the ark of the LORD's covenant followed them.


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While the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops went in front of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard went behind the ark.


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But Joshua had commanded the people: "Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don't let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, 'Shout!' Then you are to shout."


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So the ark of the LORD was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.


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and the seven priests carrying seven trumpets marched in front of the ark of the LORD. While the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the LORD.


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On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.


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Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times.


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After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.


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But the city and everything in it are set apart to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live, because she hid the men we sent.


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But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it.


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For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the LORD and must go into the LORD's treasury."


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So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city.


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They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword-- every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.


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Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, "Go to the prostitute's house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you promised her."


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So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.


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They burned up the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.


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But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she lives in Israel to this day.


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At that time Joshua imposed this curse: Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes the rebuilding of this city, Jericho. He will lay its foundation [at the cost of] his firstborn; He will set up its gates [at the cost of] his youngest.


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The Israelites, however, were unfaithful regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the LORD's anger burned against the Israelites.


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Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and scout the land." So the men went up and scouted Ai.


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After returning to Joshua they reported to him, "Don't send all the people, but send about 2,000 or 3,000 men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don't wear out all our people there."


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The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries, striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people's hearts melted and became like water.


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Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell before the ark of the LORD with his face to the ground until evening, as did the elders of Israel; they all put dust on their heads.


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Oh, Lord God," Joshua said, "why did You ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan!


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When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do about Your great name?"


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Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put [the things] with their own belongings.


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This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs [and run] from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from you what is set apart.


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Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'There are among you, Israel, things set apart. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart.


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In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the LORD selects is to come forward family by family. The family the LORD selects is to come forward man by man.


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The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, along with everything he has, because he has violated the LORD's covenant and committed an outrage in Israel.'"


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Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.


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He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families, and Zabdi was selected.


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He then had Zabdi's family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.


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So Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don't hide anything from me."


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Achan replied to Joshua, "It is true. I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did:


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When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, 200 silver shekels, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them. You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak."


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So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the money underneath.


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They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in the LORD's presence.


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Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.


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Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? Today the LORD will trouble you!" So all Israel stoned him to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them,


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and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.


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The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole military force with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.


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Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king; you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."


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So Joshua and the whole military force set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 fighting men and sent them out at night.


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He commanded them: "Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready.


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Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.


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They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing from us as before.' While we are fleeing from them,


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you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God has handed it over to you.


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After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the LORD's command-- see [that you do] as I have ordered you."


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So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops.


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Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai.


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All those who were with him went up and approached the city, arriving opposite Ai, and camped to the north of it, with a valley between them and the city.


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Now Joshua had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.


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The military force was stationed in this way: the main camp to the north of the city and its rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.


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When the king of Ai saw [the Israelites], the men of the city hurried and went out early in the morning, so that he and all his people could engage Israel in battle at a suitable place facing the plain [of the Jordan]. But he did not know there was an ambush [waiting] for him behind the city.


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Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.


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Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel.


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Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out the sword in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you." So Joshua held out his sword toward it.


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When he held out his hand, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They ran, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.


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The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was rising to the sky! They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.


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When Joshua and all Israel saw that the [men in] ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.


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The men in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were [trapped] between the Israelite forces, some on one side and some on the other. They struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained,


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When Israel had finished killing everyone living in Ai who had pursued them into the open country, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the sword.


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Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the sword until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.


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Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the LORD's command that He had given Joshua.


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He hung [the body of] the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.


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just as Moses the LORD's servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it.


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There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites.


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All Israel, foreigner and citizen alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the LORD's covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. As Moses the LORD's servant had commanded earlier, half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, to bless the people of Israel.


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Afterwards, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law-- the blessings as well as the curses-- according to all that is written in the book of the law.


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There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, little children, and foreigners who were with them.


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When all the kings heard [about Jericho and Ai], those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon-- the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites--


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they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended.


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[They wore] old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly.


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They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us."


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The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?"


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They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Then Joshua asked them, "Who are you and where do you come from?"


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They replied to him, "Your servants have come from a far away land because of the reputation of the LORD your God. For we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,


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and all that He did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan-- Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth.


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So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, 'Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, "We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us."'


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This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our houses as food on the day we left to come to you. But take a look, it is now dry and crumbly.


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These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the extremely long journey."


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So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.


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Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them.


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So the Israelites set out and reached the Gibeonite cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.


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But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders.


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All the leaders answered them, "We have sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.


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This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them."


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They also said, "Let them live." So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them.


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Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, "Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us?


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Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves-- woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."


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The Gibeonites answered him, "It was clearly reported to your servants that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.


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This is what Joshua did to them: he delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them.


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On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers-- as they are today-- for the community and for the LORD's altar at the place He would choose.


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Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were [living] among them.


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So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.


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Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent [word] to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,


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Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."


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So the five Amorite kings-- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon-- joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.


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Then the men of Gibeon sent [word] to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Don't abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us."


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The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you."


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The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.


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As they fled before Israel, the LORD threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.


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On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the valley of Aijalon."


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And the sun stood still and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn't this written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting almost a full day.


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There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.


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It was reported to Joshua: "The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah."


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Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings.


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But as for the rest of you, don't stay there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Don't let them enter their cities, for the LORD your God has handed them over to you."


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So Joshua and the Israelites finished inflicting a terrible slaughter on them until they were destroyed, although a few survivors ran away to the fortified cities.


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The people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. No one could say a thing against the Israelites.


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That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave.


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When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.


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Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight."


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After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening.


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At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the treesand thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.


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On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed it and everyone in it, leaving no survivors. So he treated the king of Makkedah as he had the king of Jericho.


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The LORD also handed it and its king over to Israel. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, and left no survivors in it. He treated Libnah's king as he had the king of Jericho.


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From Libnah, Joshua and all Israel with him crossed to Lachish. They laid siege to it and attacked it.


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The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.


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At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors in it.


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Then Joshua crossed from Lachish to Eglon and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and attacked it.


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On that day they captured it and struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword. He completely destroyed it that day, just as he had done to Lachish.


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They captured it and struck down its king, all its villages, and everyone in it with the sword. Just as he had done at Eglon, he left no survivors. He completely destroyed Hebron and everyone in it.


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He captured it-- its king and all its villages. They struck them down with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He treated Debir and its king as he had treated Hebron and as he had treated Libnah and its king.


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So Joshua conquered the whole region-- the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes-- with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.


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Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.


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When Jabin king of Hazor heard [this news], he sent [a message] to: Jobab king of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph,


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and the kings of the north in the hill country, the plain south of Chinnereth, the Judean foothills, and the Slopes of Dor to the west,


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the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.


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They went out with all their armies-- a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore-- along with a vast number of horses and chariots.


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All these kings joined forces; they came together and camped at the waters of Merom to attack Israel.


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The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over dead to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots."


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The LORD handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.


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Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.


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At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms.


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They struck down everyone in it with the sword, completely destroying them; he left no one alive. Then he burned down Hazor.


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Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the LORD's servant had commanded.


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However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned.


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The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive.


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Just as the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.


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So Joshua took all this land-- the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the Judean foothills, the plain, and the hill country of Israel with its Judean foothills--


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from Mount Halak, which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.


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No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites who inhabited Gibeon; all of them were taken in battle.


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For it was the LORD's intention to harden their hearts, so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.


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At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim from the hill country-- Hebron, Debir, Anab-- all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities.


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No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.


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So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had told Moses. Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. After this, the land had rest from war.


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The Israelites struck down the following kings of the land and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan to the east and from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah eastward:


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Sihon king of the Amorites lived in Heshbon. He ruled [over the territory] from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along the middle of the valley, and half of Gilead up to the Jabbok River (the border of the Ammonites),


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the Arabah east of the Sea of Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), eastward through Beth-jeshimoth and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.


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He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all Bashan up to the Geshurite and Maacathite border, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon.


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Moses the LORD's servant and the Israelites struck them down. And Moses the LORD's servant gave their land as an inheritance to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.


