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The Book Of Joshua

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Acts 6:8-15 | Facing Opposition

A Pretty Big Deal by Megan Marshman

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 <div class="label">17</div><div class="p"> 1This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph&#8217;s firstborn, that is, for Makir, Manasseh&#8217;s firstborn. Makir was the ancestor of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because the Makirites were great soldiers. 2So this allotment was for the rest of the people of Manasseh&#8212;the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida. These are the other male descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph by their clans.</div><div class="p"> 3Now Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons but only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. 4They went to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders and said, &#8220;The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our relatives.&#8221; So Joshua gave them an inheritance along with the brothers of their father, according to the Lord&#8217;s command. 5Manasseh&#8217;s share consisted of ten tracts of land besides Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan, 6because the daughters of the tribe of Manasseh received an inheritance among the sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the descendants of Manasseh.</div><div class="pi1"> 7The territory of Manasseh extended from Asher to Mikmethath east of Shechem. The boundary ran southward from there to include the people living at En Tappuah. 8(Manasseh had the land of Tappuah, but Tappuah itself, on the boundary of Manasseh, belonged to the Ephraimites.) 9Then the boundary continued south to the Kanah Ravine. There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 10On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the Mediterranean Sea and bordered Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.</div><div class="pi1"> 11Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements (the third in the list is Naphoth#17:11 That is, Naphoth Dor).</div><div class="m"> 12Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.</div><div class="p"> 14The people of Joseph said to Joshua, &#8220;Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15&#8220;If you are so numerous,&#8221; Joshua answered, &#8220;and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16The people of Joseph replied, &#8220;The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph&#8212;to Ephraim and Manasseh&#8212;&#8220;You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment 18but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="JOS.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Division of the Rest of the Land</div><div class="p"> 1The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The country was brought under their control, 2but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.</div><div class="p"> 3So Joshua said to the Israelites: &#8220;How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you? 4Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. 5You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the tribes of Joseph in their territory on the north. 6After you have written descriptions of the seven parts of the land, bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord our God. 7The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance. And Gad, Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, &#8220;Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it. Then return to me, and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord.&#8221; 9So the men left and went through the land. They wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts, and returned to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh. 10Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord, and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Benjamin</div><div class="m"> 11The first lot came up for the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans. Their allotted territory lay between the tribes of Judah and Joseph:</div><div class="pi1"> 12On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth Aven. 13From there it crossed to the south slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to Ataroth Addar on the hill south of Lower Beth Horon.</div><div class="pi1"> 14From the hill facing Beth Horon on the south the boundary turned south along the western side and came out at Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a town of the people of Judah. This was the western side.</div><div class="pi1"> 15The southern side began at the outskirts of Kiriath Jearim on the west, and the boundary came out at the spring of the waters of Nephtoah. 16The boundary went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim. It continued down the Hinnom Valley along the southern slope of the Jebusite city and so to En Rogel. 17It then curved north, went to En Shemesh, continued to Geliloth, which faces the Pass of Adummim, and ran down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18It continued to the northern slope of Beth Arabah#18:18 Septuagint; Hebrew slope facing the Arabah and on down into the Arabah. 19It then went to the northern slope of Beth Hoglah and came out at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan in the south. This was the southern boundary.</div><div class="pi1"> 20The Jordan formed the boundary on the eastern side.</div><div class="m">These were the boundaries that marked out the inheritance of the clans of Benjamin on all sides.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 21The tribe of Benjamin, according to its clans, had the following towns:</div><div class="pi1">Jericho, Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz, 22Beth Arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24Kephar Ammoni, Ophni and Geba&#8212;twelve towns and their villages.</div><div class="pi1"> 25Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26Mizpah, Kephirah, Mozah, 27Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath&#8212;fourteen towns and their villages.</div><div class="m">This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="JOS.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Simeon</div><div class="m"> 1The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah. 2It included:</div><div class="pi1">Beersheba (or Sheba),#19:2 Or Beersheba, Sheba; 1 Chron. 4:28 does not have Sheba. Moladah, 3Hazar Shual, Balah, Ezem, 4Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5Ziklag, Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen&#8212;thirteen towns and their villages;</div><div class="pi1"> 7Ain, Rimmon, Ether and Ashan&#8212;four towns and their villages&#8212; 8and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).</div><div class="m">This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans. 9The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah&#8217;s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Zebulun</div><div class="m"> 10The third lot came up for Zebulun according to its clans:</div><div class="pi1">The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. 11Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam. 12It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El. 15Included were Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah and Bethlehem. There were twelve towns and their villages.</div><div class="m"> 16These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun, according to its clans.