Today our passages are Joshua 9:3–10:43; Luke 16:19–17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; and Proverbs 13:4. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.
Joshua 9:3-10:43 (Contemporary English Version)
3The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. 4So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country. [a] The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. 5Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread. 6Then they went to the Israelite camp at Gilgal, where they said to Joshua and the men of Israel, " We have come from a country that is far from here. Please make a peace treaty with us." 7-8The Israelites replied, " But maybe you really live near us. We can't make a peace treaty with you if you live nearby." [b] The Gibeonites [c] said, " If you make a peace treaty with us, we will be your servants." " Who are you?" Joshua asked. " Where do you come from?"
They answered:
9We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the LORD your God is so famous. We heard what the LORD did in Egypt10and what he did to those two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan: King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, and King Sihon of Heshbon.
11Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure and take along enough food for our journey. 12See this dry, crumbly bread of ours? It was hot out of the oven when we packed the food on the day we left our homes. 13These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.
14The Israelites tried some of the food, [d] but they did not ask the LORD if he wanted them to make a treaty. 15So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise. 16-17A couple of days later, [e] the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. [f] So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later. [g] 18But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the LORD that they would let these people live. The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, 19-21but the leaders reminded them, " We promised these people in the name of the LORD God of Israel that we would let them live, so we must not harm them. If we break our promise, God will punish us. We'll let them live, but we'll make them cut wood and carry water for our people."
22Joshua told some of his soldiers, " I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here."
When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, " You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? 23Now you are under a curse, and your people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship." [h] 24The Gibeonites answered, " The LORD your God told his servant Moses that you were to kill everyone who lives here and take their land for yourselves. We were afraid you would kill us, and so we tricked you into making a peace treaty. But we agreed to be your servants, 25and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right."
26Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, 27but he did tell the Gibeonites that they would have to be servants of the nation of Israel. They would have to cut firewood and bring it for the priests to use for burning sacrifices on the LORD's altar, wherever the LORD decided the altar would be. The Gibeonites would also have to carry water for the priests. And that is still the work of the Gibeonites.
9Joshua marched all night from Gilgal to Gibeon and made a surprise attack on the Amorite camp. 10The LORD made the enemy panic, and the Israelites started killing them right and left. They [j] chased the Amorite troops up the road to Beth-Horon and kept on killing them, until they reached the towns of Azekah and Makkedah. [k] 11And while these troops were going down through Beth-Horon Pass, [l] the LORD made huge hailstones fall on them all the way to Azekah. More of the enemy soldiers died from the hail than from the Israelite weapons. 12-13The LORD was helping the Israelites defeat the Amorites that day. So about noon, Joshua prayed to the LORD loud enough for the Israelites to hear:
" Our LORD, make the sun stop
in the sky over Gibeon,
and the moon stand still
over Aijalon Valley." [m] So the sun and the moon
stopped and stood still
until Israel defeated its enemies.
This poem can be found in The Book of Jashar. [n] The sun stood still and didn't go down for about a whole day. 14Never before and never since has the LORD done anything like that for someone who prayed. The LORD was really fighting for Israel. 15After the battle, Joshua and the Israelites went back to their camp at Gilgal.
21The Israelite army returned to their camp at Makkedah, where Joshua was waiting for them. No one around there dared say anything bad about the Israelites. 22Joshua told his soldiers, " Now, move the rocks from the entrance to the cave and bring those five kings to me."
23The soldiers opened the entrance to the cave and brought out the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24After Joshua had called the army together, he forced the five kings to lie down on the ground. Then he called his officers forward and told them, " You fought these kings along with me, so put your feet on their necks." The officers did, 25and Joshua continued, " Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. Be brave and strong. This is what the LORD will do to all your enemies."
26Joshua killed the five kings and told his men to hang each body on a tree. Then at sunset 27he told some of his troops, " Take the bodies down and throw them into the cave where the kings were found. Cover the entrance to the cave with big rocks."
Joshua's troops obeyed his orders, and those rocks are still there.
31Joshua then led his army to Lachish, and they set up camp around the town. They attacked, 32and the next day the LORD let them capture the town. They killed everyone, as they had done at Libnah. 33King Horam of Gezer arrived to help Lachish, but Joshua and his troops attacked and destroyed him and his army.
34From Lachish, Joshua took his troops to Eglon, where they set up camp surrounding the town. They attacked, 35captured it that same day, then killed everyone, as they had done at Lachish.
36Joshua and his army left Eglon and attacked Hebron. 37They captured the town and the nearby villages, then killed everyone, including the king. They destroyed Hebron in the same way they had destroyed Eglon.