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Joshua and the Israelites struck down the following kings of the land beyond the Jordan to the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which ascends toward Seir (Joshua gave their land as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their allotments:


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the hill country, the Judean foothills, the plain, the slopes, the desert, and the Negev of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites):


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Joshua was now old, advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, "You have become old, advanced in years, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.


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from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)-- the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites


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in the south; all the land of the Canaanites: from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites;


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the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath--


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all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians. I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you.


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With the other half of the tribe, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the LORD's servant had given them:


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From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon,


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and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites;


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also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah--


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the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim. Moses struck them down and drove them out,


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but the Israelites did not drive out the Geshurites and Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath live in Israel to this day.


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He did not give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was its inheritance, just as He had promised: the offerings made by fire to the LORD, the God of Israel.


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this as their territory: From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley, to the whole plateau as far as Medeba,


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all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian-- Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba-- the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.


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Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword.


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The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their villages.


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this as their territory: Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah;


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in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon-- the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon. [Their land also included] the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east side of the Jordan.


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And to half the tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh's descendants by their clans, Moses gave


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this as their territory: From Mahanaim through all Bashan-- all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all of Jair's Villagesthat are in Bashan-- 60 cities.


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But half of Gilead, and Og's royal cities in Bashan-- Ashtaroth and Edrei-- are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans.


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But Moses did not give a portion to the tribe of Levi. The LORD, the God of Israel, was their inheritance, just as He had promised them.


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The Israelites received these portions that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan.


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because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites.


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The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock.


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The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the LORD promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.


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I was 40 years old when Moses the LORD's servant sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land, and I brought back an honest report.


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My brothers who went with me caused the people's hearts to melt with fear, but I remained loyal to the LORD my God.


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On that day Moses promised me, 'The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have remained loyal to the LORD my God.'


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As you see, the LORD has kept me alive [these] 45 years as He promised, since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old.


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I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.


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Now give me this hill country the LORD promised [me] on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there, as well as large fortified cities. Perhaps the LORD will be with me and I will drive them out as the LORD promised."


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Therefore, Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he remained loyal to the LORD, the God of Israel.


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Hebron's name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim. After this, the land had rest from war.


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Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south of the wilderness of Zin to the border of Edom.


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and went south of the ascent of Akrabbim, proceeded to Zin, ascended to the south of Kadesh-barnea, passed Hezron, ascended to Addar, and turned to Karka.


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It proceeded to Azmon and to the Brook of Egypt and so the border ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This is your southern border.


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Now the eastern border was along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north side was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan.


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It ascended to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and ascended to the stone of Bohan son of Reuben.


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Then the border ascended to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to the Gilgal that is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is south of the ravine. The border proceeded to the waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel.


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From there the border ascended the Valley of Hinnom to the southern Jebusite slope (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.


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From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim).


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The border turned westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, went to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), descended to Beth-shemesh, and proceeded to Timnah.


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Then the border reached to the slope north of Ekron, curved to Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.


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Now the western border was the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. This was the boundary of the descendants of Judah around their clans.


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He gave Caleb son of Jephunneh [the following] portion among the descendants of Judah based on the LORD's instruction to Joshua: Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the father of Anak).


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Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak.


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and Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who strikes down and captures Kiriath-sepher."


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So Othniel son of Caleb's brother, Kenaz, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as a wife.


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When she arrived, she persuaded Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?"


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She replied, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me the springs of water also." So he gave her the upper and lower springs.


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These were the outermost cities of the tribe of the descendants of Judah toward the border of Edom in the Negev: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,


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Ashdod, with its towns and villages; Gaza, with its towns and villages, to the Brook of Egypt and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.


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But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah to this day.


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The allotment for the descendants of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness ascending from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.


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It then descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.


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This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar on the east of Upper Beth-horon.


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In the north the border went westward from Michmethath; it turned eastward from Taanath-shiloh and passed it east of Janoah.


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From Tappuah the border went westward along the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans, together with


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the cities set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh-- all these cities with their villages.


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But, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites live in Ephraim to this day, but they are forced laborers.


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This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph's firstborn. Gilead and Bashan came to Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh and the father of Gilead, who was a man of war.


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So the allotment was for the rest of Manasseh's descendants by their clans, for the sons of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, by their clans.


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Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


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They came before Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, saying, "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our male relatives." So they gave them an inheritance among their father's brothers, in keeping with the LORD's instruction.


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As a result, 10 tracts fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which are beyond the Jordan,


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because Manasseh's daughters received an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of Manasseh's sons.


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The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Michmethath near Shechem. It then went southward toward the inhabitants of En-tappuah.


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The region of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah [itself] on Manasseh's border belonged to the descendants of Ephraim.


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From there the border descended to the Brook of Kanah; south of the brook, cities belonged to Ephraim among Manasseh's cities. Manasseh's border was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.


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Ephraim's [territory] was to the south and Manasseh's to the north, with the Sea as its border. They reached Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.


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Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh had Beth-shean with its towns, Ibleam with its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor with its towns; the inhabitants of En-dor with its towns, the inhabitants of Taanach with its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo with its towns-- the three [cities] of Naphath.


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The descendants of Manasseh could not possess these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.


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However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they imposed forced labor on the Canaanites but did not drive them out completely.


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Joseph's descendants said to Joshua: "Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has greatly blessed us."


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If you have so many people," Joshua replied to them, "go to the forest and clear [an area] for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim's hill country is too small for you."


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But the descendants of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its towns and in the Jezreel Valley."


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So Joshua replied to Joseph's family (that is, Ephraim and Manasseh), "You have many people and great strength. You will not have just one lot,


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because the hill country will be yours also. It is a forest; clear it and its outlying areas will be yours. You can also drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong."


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The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh where it set up the tent of meeting there; the land had been subdued by them.


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So Joshua said to the Israelites, "How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, gave you?


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Appoint for yourselves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go and survey the land, write a description of it for the purpose of their inheritance, and return to me.


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Then they are to divide it into seven portions. Judah is to remain in its territory in the south, and Joseph's family in their territory in the north.


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When you have written a description of the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.


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But the Levites among you do not get a portion, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have taken their inheritance beyond the Jordan to the east, which Moses the LORD's servant gave them."


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As the men prepared to go, Joshua commanded them to write down a description of the land, saying, "Go and survey the land, write a description of it, and return to me. I will then cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD."


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So the men left, went through the land, and described it by towns in a document of seven sections. They returned to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.


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Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the LORD where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.


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The lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin's descendants by their clans, and their allotted territory lay between Judah's descendants and Joseph's descendants.


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Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness of Beth-aven.


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From there the border went toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); it then went down by Ataroth-addar, over the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.


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On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side [of their border].


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The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extended westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.


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The border descended to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim. It ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the south Jebusite slope and downward to En-rogel.


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It curved northward and went to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan, Reuben's son.


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The border continued to the north slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border.


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The Jordan formed the border on the east side. This was the inheritance of Benjamin's descendants, by their clans, according to its surrounding borders.


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These were the cities of the tribe of Benjamin's descendants by their clans: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,


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Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-- 14 cities, with their villages. This was the inheritance for Benjamin's descendants by their clans.


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The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of his descendants by their clans, but their inheritance was within the portion of Judah's descendants.


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and all the villages surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the south). This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon's descendants by their clans.


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The inheritance of Simeon's descendants was within the territory of Judah's descendants, because the share for Judah's descendants was too large for them. So Simeon's descendants received an inheritance within Judah's portion.


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The third lot came up for Zebulun's descendants by their clans. The territory of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid;


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From Sarid, it turned east toward the sunrise along the border of Chisloth-tabor, went to Daberath, and went up to Japhia.


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From there, it went east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon, curving around to Neah.


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This was the inheritance of Zebulun's descendants by their clans, these cities, with their villages.


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The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan-- 16 cities, with their villages.


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This was the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar's descendants by their clans, the cities, with their villages.


