Joshua 19

Allotment for Simeon

1 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.

2 It included:

# Beersheba (or Sheba),Moladah,

3 Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem,

4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

5 Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah,

6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;

7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan—four towns and their villages—

8 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).

This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans.

9 The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.

Allotment for Zebulun

10 The third lot came up for Zebulun according to its clans:

The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid.

11 Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam.

12 It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia.

13 Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah.

14 There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El.

15 Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.

16 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, according to its clans.

Allotment for Issachar

17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar according to its clans.

18 Their territory included:

Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,

19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

21 Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez.

22 The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.

23 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its clans.

Allotment for Asher

24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its clans.

25 Their territory included:

Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph,

26 Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath.

27 It then turned east toward Beth Dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah El, and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Kabul on the left.

28 It went to Abdon,Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.

29 The boundary then turned back toward Ramah and went to the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah and came out at the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Akzib,

30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.

31 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, according to its clans.

Allotment for Naphtali

32 The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:

33 Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan.

34 The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordanon the east.

35 The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth,

36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

37 Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor,

38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.

39 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.

Allotment for Dan

40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans.

41 The territory of their inheritance included:

Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh,

42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,

46 Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.

47 (When the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named it Dan after their ancestor.)

48 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, according to its clans.

Allotment for Joshua

49 When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them,

50 as theLordhad commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serahin the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.

51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of theLordat the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/19-c51110d0e239c78d1175639543f30c35.mp3?version_id=111—

Joshua 20

Cities of Refuge

1 Then theLordsaid to Joshua:

2 “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,

3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.

4 When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them.

5 If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.

6 They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

8 East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/20-dd4192f15c6bba87afdb3529200f16fc.mp3?version_id=111—

Joshua 21

Towns for the Levites

1 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel

2 at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “TheLordcommanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”

3 So, as theLordhad commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:

4 The first lot came out for the Kohathites, according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.

5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.

6 The descendants of Gershon were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

7 The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as theLordhad commanded through Moses.

9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name

10 (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):

11 They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.)

12 But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah,

14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,

15 Holon, Debir,

16 Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.

17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them: Gibeon, Geba,

18 Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

19 The total number of towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,

22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

23 Also from the tribe of Dan they received: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,

24 Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

25 From half the tribe of Manasseh they received: Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

26 All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

27 The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

28 from the tribe of Issachar,

Kishion, Daberath,

29 Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

30 from the tribe of Asher,

Mishal, Abdon,

31 Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

32 from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

33 The total number of towns of the Gershonite clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

34 The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

from the tribe of Zebulun,

Jokneam, Kartah,

35 Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

36 from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer, Jahaz,

37 Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

38 from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,

39 Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

40 The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.

41 The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.

42 Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

43 So theLordgave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

44 TheLordgave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; theLordgave all their enemies into their hands.

45 Not one of all theLord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/21-9b8a773ce172aa1b4946f2e0c643dbf1.mp3?version_id=111—

Joshua 22

Eastern Tribes Return Home

1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh

2 and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of theLordcommanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.

3 For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission theLordyour God gave you.

4 Now that theLordyour God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of theLordgave you on the other side of the Jordan.

5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of theLordgave you: to love theLordyour God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

6 Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.

7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,

8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”

9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of theLordthrough Moses.

10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,

12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

15 When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them:

16 “The whole assembly of theLordsays: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from theLordand build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?

17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of theLord!

18 And are you now turning away from theLord?

“ ‘If you rebel against theLordtoday, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.

19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to theLord’s land, where theLord’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against theLordor against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of theLordour God.

20 When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’ ”

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:

22 “The Mighty One, God, theLord! The Mighty One, God, theLord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to theLord, do not spare us this day.

23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from theLordand to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may theLordhimself call us to account.

24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with theLord, the God of Israel?

25 TheLordhas made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in theLord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing theLord.

26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’

27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship theLordat his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in theLord.’

28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of theLord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

29 “Far be it from us to rebel against theLordand turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of theLordour God that stands before his tabernacle.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.

31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that theLordis with us, because you have not been unfaithful to theLordin this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from theLord’s hand.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.

33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that theLordis God.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/22-ceeb984cd2ddae24d433ecaffae6172c.mp3?version_id=111—

Joshua 23

Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

1 After a long time had passed and theLordhad given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,

2 summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: “I am very old.

3 You yourselves have seen everything theLordyour God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was theLordyour God who fought for you.

4 Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

5 TheLordyour God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as theLordyour God promised you.

6 “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.

7 Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them.

8 But you are to hold fast to theLordyour God, as you have until now.

9 “TheLordhas driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you.

10 One of you routs a thousand, because theLordyour God fights for you, just as he promised.

11 So be very careful to love theLordyour God.

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them,

13 then you may be sure that theLordyour God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which theLordyour God has given you.

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises theLordyour God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

15 But just as all the good things theLordyour God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until theLordyour God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you.

16 If you violate the covenant of theLordyour God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, theLord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/23-480717455d304c53d70babcfcdcd3067.mp3?version_id=111—

Joshua 24

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what theLord, 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.

3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,

4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

5 “ ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.

6 When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemenas far as the Red Sea.

7 But they cried to theLordfor help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

8 “ ‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.

9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.

10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 “ ‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands.

12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.

13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

14 “Now fear theLordand serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve theLord.

15 But if serving theLordseems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve theLord.”

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake theLordto serve other gods!

17 It was theLordour God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.

18 And theLorddrove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve theLord, because he is our God.”

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve theLord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

20 If you forsake theLordand serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve theLord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve theLord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to theLord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve theLordour God and obey him.”