38Joshua and the Israelite army turned and attacked Debir. 39They captured the town, and its nearby villages. Then they destroyed Debir and killed its king, together with everyone else, just as they had done with Hebron and Libnah.
40Joshua captured towns everywhere in the land: In the central hill country and the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert and the region that slopes down toward the Dead Sea. Whenever he captured a town, he would kill the king and everyone else, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded. 41Joshua wiped out towns from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, everywhere in the region of Goshen, [o] and as far north as Gibeon. 42-43The LORD fought on Israel's side, so Joshua and the Israelite army were able to capture these kings and take their land. They fought one battle after another, then they went back to their camp at Gilgal after capturing all that land.
29Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets [c] wrote. They should pay attention to that." 30Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God."
31So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."
Correct any followers [d] of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, "I am sorry," you should still forgive that person. 5The apostles said to the Lord, "Make our faith stronger!"
6Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, "Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat"?8No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, "Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink." 9Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, "We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty."
2Your hateful enemies
are turning against you
and rebelling.
3They are sly, and they plot
against those you treasure.
4They say, "Let's wipe out
the nation of Israel
and make sure that no one
remembers its name!"
5All of them fully agree
in their plans against you,
and among them are
6Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia and Phoenicia. [a] 8Even Assyria has joined forces
with Moab and Ammon. [b] 9Our Lord, punish all of them
as you punished Midian.
Destroy them, as you destroyed
Sisera and Jabin
at Kishon Creek 10near Endor,
and let their bodies rot.
11Treat their leaders as you did
Oreb and Zeeb,
Zebah and Zalmunna.
12All of them said, "We'll take
God's valuable land!"
13Our God, scatter them around
like dust in a whirlwind.
14Just as flames destroy forests
on the mountains,
15pursue and terrify them
with storms of your own.
16Make them blush with shame,
until they turn and worship
you, our LORD.
17Let them be forever ashamed
and confused.
Let them die in disgrace.
18Make them realize that you
are the LORD Most High,
the only ruler of earth!
They answered:
9We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the LORD your God is so famous. We heard what the LORD did in Egypt10and what he did to those two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan: King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, and King Sihon of Heshbon.
11Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure and take along enough food for our journey. 12See this dry, crumbly bread of ours? It was hot out of the oven when we packed the food on the day we left our homes. 13These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.
14The Israelites tried some of the food, [d] but they did not ask the LORD if he wanted them to make a treaty. 15So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise. 16-17A couple of days later, [e] the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. [f] So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later. [g] 18But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the LORD that they would let these people live. The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, 19-21but the leaders reminded them, " We promised these people in the name of the LORD God of Israel that we would let them live, so we must not harm them. If we break our promise, God will punish us. We'll let them live, but we'll make them cut wood and carry water for our people."
22Joshua told some of his soldiers, " I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here."
When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, " You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? 23Now you are under a curse, and your people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship." [h] 24The Gibeonites answered, " The LORD your God told his servant Moses that you were to kill everyone who lives here and take their land for yourselves. We were afraid you would kill us, and so we tricked you into making a peace treaty. But we agreed to be your servants, 25and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right."
26Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, 27but he did tell the Gibeonites that they would have to be servants of the nation of Israel. They would have to cut firewood and bring it for the priests to use for burning sacrifices on the LORD's altar, wherever the LORD decided the altar would be. The Gibeonites would also have to carry water for the priests. And that is still the work of the Gibeonites.
Joshua 10
Joshua Commands the Sun To Stand Still
1King Adonizedek of Jerusalem [i] heard that Joshua had captured and destroyed the town of Ai, and then killed its king as he had done at Jericho. He also learned that the Gibeonites had signed a peace treaty with Israel. 2This frightened Adonizedek and his people. They knew that Gibeon was a large town, as big as the towns that had kings, and even bigger than the town of Ai had been. And all of the men of Gibeon were warriors. 3So Adonizedek sent messages to the kings of four other towns: King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. The messages said, 4" The Gibeonites have signed a peace treaty with Joshua and the Israelites. Come and help me attack Gibeon!" 5When these five Amorite kings called their armies together and attacked Gibeon, 6the Gibeonites sent a message to the Israelite camp at Gilgal: " Joshua, please come and rescue us! The Amorite kings from the hill country have joined together and are attacking us. We are your servants, so don't let us down. Please hurry!" 7Joshua and his army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal. 8" Joshua," the LORD said, " don't be afraid of the Amorites. They will run away when you attack, and I will help you defeat them."9Joshua marched all night from Gilgal to Gibeon and made a surprise attack on the Amorite camp. 10The LORD made the enemy panic, and the Israelites started killing them right and left. They [j] chased the Amorite troops up the road to Beth-Horon and kept on killing them, until they reached the towns of Azekah and Makkedah. [k] 11And while these troops were going down through Beth-Horon Pass, [l] the LORD made huge hailstones fall on them all the way to Azekah. More of the enemy soldiers died from the hail than from the Israelite weapons. 12-13The LORD was helping the Israelites defeat the Amorites that day. So about noon, Joshua prayed to the LORD loud enough for the Israelites to hear:
" Our LORD, make the sun stop
in the sky over Gibeon,
and the moon stand still
over Aijalon Valley." [m] So the sun and the moon
stopped and stood still
until Israel defeated its enemies.