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It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, passed Zebulun and the valley of Iphtah-el, north toward Beth-emek and Neiel, and went north to Cabul,


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The boundary then turned to Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre; it turned back to Hosah and ended at the sea, including Mahalab, Achzib,


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This was the inheritance of the tribe of Asher's descendants by their clans, these cities with their villages.


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Their boundary went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum, and ended at the Jordan.


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To the west, the boundary turned to Aznoth-tabor and went from there to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the east.


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This was the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali's descendants by their clans, the cities with their villages.


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When the territory of the Danites slipped out of their control, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and struck it down with the sword. So they took possession of it, lived there, and renamed Leshem after their ancestor Dan.


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When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them.


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By the LORD's command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.


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These were the portions that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the LORD's presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.


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so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.


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When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them.


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And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand.


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He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.'"


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So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.


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Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben's tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad's tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh's tribe.


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These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly.


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The heads of the Levite families approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes.


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They told them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan: "The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock."


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So the Israelites, by the LORD's command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance.


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The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of Aaron the priest received 13 cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.


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The remaining descendants of Kohath received 10 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh.


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Gershon's descendants received 13 cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.


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Merari's descendants received 12 cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.


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The Israelites gave these cities with their pasturelands around them to the Levites by lot, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.


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to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because they received the first lot.


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They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) with its surrounding pasturelands in the hill country of Judah. Arba was the father of Anak.


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They gave to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands,


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Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands-- nine cities from these two tribes.


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The allotted cities to the remaining clans of Kohath's descendants, who were Levites, came from the tribe of Ephraim.


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The Israelites gave them: Shechem, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,


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From half the tribe of Manasseh [they gave]: Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands-- two cities.


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From half the tribe of Manasseh, [they gave] to the descendants of Gershon, who were one of the Levite clans: Golan, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands in Bashan, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands-- two cities.


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From the tribe of Issachar [they gave]: Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands,


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From the tribe of Naphtali [they gave]: Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands-- three cities.


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From the tribe of Zebulun, [they gave] to the clans of the descendants of Merari, who were the remaining Levites: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands,


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From the tribe of Gad, [they gave]: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,


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Within the Israelite possession there were 48 cities in all with their pasturelands for the Levites.


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So the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there.


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The LORD gave them rest on every side according to all He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the LORD handed over all their enemies to them.


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None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.


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and told them, "You have done everything Moses the LORD's servant commanded you and have obeyed me in everything I commanded you.


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You have not deserted your brothers even once this whole time but have carried out the requirement of the command of the LORD your God.


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Now that He has given your brothers rest, just as He promised them, return to your homes in your own land that Moses the LORD's servant gave you across the Jordan.


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Only carefully obey the command and instruction that Moses the LORD's servant gave you: to love the LORD your God, walk in all His ways, keep His commands, remain faithful to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul."


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Moses had given [territory] to half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, but Joshua had given [territory] to the other half, with their brothers, on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them to their homes and blessed them,


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he said, "Return to your homes with great wealth: a huge number of cattle, and silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a large quantity of clothing. Share the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."


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The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to go to their own land of Gilead, which they took possession of according to the LORD's command through Moses.


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When they came to the region of the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.


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Then the Israelites heard [it] said, "Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan at the region of the Jordan, on the Israelite side."


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When the Israelites heard [this], the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.


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The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead.


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[They sent] 10 leaders with him-- one family leader for each tribe of Israel. All of them were heads of their families among the clans of Israel.


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They went to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and told them,


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This is what the LORD's entire community says: 'What is this treachery you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building an altar for yourselves, so that you are in rebellion against the LORD today?


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Wasn't the sin of Peor, which brought a plague on the LORD's community, enough for us, so that we have not cleansed ourselves from it even to this day,


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and now, you would turn away from the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow He will be angry with the entire community of Israel.


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But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the LORD possesses where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take possession [of it] among us. But don't rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.


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Wasn't Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath on the entire community of Israel? He was not the only one who perished because of his sin.'"


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The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the Israelite clans,


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The LORD is the God of gods! The LORD is the God of gods! He knows, and may Israel also know. Do not spare us today, if [it was] in rebellion or treachery against the LORD


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that we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him. May the LORD Himself hold us accountable if [we intended] to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it.


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We actually did this from a specific concern that in the future your descendants might say to our descendants, 'What relationship do you have with the LORD, the God of Israel?


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For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in the LORD!' So your descendants may cause our descendants to stop fearing the LORD.


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Therefore we said: Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offering or sacrifice.


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Instead, it is to be a witness between us and you, and between the generations after us, so that we may carry out the worship of the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and fellowship offerings. Then in the future, your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, 'You have no share in the LORD!'


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We thought that if they said this to us or to our generations in the future, we would reply: Look at the replica of the LORD's altar that our fathers made, not for burnt offering or sacrifice, but as a witness between us and you.


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We would never rebel against the LORD or turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which is in front of His tabernacle."


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When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders, the heads of Israel's clans who were with him, heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.


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Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against Him. As a result, you have delivered the Israelites from the LORD's power."


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Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.


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The Israelites were pleased with the report, and they praised God. They spoke no more about going to war against them to ravage the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.


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A long time after the LORD had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, getting on in years.


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So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, "I am old, getting on in years,


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and you have seen for yourselves everything the LORD your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the LORD your God who was fighting for you.


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See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea.


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The LORD your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you, so that you can take possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.


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Be very strong, and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left


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and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not worship them or bow down to them.


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The LORD has driven out great and powerful nations before you, and no one has been able to stand against you to this day.


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For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry or associate with them and they with you,


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know for certain that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you disappear from this good land the LORD your God has given you.


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I am now going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the LORD your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.


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Since every good thing the LORD your God promised you has come about, so He will bring on you every bad thing until He has annihilated you from this good land the LORD your God has given you.


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If you break the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and worship other gods, and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land He has given you."


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Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel's elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.


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Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.


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But I took your father Abraham from the region beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,


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and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.


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'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, I plagued Egypt by what I did there, and afterwards I brought you out.


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When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the sea.


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Your fathers cried out to the LORD, so He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness a long time.


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'Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you.


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Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,


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but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand.


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'You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho-- as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites-- fought against you, but I handed them over to you.


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I sent the hornetahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you. It was not by your sword or bow.


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I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.'


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Therefore, fear the LORD and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the LORD.


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But if it doesn't please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD."


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For the LORD our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, the place of slavery and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through.


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The LORD drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the LORD, because He is our God."


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But Joshua told the people, "You will not be able to worship the LORD, because He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not remove your transgressions and sins.


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If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, He will turn against [you], harm you, and completely destroy you, after He has been good to you."


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Joshua then told the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship the LORD." "We are witnesses," they said.


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Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and offer your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."


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On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them.


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Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God; he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak next to the sanctuary of the LORD.


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And Joshua said to all the people, "You see this stone-- it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God."


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They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.


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Israel worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua, and who had experienced all the works the LORD had done for Israel.


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Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the parcel of land Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for 100 qesitahs.It was an inheritance for Joseph's descendants.


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And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.


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After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, "Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?"


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Judah said to his brother Simeon, "Come with me to my territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. I will also go with you to your territory." So Simeon went with him.


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When Judah attacked, the LORD handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They struck down 10,000 men in Bezek.


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Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up [scraps] under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.


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The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.


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Afterwards, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.


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Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron (Hebron was formerly named Kiriath-arba). They struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.


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Caleb said, "Whoever strikes down and captures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah to him as a wife."


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So Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as his wife.


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She answered him, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water also." So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.


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The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad. They went to live among the people.


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Judah went with his brother Simeon, struck the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and completely destroyed the town. So they named the town Hormah.


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The LORD was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people who were living in the valley because those people had iron chariots.


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Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised. Then Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak who lived there.


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At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.


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The spies saw a man coming out of the town and said to him, "Please show us how to get into town, and we will treat you well."


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When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but released the man and his entire family.


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Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name to this day.


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At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-sheanand its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the residents of Dor and its villages, or the residents of Ibleamand its villages, or the residents of Megiddo and its villages. But the Canaanites refused to leave this land.