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Issachar</div><div class="m"> 17The fourth lot came out for Issachar according to its clans. 18Their territory included:</div><div class="pi1">Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21Remeth, En Gannim, En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. 22The boundary touched Tabor, Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.</div><div class="m"> 23These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its clans.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Asher</div><div class="m"> 24The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its clans. 25Their territory included:</div><div class="pi1">Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph, 26Allammelek, Amad and Mishal. On the west the boundary touched Carmel and Shihor Libnath. 27It 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. 28It went to Abdon,#19:28 Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also 21:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Ebron Rehob, Hammon and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon. 29The 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, 30Ummah, Aphek and Rehob. There were twenty-two towns and their villages.</div><div class="m"> 31These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, according to its clans.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Naphtali</div><div class="m"> 32The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:</div><div class="pi1"> 33Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim, passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok. It touched Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan#19:34 Septuagint; Hebrew west, and Judah, the Jordan, on the east. 35The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor, 38Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath and Beth Shemesh. There were nineteen towns and their villages.</div><div class="m"> 39These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Dan</div><div class="m"> 40The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans. 41The territory of their inheritance included:</div><div class="pi1">Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, 42Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, 46Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.</div><div class="p"> 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.)</div><div class="m"> 48These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, according to its clans.</div><div class="s1">Allotment for Joshua</div><div class="p"> 49When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, 50as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for&#8212;Timnath Serah#19:50 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9) in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.</div><div class="p"> 51These 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 the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing the land.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="JOS.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">Cities of Refuge</div><div class="p"> 1Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2&#8220;Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. 4When 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. 5If 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. 6They 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.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7So 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. 8East 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. 9Any 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.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch21" data-usfm="JOS.21">
 <div class="label">21</div><div class="s1">Towns for the Levites</div><div class="p"> 1Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel 2at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, &#8220;The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.&#8221; 3So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:</div><div class="p"> 4The 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. 5The rest of Kohath&#8217;s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.</div><div class="p"> 6The 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.</div><div class="p"> 7The descendants of Merari, according to their clans, received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.</div><div class="p"> 8So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 9From 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):</div><div class="pi1"> 11They gave them Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 12But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.</div><div class="pi1"> 13So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Libnah, 14Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15Holon, Debir, 16Ain, Juttah and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands&#8212;nine towns from these two tribes.</div><div class="pi1"> 17And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them: Gibeon, Geba, 18Anathoth and Almon, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns.</div><div class="m"> 19The total number of towns for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 20The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:</div><div class="pi1"> 21In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, 22Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns.</div><div class="pi1"> 23Also from the tribe of Dan they received: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns.</div><div class="pi1"> 25From half the tribe of Manasseh they received: Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands&#8212;two towns.</div><div class="m"> 26All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 27The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:</div><div class="li4">from the half-tribe of Manasseh,</div><div class="li4">Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands&#8212;two towns;</div><div class="li4"> 28from the tribe of Issachar,</div><div class="li4">Kishion, Daberath, 29Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns;</div><div class="li4"> 30from the tribe of Asher,</div><div class="li4">Mishal, Abdon, 31Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns;</div><div class="li4"> 32from the tribe of Naphtali,</div><div class="li4">Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands&#8212;three towns.</div><div class="m"> 33The total number of towns of the Gershonite clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 34The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:</div><div class="li4">from the tribe of Zebulun,</div><div class="li4">Jokneam, Kartah, 35Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns;</div><div class="li4"> 36from the tribe of Reuben,</div><div class="li4">Bezer, Jahaz, 37Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns;</div><div class="li4"> 38from the tribe of Gad,</div><div class="li4">Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, 39Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands&#8212;four towns in all.</div><div class="m"> 40The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.</div><div class="p"> 41The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. 42Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 43So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45Not one of all the Lord&#8217;s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch22" data-usfm="JOS.22">