This poem can be found in The Book of Jashar. [n] The sun stood still and didn't go down for about a whole day. 14Never before and never since has the LORD done anything like that for someone who prayed. The LORD was really fighting for Israel. 15After the battle, Joshua and the Israelites went back to their camp at Gilgal.
Joshua Kills the Five Enemy Kings
16While the enemy soldiers were running from the Israelites, the five enemy kings ran away and hid in a cave near Makkedah. 17Joshua's soldiers told him, " The five kings have been found in a cave near Makkedah." 18Joshua answered, " Roll some big stones over the mouth of the cave and leave a few soldiers to guard it. 19But you and everyone else must keep after the enemy troops, because they will be safe if they reach their walled towns. Don't let them get away! The LORD our God is helping us get rid of them." 20So Joshua and the Israelites almost wiped out the enemy soldiers. Only a few safely reached their walled towns.21The Israelite army returned to their camp at Makkedah, where Joshua was waiting for them. No one around there dared say anything bad about the Israelites. 22Joshua told his soldiers, " Now, move the rocks from the entrance to the cave and bring those five kings to me."
23The soldiers opened the entrance to the cave and brought out the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24After Joshua had called the army together, he forced the five kings to lie down on the ground. Then he called his officers forward and told them, " You fought these kings along with me, so put your feet on their necks." The officers did, 25and Joshua continued, " Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. Be brave and strong. This is what the LORD will do to all your enemies."
26Joshua killed the five kings and told his men to hang each body on a tree. Then at sunset 27he told some of his troops, " Take the bodies down and throw them into the cave where the kings were found. Cover the entrance to the cave with big rocks."
Joshua's troops obeyed his orders, and those rocks are still there.
Joshua Continues the Fighting
28Later that day, Joshua captured Makkedah and killed its king and everyone else in the town, just as he had done at Jericho. 29Joshua and his army left Makkedah and attacked the town of Libnah. 30The LORD let them capture the town and its king, and they killed the king and everyone else, just as they had done at Jericho.31Joshua then led his army to Lachish, and they set up camp around the town. They attacked, 32and the next day the LORD let them capture the town. They killed everyone, as they had done at Libnah. 33King Horam of Gezer arrived to help Lachish, but Joshua and his troops attacked and destroyed him and his army.
34From Lachish, Joshua took his troops to Eglon, where they set up camp surrounding the town. They attacked, 35captured it that same day, then killed everyone, as they had done at Lachish.
36Joshua and his army left Eglon and attacked Hebron. 37They captured the town and the nearby villages, then killed everyone, including the king. They destroyed Hebron in the same way they had destroyed Eglon.
38Joshua and the Israelite army turned and attacked Debir. 39They captured the town, and its nearby villages. Then they destroyed Debir and killed its king, together with everyone else, just as they had done with Hebron and Libnah.
40Joshua captured towns everywhere in the land: In the central hill country and the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert and the region that slopes down toward the Dead Sea. Whenever he captured a town, he would kill the king and everyone else, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded. 41Joshua wiped out towns from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, everywhere in the region of Goshen, [o] and as far north as Gibeon. 42-43The LORD fought on Israel's side, so Joshua and the Israelite army were able to capture these kings and take their land. They fought one battle after another, then they went back to their camp at Gilgal after capturing all that land.
Footnotes:
- Joshua 9:4 So. . . country: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Joshua 9:7 nearby: See Deuteronomy 20.10-18.
- Joshua 9:7 Gibeonites: Hebrew " Hivites."
- Joshua 9:14 tried. . . food: Probably to see if it really was old or to show that they wanted peace.
- Joshua 9:16 A couple. . . later: The Hebrew text has " At the end of three days," meaning two days after the day the treaty was made.
- Joshua 9:16 Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim: These towns were twenty to thirty miles west of the Israelite camp at Gilgal.
- Joshua 9:16 A couple of days. . . later: Or " A couple of days later, the Israelites moved their camp to the area near the towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. When they arrived, they realized that they had made a peace treaty with the people of these nearby towns!"
- Joshua 9:23 the place of worship: The Hebrew text has " God's house," which at that time was the sacred tent.