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When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.


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At that time Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among them in Gezer.


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Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron or the residents of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced labor.


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Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob.


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The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.


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Naphtali did not drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh or the residents of Beth-anath. They lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served as their forced labor.


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The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley.


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The Amorites refused to leave Har-heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand, the Amorites were made to serve as forced labor.


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The Angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break My covenant with you.


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You are not to make a covenant with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars.But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done?


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Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thornsin your sides, and their gods will be a trap to you."


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Joshua sent the people away, and the Israelites went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.


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The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the LORD's great works He had done for Israel.


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They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.


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That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works He had done for Israel.


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and abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They infuriated the LORD,


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The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and He handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, so that they could no longer resist their enemies.


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Whenever the Israelites went out, the LORD was against them and brought disaster [on them], just as He had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.


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but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD's commands. They did not do as their fathers did.


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Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, the LORD was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The LORD was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them.


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Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their fathers, going after other gods to worship and bow down to them. They did not turn from their [evil] practices or their obstinate ways.


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The Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He declared, "Because this nation has violated My covenant that I made with their fathers and disobeyed Me,


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[I did this] to test Israel and to see whether they would keep the LORD's way by walking in it, as their fathers had."


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The LORD left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.


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These are the nations the LORD left in order to test Israel, since none of these Israelites had fought in any of the wars with Canaan.


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This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites [how to fight in] battle, especially those who had not fought before.


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[These nations included:] the five rulers of the Philistines and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the Lebanese mountains from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.


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The LORD left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the LORD's commands He had given their fathers through Moses.


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The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.


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The Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight; they forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.


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The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram of the Two Rivers,and the Israelites served him eight years.


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The Israelites cried out to the LORD. So the LORD raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother as a deliverer to save the Israelites.


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The Spirit of the LORD was on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the LORD handed over Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him.


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The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the LORD's sight.


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After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms.


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Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjaminite, as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him to Eglon king of Moab with tribute [money].


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Ehud made himself a double-edged sword 18 inches long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes


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At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, "King [Eglon], I have a secret message for you." The king called for silence, and all his attendants left him.


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Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his room upstairs [where it was] cool. Ehud said, "I have a word from God for you," and the king stood up from his throne.


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Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.


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Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon's insides came out.


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Ehud was gone when Eglon's servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself in the cool room.


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The servants waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors-- and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!


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Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He crossed over [the Jordan] near the carved images and reached Seirah.


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After he arrived, he sounded the ram's horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader.


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He told them, "Follow me, because the LORD has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you." So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.


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At that time they struck down about 10,000 Moabites, all strong and able-bodied men. Not one of them escaped.


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After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath [became judge]. He delivered Israel by striking down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.


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So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.


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Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.


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It was her custom to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her for judgment.


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She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "Hasn't the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded [you]: 'Go, deploy [the troops] on Mount Tabor, and take with you 10,000 men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?


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Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin's forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon [to fight] against you, and I will hand him over to you.'"


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Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go."


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I will go with you," she said, "but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the LORD will sell Sisera into a woman's hand." So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.


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Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 10,000 men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.


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Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.


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Sisera summoned all his 900 iron chariots and all the people who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon.


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Then Deborah said to Barak, "Move on, for this is the day the LORD has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn't the LORD gone before you?" So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.


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The LORD threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into confusion with the sword before Barak. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot.


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Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.


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Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.


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Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, "Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug.


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He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty." She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him [again].


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Then he said to her, "Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, 'Is there a man here?' say, 'No.'"


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While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber's wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.


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When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, "Come and I will show you the man you are looking for." So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!


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The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.


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Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.


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LORD, when You came from Seir, when You marched from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured [rain], the clouds poured water.


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In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main ways were deserted, because travelers kept to the side roads.


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Villages were deserted, they were deserted in Israel, until I, Deborah, I arose, a mother in Israel.


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Israel chose new gods, then war was in the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among 40,000 in Israel.


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Let them tell the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His warriors in Israel, with the voices of the singers at the watering places. Then the LORD's people went down to the gates.


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Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake, sing a song! Arise Barak, and take hold of your captives, son of Abinoam!"


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Those with their roots in Amalek [came] from Ephraim; Benjamin [came with] your people after you. The leaders came down from Machir, and those who carry a marshal's staff [came] from Zebulun.


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The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar was with Barak. They set out at his heels in the valley. There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.


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Why did you sit among the sheepfolds listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks? There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.


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Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger at the ships? Asher remained at the seashore and stayed in his harbors.


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Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no spoil of silver.


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The river Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul, in strength!


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Curse Meroz," says the Angel of the LORD, "Bitterly curse her inhabitants, for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty warriors."


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Jael is most blessed of women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.


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She reached for a tent peg, her right hand, for a workman's mallet. Then she hammered Sisera-- she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple.


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He collapsed, he fell, he lay down at her feet; he collapsed, he fell at her feet; where he collapsed, there he fell-- dead.


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Sisera's mother looked through the window; she [peered] through the lattice, crying out: "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don't I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?"


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Are they not finding and dividing the spoil-- a girl or two for each warrior, the spoil of colored garments for Sisera, the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?"


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LORD, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did. But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its strength. And the land was peaceful 40 years.


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The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to Midian seven years,


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and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.


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Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the eastern peoples came and attacked them.


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They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox or donkey.


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For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to waste it.


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the LORD sent a prophet to them. He said to them, "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.


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I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.


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I said to you: I am the LORD your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me.'"


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The Angel of the LORD came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites.


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Gideon said to Him, "Please Sir, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, 'Hasn't the LORD brought us out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian."


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The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?"


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He said to Him, "Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."


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But I will be with you," the LORD said to him. "You will strike Midian down [as if it were] one man."


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Then he said to Him, "If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that You are speaking with me.


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Please do not leave this place until I return to You. Let me bring my gift and set it before You." And He said, "I will stay until you return."


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So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to Him under the oak.


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The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth [on it]." And he did so.


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The Angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.


text:
When Gideon realized that He was the Angel of the LORD, he said, "Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face!"


text:
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it Yahweh Shalom. It is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites until today.


text:
On that very night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.


text:
Build a well-constructed altar to the LORD your God on the top of this rock. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down."


text:
So Gideon took 10 of his male servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.


text:
When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal's altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built.


text:
They said to each other, "Who did this?" After they made a thorough investigation, they said, "Gideon son of Joash did it."


text:
Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."


text:
But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Would you plead Baal's case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case, because someone tore down his altar."


text:
That day, Gideon's father called him Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal plead his case with him," because he tore down his altar.


text:
All the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites gathered together, crossed over [the Jordan], and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.


text:
The Spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram's horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.


text:
He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who [also] came to meet him.


text:
I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said."


text:
And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.


text:
Gideon then said to God, "Don't be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground."


text:
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and everyone who was with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley.


text:
The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: 'I did it myself.'


text:
Now announce in the presence of the people: 'Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So 22,000 of the people turned back, but 10,000 remained.


text:
Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, 'This one can go with you,' he can go. But if I say about anyone, 'This one cannot go with you,' he cannot go."


text:
So he brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to Gideon, "Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink."


text:
The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was 300 men, and all the rest of the people knelt to drink water.


text:
The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home."


text:
So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents, but kept the 300 who took the people's provisions and their trumpets. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.


text:
Listen to what they say, and then you will be strengthened to go to the camp." So he went with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops who were in the camp.


text:
Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the Qedemites had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore.


text:
When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend [about] a dream. He said, "Listen, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed."


text:
His friend answered: "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him."


text:
When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel's camp and said, "Get up, for the LORD has handed the Midianite camp over to you."


text:
Then he divided the 300 men into three companies and gave each of the men a trumpet in one hand and an empty pitcher with a torch inside it [in the other].


text:
When I and everyone with me blow our trumpets, you are also to blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then you will say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!'"


text:
Gideon and the 100 men who were with him went to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch after the sentries had been stationed. They blew their trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.


