Bible Readings for April 16, 2015

Today our passages are Joshua 13:1–14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; and Proverbs 13:7-8. The readings are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.

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Joshua 13-14:15 (Contemporary English Version)

Joshua 13

The Land Israel Had Not Yet Taken

 ¹Many years later, the LORD told Joshua:    Now you are very old, but there is still a lot of land that Israel has not yet taken. ^2-7First, there is the Canaanite territory that starts at the Shihor River just east of Egypt and goes north to Ekron. The southern part of this region belongs to the Avvites and the Geshurites, ^[a] and the land around Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron belongs to the five Philistine rulers. The other Canaanite territory is in the north. Its northern border starts at the town of Arah, which belongs to the Sidonians. From there, it goes to Aphek, ^[b] then along the Amorite border ^[c] to Hamath Pass. ^[d] The eastern border starts at Hamath Pass and goes south to Baal-Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon, and its southern boundary runs west from there to Misrephoth-Maim. ^[e] This northern region includes the Lebanon Mountains and the land that belongs to the Gebalites ^[f] and the Sidonians who live in the hill country from the Lebanon Mountains to Misrephoth-Maim. With my help, Israel will capture these Canaanite territories and force out the people who live there. But you must divide up the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea ^[g] among the nine tribes and the half of Manasseh that don't have any land yet. Then each tribe will have its own land.

The Land East of the Jordan River

 ⁸Moses had already given land east of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. ⁹This region stretched north from the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley, and included the town of Aroer on the northern edge of the valley. It covered the flatlands of Medeba north of Dibon, ¹⁰and took in the towns that had belonged to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. Some of these towns were as far east as the Ammonite border.     ^11-12Geshur and Maacah were part of this region, and so was the whole territory that King Og had ruled, that is, Gilead, Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far east as Salecah. Og had lived in Ashtaroth part of each year, and he had lived in Edrei the rest of the year. Og had been one of the last of the Rephaim, ^[h] but Moses had defeated Sihon and Og and their people ^[i] and had forced them to leave their land. ¹³However, the Israelites did not force the people of Geshur and Maacah to leave, and they still live there among the Israelites.

Moses Did Not Give Land to the Levi Tribe

 ¹⁴Moses did not give any land to the Levi tribe, because the LORD God of Israel had told them, " Instead of land, you will receive the sacrifices offered at my altar."    

Moses Gives Land to the Reuben Tribe

 ¹⁵Moses gave land to each of the clans in the Reuben tribe. ¹⁶Their land started in the south at the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley, took in the town of Aroer on the northern edge of the valley, and went as far north as the flatlands around Medeba. ^17-21The Amorite King Sihon had lived in Heshbon and had ruled the towns in the flatlands. Now Heshbon belonged to Reuben, and so did the following towns in the flatlands: Dibon, Bamoth-Baal, Beth-Baal-Meon, Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-Shahar on the hill in the valley, Beth-Peor, Slopes of Mount Pisgah, and Beth-Jeshimoth.    Moses defeated Sihon and killed him and the Midianite chiefs who ruled parts of his kingdom for him. Their names were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. ²²The Israelites also killed Balaam the son of Beor, who had been a fortuneteller.
    ²³This region with its towns and villages was the land for the Reuben tribe, and the Jordan River was its western border.
   

Moses Gives Land to the Gad Tribe

 ²⁴Moses also gave land to each of the clans in the Gad tribe. ²⁵It included the town of Jazer, and in the Gilead region their territory took in the land and towns as far east as the town of Aroer ^[j] just west of Rabbah. ^[k] This was about half of the land that had once belonged to the Ammonites. ²⁶The land given to Gad stretched from Heshbon in the south to Ramath-Mizpeh and Betonim in the north, and even further north to Mahanaim and Lidebor. ^[l] ²⁷Gad also received the eastern half of the Jordan River valley, which had been ruled by King Sihon of Heshbon. This territory stretched as far north as Lake Galilee, ^[m] and included the towns of Beth-Haram, Beth-Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon. ²⁸These regions with their towns and villages were given to the Gad tribe.

Moses Gives Land to Half of the Manasseh Tribe

 ²⁹Moses gave land east of the Jordan River to half of the clans from the Manasseh tribe. ^30-31Their land started at Mahanaim and took in the region that King Og of Bashan had ruled, including Ashtaroth and Edrei, the two towns where he had lived. The villages where the Jair clan settled were part of Manasseh's land, and so was the northern half of the region of Gilead. The clans of this half of Manasseh had sixty towns in all.    The Manasseh tribe is sometimes called the Machir tribe, after Manasseh's son Machir.
    ³²That was how Moses divided up the Moab Plains to the east of Jericho on the other side of the Jordan River, so these two and a half tribes would have land of their own. ³³But Moses did not give any land to the Levi tribe, because the LORD had promised that he would always provide for them.
   