 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">Eastern Tribes Return Home</div><div class="p"> 1Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2and said to them, &#8220;You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. 3For a long time now&#8212;to this very day&#8212;you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. 4Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your 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.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then 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, 8saying, &#8220;Return to your homes with your great wealth&#8212;with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing&#8212;and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9So 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 the Lord through Moses.</div><div class="p"> 10When 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. 11And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.</div><div class="p"> 13So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead&#8212;to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14With 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.</div><div class="p"> 15When they went to Gilead&#8212;to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh&#8212;they said to them: 16&#8220;The whole assembly of the Lord says: &#8216;How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? 17Was 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 the Lord! 18And are you now turning away from the Lord?</div><div class="p">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. 19If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord&#8217;s land, where the Lord&#8217;s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,#22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22&#8220;The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.</div><div class="p"> 24&#8220;No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, &#8216;What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you&#8212;you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.&#8217; So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 26&#8220;That is why we said, &#8216;Let us get ready and build an altar&#8212;but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.&#8217; 27On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, &#8216;You have no share in the Lord.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;And we said, &#8216;If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord&#8217;s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 29&#8220;Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community&#8212;the heads of the clans of the Israelites&#8212;heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, &#8220;Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord&#8217;s hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32Then 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. 33They 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.</div><div class="p"> 34And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us&#8212;that the Lord is God.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch23" data-usfm="JOS.23">
 <div class="label">23</div><div class="s1">Joshua&#8217;s Farewell to the Leaders</div><div class="p"> 1After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, 2summoned all Israel&#8212;their elders, leaders, judges and officials&#8212;and said to them: &#8220;I am very old. 3You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. 4Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain&#8212;the nations I conquered&#8212;between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5The Lord your 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 the Lord your God promised you.</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;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. 7Do 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. 8But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11So be very careful to love the Lord your God.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;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, 13then you may be sure that the Lord your 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 the Lord your God has given you.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;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 the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. 15But just as all the good things the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. 16If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord&#8217;s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOS">
 <div class="chapter ch24" data-usfm="JOS.24">
 <div class="label">24</div><div class="s1">The Covenant Renewed at Shechem</div><div class="p"> 1Then 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.</div><div class="p"> 2Joshua said to all the people, &#8220;This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3But 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, 4and 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.</div><div class="p"> 5&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen#24:6 Or charioteers as far as the Red Sea.#24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds 7But they cried to the Lord for 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.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;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. 9When 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. 10But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;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. 12I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you&#8212;also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13So 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.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if serving the Lord seems 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 the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Then the people answered, &#8220;Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17It was the Lord our 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. 18And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Joshua said to the people, &#8220;You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21But the people said to Joshua, &#8220;No! We will serve the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Then Joshua said, &#8220;You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Yes, we are witnesses,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p"> 23&#8220;Now then,&#8221; said Joshua, &#8220;throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24And the people said to Joshua, &#8220;We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. 26And 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 the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;See!&#8221; he said to all the people. &#8220;This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.</div><div class="s1">Buried in the Promised Land</div><div class="p"> 29After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah#24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.</div><div class="p"> 31Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.</div><div class="p"> 32And Joseph&#8217;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 silver#24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value. from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph&#8217;s descendants.</div><div class="p"> 33And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah, which had been allotted to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.</div>
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