text:
The three companies blew their trumpets and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands, their trumpets in their right hands, and shouted, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"


text:
Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire [Midianite] army fled, and cried out as they ran.


text:
When Gideon's men blew their 300 trumpets, the LORD set the swords of each man in the army against each other. They fled to Beth-shittah in the direction of Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.


text:
Then the men of Israel were called from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.


text:
Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim with this message: "Come down to intercept the Midianites and take control of the watercourses ahead of them as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they took control of the watercourses as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.


text:
They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, while they were pursuing the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.


text:
The men of Ephraim said to him, "Why have you done this to us, not calling us when you went to fight against the Midianites?" And they argued with him violently.


text:
So he said to them, "What have I done now compared to you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?


text:
God handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian. What was I able to do compared to you?" When he said this, their anger against him subsided.


text:
Gideon and the 300 men came to the Jordan and crossed it. They were exhausted, but still in pursuit.


text:
He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give some loaves of bread to the people who are following me, because they are exhausted, for I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."


text:
But the princes of Succoth asked, "Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hands that we should give bread to your army?"


text:
Gideon replied, "Very well, when the LORD has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will trample your flesh on thorns and briers from the wilderness!"


text:
He went from there to Penuel and asked the same thing from them. The men of Penuel answered just as the men of Succoth had answered.


text:
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and with them was their army of about 15,000 men, who were all those left of the entire army of the Qedemites. Those who had been killed were 120,000 warriors.


text:
Gideon traveled on the caravan route, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked their army while the army was unsuspecting.


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them. He captured these two kings of Midian and routed the entire army.


text:
He captured a youth from the men of Succoth and interrogated him. The youth wrote down for him the [names of the] 77 princes and elders of Succoth.


text:
Then he went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You taunted me about them, saying, 'Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your power that we should give bread to your exhausted men?'"


text:
So he took the elders of the city, as well as some thorns and briers from the wilderness, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.


text:
He asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "They were like you," they said. "Each resembled the son of a king."


text:
So he said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother! As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you."


text:
Then he said to Jether, his firstborn, "Get up and kill them." The youth did not draw his sword, because he was afraid, for he was still a youth.


text:
Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up and kill us yourself, for a man is judged by his strength." So Gideon got up, killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.


text:
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you as well as your sons and your grandsons, for you delivered us from the power of Midian."


text:
But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you."


text:
Then he said to them, "Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder." Now the enemy had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.


text:
They said, "We agree to give them." So they spread out a mantle, and everyone threw an earring from his plunder on it.


text:
The weight of the gold earrings he requested was about 43 pounds of gold, in addition to the crescent ornaments and ear pendants, the purple garments on the kings of Midian, and the chains on the necks of their camels.


text:
Gideon made an ephod from all this and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.


text:
So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they were no longer a threat. The land was peaceful 40 years during the days of Gideon.


text:
Then Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.


text:
When Gideon died, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.


text:
The Israelites did not remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the power of the enemies around them.


text:
They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal ([that is,] Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.


text:
Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother's brothers at Shechem and spoke to them and to all his maternal grandfather's clan, saying,


text:
Please speak in the presence of all the lords of Shechem, 'Is it better for you that 70 men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you or that one man rule over you?' Remember that I am your own flesh and blood."


text:
His mother's relatives spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the lords of Shechem, and they were favorable to Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."


text:
So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men with this money, and they followed him.


text:
He went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his 70 brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on top of a large stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.


text:
Then all the lords of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar in Shechem.


text:
When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and called to them: Listen to me, lords of Shechem, and may God listen to you:


text:
But the olive tree said to them, "Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, and rule over the trees?"


text:
But the fig tree said to them, "Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, and rule over trees?"


text:
But the grapevine said to them, "Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, and rule over trees?"


text:
The bramble said to the trees, "If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon."


text:
Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did--


text:
and now you have attacked my father's house today, killed his 70 sons on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave, king over the lords of Shechem 'because he is your brother'--


text:
if then, you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you.


text:
But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech."


text:
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully,


text:
so that the crime against the 70 sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers.


text:
The lords of Shechem rebelled against him by putting people on the tops of the mountains to ambush and rob everyone who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the lords of Shechem trusted him.


text:
So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trod the grapes and held a celebration. Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem that we should serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerubbaal, and isn't Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?


text:
If only these people were in my power, I would remove Abimelech." So he said to Abimelech, "Gather your army and come out."


text:
So he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying, "Look, Gaal son of Ebed, with his brothers, have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.


text:
Then get up early and at sunrise, charge the city. When he and the people who are with him come out against you, do to him whatever you can."


text:
So Abimelech and all the people with him got up at night and waited in ambush for Shechem in four units.


text:
Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the people who were with him got up from their ambush.


text:
When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!" But Zebul said to him, "The shadows of the mountains look like men to you."


text:
Then Gaal spoke again: "Look, people are coming down from the central part of the land, and one unit is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."


text:
Zebul replied, "Where is your mouthing off now? You said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Aren't these the people you despised? Now go and fight them!"


text:
but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. Many wounded died as far as the entrance of the gate.


text:
He took the people, divided them into three companies, and waited in ambush in the countryside. He looked, and the people were coming out of the city, so he arose against them and struck them down.


text:
Then Abimelech and the units that were with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two units rushed against all who were in the countryside and struck them down.


text:
So Abimelech fought against the city that entire day, captured it, and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.


text:
When all the lords of the Tower of Shechem heard, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.


text:
So Abimelech and all the people who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, "Hurry and do what you have seen me do."


text:
Each person also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire around the people, and all the people in the Tower of Shechem died-- about 1,000 men and women.


text:
There was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and lords of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.


text:
He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, or they'll say about me, 'A woman killed him.'" So his armor-bearer thrust him through, and he died.


text:
In this way, the evil that Abimelech had done against his father, by killing his 70 brothers, God turned back on him.


text:
And God also returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came on them.


text:
After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo [became judge] and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.


text:
He had 30 sons who rode on 30 young donkeys. They had 30 towns in Gilead, which are called Jair's Villages to this day.


text:
Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not worship Him.


text:
They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for 18 years [they did the same to] all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.


text:
The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed,


text:
so they cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You. We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals."


text:
Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, did I not deliver you from their power?


text:
So they got rid of the foreign gods among them and worshiped the LORD, but He became weary of Israel's misery.


text:
The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.


text:
The rulers of Gilead said to one another, "Which man will lead the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead."


text:
Jephthah the Gileadite was a great warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.


text:
Gilead's wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, "You will have no inheritance in our father's house, because you are the son of another woman."


text:
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some lawless men joined Jephthah and traveled with him.


text:
When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.


text:
Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why then have you come to me now when you're in trouble?"


text:
They answered Jephthah, "Since that's true, we now turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead."


text:
So Jephthah said to them, "If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me, I will be your leader."


text:
So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people put him over themselves as leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.


text:
Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, "What do you have against me that you have come to fight against me in my land?"


text:
The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably."


text:
to tell him, "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.


text:
But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.


text:
Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us travel through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent [messengers] to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.


text:
Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.


text:
Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon. Israel said to him, 'Please let us travel through your land to our country,'


text:
but Sihon did not trust Israel. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel.


text:
Then the LORD God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his people to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country.


text:
They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.


text:
The LORD God of Israel has now driven out the Amorites before His people Israel, but will you drive us out?


text:
Isn't it true that you may possess whatever your god Chemosh drives out for you, and we may possess everything the LORD our God drives out before us?


text:
Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?


text:
While Israel lived 300 years in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, why didn't you take them back at that time?


text:
I have not sinned against you, but you have wronged me by fighting against me. Let the LORD [who is] the Judge decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites."


text:
The Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah, who traveled through Gilead and Manasseh, and then through Mizpah of Gilead. He crossed over to the Ammonites from Mizpah of Gilead.


text:
whatever comes out of the doors of my house to greet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it as a burnt offering."


text:
He defeated 20 of their cities with a great slaughter from Aroer all the way to the entrance of Minnith and to Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.