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.

26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of theLord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words theLordhas said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.

Buried in the Promised Land

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of theLord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serahin the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served theLordthroughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything theLordhad done for Israel.

32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silverfrom the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/JOS/24-ae948abf4461bebc870d1ca4bc6d3736.mp3?version_id=111—

Deuteronomy 1

The Command to Leave Horeb

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.

2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that theLordhad commanded him concerning them.

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

5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:

6 TheLordour God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.

8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land theLordswore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The Appointment of Leaders

9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.

10 TheLordyour God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

11 May theLord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!

12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?

13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.

16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.

17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.

Spies Sent Out

19 Then, as theLordour God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.

20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which theLordour God is giving us.

21 See, theLordyour God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as theLord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.

24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it.

25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that theLordour God is giving us.”

Rebellion Against the Lord

26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of theLordyour God.

27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “TheLordhates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.

28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”

29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.

30 TheLordyour God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,

31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how theLordyour God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

32 In spite of this, you did not trust in theLordyour God,

33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

34 When theLordheard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:

35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors,

36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed theLordwholeheartedly.”

37 Because of you theLordbecame angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either.

38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.

39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”

41 Then you replied, “We have sinned against theLord. We will go up and fight, as theLordour God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

42 But theLordsaid to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”

43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against theLord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.

44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.

45 You came back and wept before theLord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.

46 And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/DEU/1-20c15d977922781878009ce23f551919.mp3?version_id=111—

Deuteronomy 2

Wanderings in the Wilderness

1 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,as theLordhad directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.

2 Then theLordsaid to me,

3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.

4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.

5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.

6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’ ”

7 TheLordyour God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years theLordyour God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.

9 Then theLordsaid to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”

10 (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.

11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.

12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land theLordgave them as their possession.)

13 And theLordsaid, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as theLordhad sworn to them.

15 TheLord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,

17 theLordsaid to me,

18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.

19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.

21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. TheLorddestroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.

22 TheLordhad done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.

23 And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtordestroyed them and settled in their place.)

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.

25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying,

27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left.

28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot—

29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land theLordour God is giving us.”

30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For theLordyour God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.

31 TheLordsaid to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz,

33 theLordour God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army.

34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyedthem—men, women and children. We left no survivors.

35 But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves.

36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. TheLordour God gave us all of them.

37 But in accordance with the command of theLordour God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/DEU/2-1bdbe4113c286550c8003b7b3b1cec9a.mp3?version_id=111—

Deuteronomy 3

Defeat of Og King of Bashan

1 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.

2 TheLordsaid to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

3 So theLordour God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors.

4 At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob, Og’s kingdom in Bashan.

5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages.

6 We completely destroyedthem, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroyingevery city—men, women and children.

7 But all the livestock and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon.

9 (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.)

10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan.

11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

Division of the Land

12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites and the Gadites the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead, together with its towns.

13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites.

14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maakathites; it was named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair.)

15 And I gave Gilead to Makir.

16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River, which is the border of the Ammonites.

17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah, from Kinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah.

18 I commanded you at that time: “TheLordyour God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.

19 However, your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you,

20 until theLordgives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that theLordyour God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that theLordyour God has done to these two kings. TheLordwill do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going.

22 Do not be afraid of them; theLordyour God himself will fight for you.”

23 At that time I pleaded with theLord:

24 “SovereignLord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?

25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

26 But because of you theLordwas angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” theLordsaid. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.

27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.

28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth Peor.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/DEU/3-1ae8e37d5194b5c4cab13324fcabab00.mp3?version_id=111—

Deuteronomy 4

Obedience Commanded

1 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land theLord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of theLordyour God that I give you.

3 You saw with your own eyes what theLorddid at Baal Peor. TheLordyour God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor,

4 but all of you who held fast to theLordyour God are still alive today.

5 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as theLordmy God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it.

6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way theLordour God is near us whenever we pray to him?

8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

10 Remember the day you stood before theLordyour God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.

12 Then theLordspoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.

14 And theLorddirected me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

Idolatry Forbidden

15 You saw no form of any kind the day theLordspoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,

16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman,

17 or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,

18 or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.

19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things theLordyour God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

20 But as for you, theLordtook you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.

21 TheLordwas angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land theLordyour God is giving you as your inheritance.

22 I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.

23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of theLordyour God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything theLordyour God has forbidden.

24 For theLordyour God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of theLordyour God and arousing his anger,

26 I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.

27 TheLordwill scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which theLordwill drive you.

28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

29 But if from there you seek theLordyour God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to theLordyour God and obey him.

31 For theLordyour God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

The Lord Is God

32 Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?

33 Has any other people heard the voice of Godspeaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?

34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things theLordyour God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

35 You were shown these things so that you might know that theLordis God; besides him there is no other.

36 From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire.

37 Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,

38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.

39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that theLordis God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land theLordyour God gives you for all time.

Cities of Refuge

41 Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan,

42 to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life.

43 The cities were these: Bezer in the wilderness plateau, for the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.

Introduction to the Law

44 This is the law Moses set before the Israelites.

45 These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt

46 and were in the valley near Beth Peor east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites as they came out of Egypt.

47 They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan.

48 This land extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge to Mount Sirion(that is, Hermon),

49 and included all the Arabah east of the Jordan, as far as the Dead Sea,below the slopes of Pisgah.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/DEU/4-be935726907ad082692a5d2d0d8a8600.mp3?version_id=111—