- Joshua 10:1 Jerusalem: Jerusalem was not an Israelite city at this time.
- Joshua 10:10 They: Or " The LORD."
- Joshua 10:10 Makkedah: A total distance of about twenty-five miles.
- Joshua 10:11 Beth-Horon Pass: A two-mile long, steeply-sloping valley between the towns of Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon.
- Joshua 10:12 Aijalon Valley: A valley southwest of Beth-Horon Pass.
- Joshua 10:12 Book of Jashar: This book may have been a collection of ancient war songs.
- Joshua 10:41 Goshen: A region between the hill country of Judah and the desert further south. Not the same Goshen as in Genesis 47.4-6.
Luke 16:19-17:10 (Contemporary English Version)
Lazarus and the Rich Man
19There was once a rich man who wore expensive clothes and every day ate the best food. 20But a poor beggar named Lazarus was brought to the gate of the rich man's house. 21He was happy just to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. His body was covered with sores, and dogs kept coming up to lick them. 22The poor man died, and angels took him to the place of honor next to Abraham. [a] The rich man also died and was buried. 23He went to hell [b] and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side, 24he said to Abraham, "Have pity on me! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and touch my tongue. I'm suffering terribly in this fire." 25Abraham answered, "My friend, remember that while you lived, you had everything good, and Lazarus had everything bad. Now he is happy, and you are in pain.26And besides, there is a deep ditch between us, and no one from either side can cross over." 27But the rich man said, "Abraham, then please send Lazarus to my father's home. 28Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place."29Abraham answered, "Your brothers can read what Moses and the prophets [c] wrote. They should pay attention to that." 30Then the rich man said, "No, that's not enough! If only someone from the dead would go to them, they would listen and turn to God."
31So Abraham said, "If they won't pay attention to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even to someone who comes back from the dead."
Luke 17
Faith and Service
(Matthew 18.6,7,21,22; Mark 9.42)
1Jesus said to his disciples: There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3So be careful what you do.Correct any followers [d] of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, "I am sorry," you should still forgive that person. 5The apostles said to the Lord, "Make our faith stronger!"
6Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, "Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat"?8No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, "Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink." 9Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, "We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty."
Footnotes:
- Luke 16:22 the place of honor next to Abraham: The Jewish people thought that heaven would be a banquet that God would give for them. Abraham would be the most important person there, and the guest of honor would sit next to him.
- Luke 16:23 hell: The Greek text has " hades," which the Jewish people often thought of as the place where the dead wait for the final judgment.
- Luke 16:29 Moses and the prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament.
- Luke 17:3 followers: The Greek text has " brothers," which is often used in the New Testament for followers of Jesus.
Psalm 83:1-18 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 83
(A song and a psalm by Asaph.)
God Rules All the Earth
1Our God, don't just sit there, silently doing nothing!2Your hateful enemies
are turning against you
and rebelling.
3They are sly, and they plot
against those you treasure.
4They say, "Let's wipe out
the nation of Israel
and make sure that no one
remembers its name!"
5All of them fully agree
in their plans against you,
and among them are
6Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia and Phoenicia. [a] 8Even Assyria has joined forces
with Moab and Ammon. [b] 9Our Lord, punish all of them
as you punished Midian.
Destroy them, as you destroyed
Sisera and Jabin
at Kishon Creek 10near Endor,
and let their bodies rot.
11Treat their leaders as you did
Oreb and Zeeb,
Zebah and Zalmunna.
12All of them said, "We'll take
God's valuable land!"
13Our God, scatter them around
like dust in a whirlwind.
14Just as flames destroy forests
on the mountains,
15pursue and terrify them
with storms of your own.
16Make them blush with shame,
until they turn and worship
you, our LORD.
17Let them be forever ashamed
and confused.
Let them die in disgrace.
18Make them realize that you
are the LORD Most High,
the only ruler of earth!
Footnotes:
- Psalm 83:7 Phoenicia: The Hebrew text has " Tyre," the main city in Phoenicia.
- Psalm 83:8 Moab and Ammon: The Hebrew text has " the descendants of Lot," whose older daughter was the mother of the Moabites and whose younger daughter was the mother of the Ammonites (see Genesis 19.30-38).
Proverbs 13:4 (Contemporary English Version)
4No matter how much you want,
laziness won't help a bit,
but hard work will reward you
with more than enough.
Verse of the Day
“All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” - Romans 3:23-24
Thought for the Day
American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States (1801–1809), Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another, for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents.”
laziness won't help a bit,
but hard work will reward you
with more than enough.
Verse of the Day
“All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” - Romans 3:23-24
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States (1801–1809), Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I am for freedom of religion, & against all maneuvres to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another, for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents.”
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