text:
When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no other son or daughter besides her.


text:
When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "No! [Not] my daughter! You have devastated me! You have brought great misery on me. I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take [it] back.


text:
Then she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites."


text:
She also said to her father, "Let me do this one thing: Let me wander two months through the mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity."


text:
Go," he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her virginity as she wandered through the mountains.


text:
At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel


text:
[that] four days each year the young women of Israel would commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.


text:
The men of Ephraim were called together and crossed [the Jordan] to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, "Why have you crossed over to fight against the Ammonites but didn't call us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you [in it]!"


text:
Then Jephthah said to them, "My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites. So I called for you, but you didn't deliver me from their power.


text:
When I saw that you weren't going to deliver me, I took my life in my own hands and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD handed them over to me. Why then have you come today to fight against me?"


text:
Then Jephthah gathered all of the men of Gilead. They fought and defeated Ephraim, because Ephraim had said, "You Gileadites are Ephraimite fugitives in [the territories of] Ephraim and Manasseh."


text:
The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the Gileadites asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he answered, "No,


text:
they told him, "Please say Shibboleth." If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, 42,000 from Ephraim died.


text:
and had 30 sons. He gave his 30 daughters in marriage [to men] outside the tribe and brought back 30 wives for his sons from outside [the tribe]. Ibzan judged Israel seven years,


text:
and when he died, he was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.


text:
The Israelites again did what was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines 40 years.


text:
There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was barren and had no children.


text:
The Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "It is true that you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.


text:
for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines."


text:
Then the woman went and told her husband, "A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring Angel of God. I didn't ask Him where He came from, and He didn't tell me His name.


text:
He said to me, 'You will conceive and give a birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.'"


text:
Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, "Please Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born."


text:
God listened to Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field, and her husband Manoah was not with her.


text:
The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, "The man who came to me today has just come back!"


text:
So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, "Are You the man who spoke to my wife?" "I am," He said.


text:
Then Manoah asked, "When Your words come true, what will the boy's responsibilities and mission be?"


text:
She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine or drink wine or other alcoholic beverages. And she must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have commanded her."


text:
The Angel of the LORD said to him, "If I stay, I won't eat your food. But if you want to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD.


text:
Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD, and He did a wonderful thing while Manoah and his wife were watching.


text:
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the LORD went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell facedown on the ground.


text:
The Angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the Angel of the LORD.


text:
But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had intended to kill us, He wouldn't have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and He would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us now like this."


text:
He went back and told his father and his mother: "I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife."


text:
But his father and mother said to him, "Can't you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?" But Samson told his father, "Get her for me, because I want her."


text:
Now his father and mother did not know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. At that time, the Philistines were ruling over Israel.


text:
Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,


text:
the Spirit of the LORD took control of him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.


text:
After some time, when he returned to get her, he left [the road] to see the lion's carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass.


text:
He scooped [some honey] into his hands and ate [it] as he went along. When he returned to his father and mother, he gave [some] to them and they ate [it]. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion's carcass.


text:
His father went [to visit] the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as young men were accustomed to do.


text:
Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes.


text:
But if you can't explain it to me, you must give me 30 linen garments and 30 changes of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they replied. "Let's hear it."


text:
So he said to them: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle.


text:
On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?"


text:
So Samson's wife came to him, weeping, and said, "You hate me and don't love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven't explained it to me." "Look," he said, "I haven't even explained it to my father or mother, so [why] should I explain it to you?"


text:
She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people.


text:
On the seventh day before sunset, the men of the city said to him: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? So he said to them: If you hadn't plowed with my young cow, you wouldn't know my riddle now!


text:
The Spirit of the LORD took control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father's house,


text:
Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson [took] a young goat [as a gift] and visited his wife. "I want to go to my wife in her room," he said. But her father would not let him enter.


text:
I was sure you hated her," her father said, "so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn't her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead?"


text:
So he went out and caught 300 foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.


text:
Then he ignited the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the piles of grain and the standing grain as well as the vineyards and olive groves.


text:
Then the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They were told, "[It was] Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because he has taken Samson's wife and given her to another man." So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned [them] to death.


text:
Then Samson told them, "Because you did this, I swear that I won't rest until I have taken vengeance on you."


text:
He tore them limb from limb with a great slaughter, and he went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.


text:
So the men of Judah said, "Why have you attacked us?" They replied, "We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he did to us."


text:
Then 3,000 men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?" "I have done to them what they did to me," he answered.


text:
They said to him, "We've come to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines." Then Samson told them, "Swear to me that you yourselves won't kill me."


text:
No," they said, "we won't kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them." So they tied him up with two new ropes and led him away from the rock.


text:
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD took control of him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like burnt flax and his bonds fell off his wrists.


text:
Then Samson said: With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in a heap. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed 1,000 men.


text:
He became very thirsty and called out to the LORD: "You have accomplished this great victory through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"


text:
So God split a hollow place [in the ground] at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.


text:
When the Gazites [heard] that Samson was there, they surrounded the place and waited in ambush for him all that night at the city gate. While they were waiting quietly, they said, "Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him."


text:
But Samson stayed in bed until midnight when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.


text:
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, "Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver."


text:
So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me, where does your great strength [come from]? How could [someone] tie you up and make you helpless?"


text:
Samson told her, "If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be like any other man."


text:
The Philistine leaders brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.


text:
While the men in ambush were waiting in her room, she called out to him, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" But he snapped the bowstrings as a strand of yarn snaps when it touches fire. [The secret of] his strength remained unknown.


text:
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies! Won't you please tell me how you can be tied up?"


text:
He told her, "If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become weak and be like any other man."


text:
Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and shouted, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" But while the men in ambush were waiting in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.


text:
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me all along and told me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up." He told her, "If you weave the seven braids on my head with the web of a loom--"


text:
She fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, with the loom and the web.


text:
How can you say, 'I love you,'" she told him, "when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!"


text:
he told her the whole truth and said to her, "My hair has never been cut, because I am a Nazirite to God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man."


text:
When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: "Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth." The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the money with them.


text:
Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way, she rendered him helpless, and his strength left him.


text:
Then she cried, "Samson, the Philistines are here!" When he awoke from his sleep, he said, "I will escape as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.


text:
The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison.


text:
Now the Philistine leaders gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said: Our god has handed over our enemy Samson to us.


text:
When the people saw him, they praised their god and said: Our god has handed over to us our enemy who destroyed our land and who multiplied our dead.


text:
When they were drunk, they said, "Bring Samson here to entertain us." So they brought Samson from prison, and he entertained them. They had him stand between the pillars.


text:
Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, "Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them."


text:
The temple was full of men and women; all the leaders of the Philistines were there, and about 3,000 men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain [them].


text:
He called out to the LORD: "Lord God, please remember me. Strengthen me, God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes."


text:
Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left.


text:
Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. And the dead he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life.


text:
Then his brothers and his father's family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he judged Israel 20 years.


text:
He said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you, and that I heard you utter a curse about-- here, I have the silver with me. I took it. So now I return it to you." Then his mother said, "My son, you are blessed by the LORD!"


text:
He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I personally consecrate the silver to the LORD for my son's benefit to make a carved image overlaid with silver."


text:
So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image overlaid with silver, and it was in Micah's house.


text:
This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.


text:
The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to settle wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah's home in the hill country of Ephraim.


text:
Where do you come from?" Micah asked him. He answered him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm going to settle wherever I can find a place.


text:
Micah replied, "Stay with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went in


text:
Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest."


text:
In those days, there was no king in Israel, and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy. Up to that time no territory had been captured [by them] among the tribes of Israel.


text:
So the Danites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They told them, "Go and explore the land." They came to the hill country of Ephraim as far as the home of Micah and spent the night there.


text:
While they were near Micah's home, they recognized the speech of the young Levite. So they went over to him and asked, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is keeping you here?"


text:
Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God so we will know if we will have a successful journey."


text:
The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.


text:
When the men went back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol, their people asked them, "What did you find out?"


text:
They answered, "Come on, let's go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don't hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!


text:
When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a wide-open land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking."


text:
They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. This is why the place is called the Camp of Dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.


text:
The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish told their brothers, "Did you know that there are an ephod, household gods, and a carved image overlaid with silver in these houses? Now think about what you should do."


text:
So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.


text:
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.


text:
When they entered Micah's house and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"


text:
They told him, "Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut. Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?"


text:
So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, household idols, and carved image, and went with the people.


text:
After they were some distance from Micah's house, the men who were in the houses near it mobilized and caught up with the Danites.


text:
They called to the Danites, who turned to face them, and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you mobilized [the men]?"


text:
He said, "You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, 'What's the matter with you?'"


text:
The Danites said to him, "Don't raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."


text:
The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.


text:
After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned down the city.


text:
There was no one to save them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.


text:
They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.


text:
The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.


text:
So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, [and it was there] as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.


text:
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite living in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine.


text:
But she was unfaithful to him and left him for her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. She was there for a period of four months.


text:
Then her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back. His servant and a couple of donkeys were with him. So she brought him to her father's house, and when the girl's father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.


text:
His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there.


text:
On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Have something to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go."


text:
So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl's father said to the man, "Please agree to stay overnight and enjoy yourself."


text:
The man got up to go, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed and spent the night there again.


text:
He got up early in the morning of the fifth day to leave, but the girl's father said to him, "Please keep up your strength." So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.


text:
The man got up to go with his concubine and his servant, when his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, night is coming. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, enjoy yourself, then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey and go home."


text:
But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up, departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). The man had his two saddled donkeys and his concubine with him.


text:
When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Please, why not let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here?"


text:
But his master replied to him, "We will not stop at a foreign city where there are no Israelites. Let's move on to Gibeah."


text:
They stopped to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night.


text:
In the evening, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill country of Ephraim but was residing in Gibeah, and the men of that place were Benjaminites.


text:
When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?"


text:
He answered him, "We're traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I'm going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me into his home,


text:
although we have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, your female servant, and the young man with your servant. There is nothing we lack."


text:
Peace to you," said the old man. "I'll take care of everything you need. Only don't spend the night in the square."


text:
While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden, perverted men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!"


text:
The owner of the house went out and said to them, "No, don't do [this] evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don't do this horrible thing.


text:
Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man's concubine now. Use them and do whatever you want to them. But don't do this horrible thing to this man."


text:
But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.


text:
Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man's house where her master was.


text:
When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.


text:
Get up," he told her. "Let's go." But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.


text:
When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into 12 pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel.


text:
Everyone who saw it said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!"


text:
All the Israelites from Dan to Beer-sheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the community assembled as one body before the LORD at Mizpah.


text:
The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: 400,000 armed foot-soldiers.


text:
The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. The Israelites asked, "Tell us, how did this outrage occur?"


text:
The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: "I went to Gibeah in Benjamin with my concubine to spend the night.


text:
Citizens of Gibeah ganged up on me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine, and she died.


text:
Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout Israel's territory, because they committed a horrible shame in Israel.


text:
We will take 10 men out of every 100 from all the tribes of Israel, and 100 out of every 1,000, and 1,000 out of every 10,000 to get provisions for the people when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for all the horror they did in Israel."


text:
Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What is this outrage that has occurred among you?


text:
Hand over the perverted men in Gibeah so we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites would not obey their fellow Israelites.


text:
Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.


text:
On that day the Benjaminites rallied 26,000 armed men from their cities, besides 700 choice men rallied by the inhabitants of Gibeah.


text:
There were 700 choice men who were left-handed among all these people; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.


text:
They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God. The Israelites asked, "Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites?" And the LORD answered, "Judah will be first."


text:
The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.


text:
But the Israelite army rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.


text:
They went up, wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of Him: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites?" And the LORD answered: "Fight against them."


text:
That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional 18,000 Israelites on the field; all were armed men.


text:
The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.


text:
and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked: "Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop?" The LORD answered: "Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow."


text:
On the third day the Israelites fought against the Benjaminites and took their battle positions against Gibeah as before.


text:
Then the Benjaminites came out against the people and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about 30 men of Israel on the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah through the open country.


text:
The Benjaminites said, "We are defeating them as before." But the Israelites said, "Let's flee and draw them away from the city to the highways."


text:
So all the men of Israel got up from their places and took their battle positions at Baal-tamar, while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of Geba.


text:
Then 10,000 choice men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was about to strike them.


text:
The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 men of Benjamin; all were armed men.


text:
Then the Benjaminites realized they had been defeated. The men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin, because they were confident in the ambush they had set against Gibeah.


text:
The men in ambush had rushed quickly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.


text:
The men of Israel had a prearranged signal with the men in ambush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city,


text:
the men of Israel would return to the battle. When Benjamin had begun to strike them down, killing about 30 men of Israel, they said, "They're defeated before us, just as they were in the first battle."


text:
But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, Benjamin looked behind them, and the whole city was going up in smoke.


text:
Then the men of Israel returned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had struck them.


text:
They retreated before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities slaughtered those between them.


text:
They surrounded the Benjaminites, pursued them, and easily overtook them near Gibeah toward the east.


text:
Then Benjamin turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel killed 5,000 men on the highways. They overtook them at Gidom and struck 2,000 more dead.


text:
The men of Israel turned back against the [other] Benjaminites and killed them with their swords-- the entire city, the animals, and everything that remained. They also burned down all the cities that remained.


text:
The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: "None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage."


text:
and cried out, "Why, LORD God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is [missing] in Israel today?"


text:
The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.


text:
The Israelites asked, "Who of all the tribes of Israel didn't come to the LORD with the assembly?" For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the LORD at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.


text:
But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, "Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel.


text:
What should we do about wives for the survivors? We've sworn to the LORD not to give them any of our daughters as wives."


text:
They asked, "Which city among the tribes of Israel didn't come to the LORD at Mizpah?" It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly.


text:
The congregation sent 12,000 brave warriors there and commanded them: "Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, including women and children.


text:
This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every female who has slept with a man."


text:
They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins, who had not had sexual relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.


text:
Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.


text:
The elders of the congregation said, "What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?"


text:
They said, "There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.


text:
But we can't give them our daughters as wives." For the Israelites had sworn: "Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed."


text:
They also said, "Look, there's an annual festival to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah."


text:
Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.


text:
When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, 'Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn't actually give [the women] to them, so you are not guilty [of breaking your oath].'"


text:
The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and lived in them.


text:
At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.


text:
During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to live in the land of Moab for a while.


text:
The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife's name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the land of Moab and [settled] there.


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Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about 10 years,


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both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband.


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She and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the LORD had paid attention to His people's [need] by providing them food.


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She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.


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She said to them, "Each of you go back to your mother's home. May the LORD show faithful love to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.


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May the LORD enable each of you to find security in the house of your [new] husband." She kissed them, and they wept loudly.


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But Naomi replied, "Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands?


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Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was [still] hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,


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would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, [my life] is much too bitter for you [to share], because the LORD's hand has turned against me."


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Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law."


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But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.


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Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do this to me, and even more, if anything but death separates you and me.


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The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival and [the local women] exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"


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I left full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has pronounced [judgment] on me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"


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So Naomi came back from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.


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Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side named Boaz. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech's family.


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Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, "Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone who allows me to?" Naomi answered her, "Go ahead, my daughter."


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So Ruth left and entered the field to gather [grain] behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech's family.


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Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, "The LORD be with you." "The LORD bless you," they replied.


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The servant answered, "She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.


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She asked, 'Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?' She came and has remained from early morning until now, except that she rested a little in the shelter."


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Then Boaz said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go and gather [grain] in another field, and don't leave this one, but stay here close to my young women.


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See which field they are harvesting, and follow [them]. Haven't I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled."


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She bowed with her face to the ground and said to him, "Why are you so kind to notice me, although I am a foreigner?"


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Boaz answered her, "Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband's death has been fully reported to me: [how] you left your father and mother, and the land of your birth, and [how] you came to a people you didn't previously know.


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May the LORD reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."


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My lord," she said, "you have been so kind to me, for you have comforted and encouraged your slave, although I am not like one of your female servants."


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At mealtime Boaz told her, "Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce." So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had [some] left over.


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When she got up to gather [grain], Boaz ordered his young men, "Be sure to let her gather [grain] among the bundles, and don't humiliate her.


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Pull out [some] stalks from the bundles for her and leave [them] for her to gather. Don't rebuke her.


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So Ruth gathered [grain] in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about 26 quarts of barley.


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She picked up [the grain] and went into the city, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. Then she brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave [it] to her.


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Then her mother-in-law said to her, "Where did you gather [barley] today, and where did you work? May [the LORD] bless the man who noticed you." Ruth told her mother-in-law about the men she had worked [with] and said, "The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz."


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Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living or the dead." Naomi continued, "The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers."


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Ruth the Moabitess said, "He also told me, 'Stay with my young men until they have finished all of my harvest.'"


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So Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, "My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field."


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Ruth stayed close to Boaz's young women and gathered [grain] until the barley and the wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.


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Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi said to her, "My daughter, shouldn't I find security for you, so that you will be taken care of?


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Now isn't Boaz our relative? Haven't you been working with his young women? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.


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Wash, put on [perfumed] oil, and wear your [best] clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don't let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.


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When he lies down, notice the place where he's lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do."


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After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley. Then she went in secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.


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So he asked, "Who are you?" "I am Ruth, your slave," she replied. "Spread your cloak over me, for you are a family redeemer."


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Then he said, "May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor.


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Now don't be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character.


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Stay [here] tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, [that's] good. Let him redeem [you]. But if he doesn't want to redeem you, as the LORD lives, I will. Now, lie down until morning."


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So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark. Then Boaz said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor."


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And he told [Ruth], "Bring the shawl you're wearing and hold it out." When she held it out, he shoveled six [measures] of barley into her shawl, and she went into the city.


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She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked [her], "How did it go, my daughter?" Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her.


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She said, "He gave me these six [measures] of barley, because he said, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'"


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Wait, my daughter," she said, "until you find out how things go, for he won't rest unless he resolves this today."


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Boaz went to the gate [of the town] and sat down there. Soon, the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz called him by name and said, "Come over here and sit down." So he went over and sat down.


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He said to the redeemer, "Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling a piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.


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I thought I should inform you: Buy [it] back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem [it], do so. But if you do not want to redeem [it], tell me, so that I will know, because there isn't anyone other than you to redeem [it], and I am next after you." "I want to redeem [it]," he answered.


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Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man's name on his property."


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The redeemer replied, "I can't redeem [it] myself, or I will ruin my [own] inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can't redeem it."


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At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave [it] to the other party in order to make any matter [legally] binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was [the method of] legally binding a transaction in Israel.


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Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.


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I will also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man's name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his home. You are witnesses today."


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The elders and all the people who were at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.


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May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman."


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Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he was intimate with her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.


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Then the women said to Naomi, "Praise the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name be famous in Israel.


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He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."


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The neighbor women said, "A son has been born to Naomi," and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.


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There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.


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He had two wives, the first named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.


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This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the LORD's priests.


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Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters.


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But he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved her even though the LORD had kept her from conceiving.


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Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the LORD had kept Hannah from conceiving.


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Whenever she went up to the LORD's house, her rival taunted her in this way every year. Hannah wept and would not eat.


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Hannah, why are you crying?" her husband Elkanah asked. "Why won't you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?"


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Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh. Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's tabernacle.


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Making a vow, she pleaded, "LORD of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant's affliction, remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son, I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut."


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Hannah was speaking to herself, and although her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk


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No, my lord," Hannah replied. "I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven't had any wine or beer; I've been pouring out my heart before the LORD.


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Don't think of me as a wicked woman; I've been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment."


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Eli responded, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the petition you've requested from Him."


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May your servant find favor with you," she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer appeared downcast.


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The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow and to worship the LORD. Afterwards, they returned home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.


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After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, because [she said], "I requested him from the LORD."


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When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice and his vow offering to the LORD,


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Hannah did not go and explained to her husband, "After the child is weaned, I'll take him to appear in the LORD's presence and to stay there permanently."


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Her husband Elkanah replied, "Do what you think is best, and stay here until you've weaned him. May the LORD confirm your word." So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him.


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When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull, two and one-half gallons of flour, and a jar of wine. Though the boy was [still] young, she took him to the LORD's house at Shiloh.


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Please, my lord," she said, "as sure as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.


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I now give the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD." Then he bowed and worshiped the LORD there.


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Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is lifted up by the LORD. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.


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Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him.


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Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving [hunger] no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away.


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He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the garbage pile. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; He has set the world on them.


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He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness, for a man does not prevail by [his own] strength.


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Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered; He will thunder in the heavens against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give power to His king; He will lift up the horn of His anointed.


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or for the priests' share [of the sacrifices] from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling


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and plunge it into the container or kettle or caldron or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.


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Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest [some] meat to roast, because he won't accept boiled meat from you-- only raw."


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If that man said to him, "The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself," the servant would reply, "No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don't, I'll take it by force!"


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So the servants' sin was very severe in the presence of the LORD, because they treated the LORD's offering with contempt.


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Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.


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Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: "May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she has given to the LORD." Then they would go home.


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The LORD paid attention to Hannah's [need], and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.


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Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.


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He said to them, "Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people.


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If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to kill them.


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A man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Didn't I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh's palace?


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I selected your house from the tribes of Israel to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings.


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Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than Me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.'


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Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Although I said your family and your ancestral house would walk before Me forever, the LORD now says, "No longer!" I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disgraced.


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'Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age.


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You will see distress [in the] place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.


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Any man from your [family] I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendents will die violently.


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This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on the same day.


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'Then I will raise up a faithful priest for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.


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Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.'"


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The boy Samuel served the LORD in Eli's presence. In those days the word of the LORD was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.


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Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was located.


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He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "I didn't call," Eli replied. "Go and lie down." So he went and lay down.


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Once again the LORD called, "Samuel!" Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me." "I didn't call, my son," he replied. "Go and lie down."


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Now Samuel had not yet experienced the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.


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Once again, for the third time, the LORD called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy.


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He told Samuel, "Go and lie down. If He calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.


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The LORD came, stood there, and called as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel responded, "Speak, for Your servant is listening."


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The LORD said to Samuel, "I am about to do something in Israel that everyone who hears about it will shudder.


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I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are defiling the sanctuary, and he has not stopped them.


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Therefore, I have sworn to Eli's family: The iniquity of Eli's family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering."


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Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the LORD's house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,


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What was the message He gave you?" Eli asked. "Don't hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that He told you."


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So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, "He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks is good."


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And Samuel's words came to all Israel. Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek.


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The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about 4,000 men on the battlefield.


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When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD let us be defeated today by the Philistines? Let's bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies."


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So the people sent [men] to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who dwells [between] the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.


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When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.


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The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, "What's this loud shout in the Hebrews' camp?" When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,


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they panicked. "The gods have entered their camp!" they said. "Woe to us, nothing like this has happened before.


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Woe to us, who will rescue us from the hand of these magnificent gods? These are the gods that slaughtered the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.


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Show some courage and be men, Philistines! Otherwise, you'll serve the Hebrews just like they served you. Now be men and fight!"


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So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was severe-- 30,000 of the Israelite foot soldiers fell.


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That same day, a Benjaminite man ran from the battle and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn, and there was dirt on his head.


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When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road watching, because he was anxious about the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the entire city cried out.


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The man said to Eli, "I'm the one who came from the battle. I fled from there today." "What happened, my son?" Eli asked.


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The messenger answered, "Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured."


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When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backwards off the chair by the city gate, and since he was old and heavy, his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Israel 40 years.


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Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the capture of God's ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth because her labor pains came on her.


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As she was dying, the women taking care of her said, "Don't be afraid. You've given birth to a son!" But she did not respond, and did not pay attention.