Joshua 14

The Land West of the Jordan River

 ^1-5Nine and a half tribes still did not have any land, although two and a half tribes had already received land east of the Jordan River. Moses had divided that land among them, and he had also said that the Levi tribe would not receive a large region like the other tribes. Instead, the people of Levi would receive towns and the nearby pastures for their sheep, goats, and cattle. And since the descendants of Joseph had become the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, there were still nine and a half tribes that needed land. The LORD had told Moses that he would show those tribes ^[n] how to divide up the land of Canaan. When the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the families and tribes of Israel met to divide up the land of Canaan, the LORD showed them how to do it.    

Joshua Gives Hebron to Caleb

 ⁶One day while the Israelites were still camped at Gilgal, Caleb the son of Jephunneh went to talk with Joshua. Caleb belonged to the Kenaz clan, and many other people from the Judah tribe went with Caleb. He told Joshua:    You know that back in Kadesh-Barnea the LORD talked to his prophet Moses about you and me. ⁷I was forty years old at the time Moses sent me from Kadesh-Barnea into Canaan as a spy. When I came back and told him about the land, everything I said was true. ⁸The other spies said things that made our people afraid, but I completely trusted the LORD God. ⁹The same day I came back, Moses told me, " Since you were faithful to the LORD God, I promise that the places where you went as a spy will belong to you and your descendants forever."
    ¹⁰Joshua, it was forty-five years ago that the LORD told Moses to make that promise, and now I am eighty-five. Even though Israel has moved from place to place in the desert, the LORD has kept me alive all this time as he said he would. ¹¹I'm just as strong today as I was then, and I can still fight as well in battle.
    ¹²So I'm asking you for the hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You were there. You heard the other spies talk about that part of the hill country and the large, walled towns where the Anakim ^[o] live. But maybe the LORD will help me take their land, just as he promised. ¹³Joshua prayed that God would help Caleb, then he gave Hebron to Caleb and his descendants. ¹⁴And Hebron still belongs to Caleb's descendants, because he was faithful to the LORD God of Israel.
    ¹⁵Hebron used to be called Arba's Town, ^[p] because Arba had been one of the greatest ^[q] of the Anakim. There was peace in the land.
   

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 13:2 Geshurites: Not the same Geshur as in 12.5 and 13.11. One ancient translation has " Gezerites." Gezer was a town north of Ekron that the Israelites did not capture (see Judges 1.29).
2. Joshua 13:2 Aphek: Not the same Aphek as in 12.9-24.
3. Joshua 13:2 Amorite border: What had been the southern border of the old Amorite kingdom of Amurru.
4. Joshua 13:2 Hamath Pass: Or " Lebo-Hamath."
5. Joshua 13:2 Misrephoth-Maim: Or " Misrephoth" or " the Misrephoth River."
6. Joshua 13:2 Gebalites: Gebal was another name for Byblos.
7. Joshua 13:2 from. . . Sea: One ancient translation; the Hebrew text does not have these words.
8. Joshua 13:11 Rephaim: See the note at 12.4.
9. Joshua 13:11 Sihon. . . people: Or " the Rephaim."
10. Joshua 13:25 Aroer: Not the same town as the Aroer in verse 16.
11. Joshua 13:25 Rabbah: The capital city of Ammon.
12. Joshua 13:26 Lidebor: This may be another name for Lodebar, a town a few miles east of the Jordan River and about ten miles south of Lake Galilee.
13. Joshua 13:27 Lake Galilee: See the note at 11.2.
14. Joshua 14:1 he would show those tribes: The Hebrew text has " those tribes must cast lots to find out." Pieces of wood or stone (called " lots" ) were used to find out what God wanted his people to do.
15. Joshua 14:12 Anakim: See the note at 11.21.
16. Joshua 14:15 Arba's Town: Or " Kiriath-Arba."
17. Joshua 14:15 Arba's Town, because. . . greatest: Hebrew; one ancient translation " Arba's Town. It was one of the main towns."

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Luke 18:1-17 (Contemporary English Version)

Luke 18

A Widow and a Judge

 ¹Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up:     ²In a town there was once a judge who didn't fear God or care about people. ³In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, "Make sure that I get fair treatment in court."
    ⁴For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about people, ⁵I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don't help her, she will wear me out."
    ⁶The Lord said:
   Think about what that crooked judge said. ⁷Won't God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won't he be concerned for them? ⁸He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith?
   

A Pharisee and a Tax Collector

 ⁹Jesus told a story to some people who thought they were better than others and who looked down on everyone else:     ¹⁰Two men went into the temple to pray. ^[a] One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ^[b] ¹¹The Pharisee stood over by himself and prayed, ^[c] "God, I thank you that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. And I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. ¹²I go without eating ^[d] for two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all I earn." ¹³The tax collector stood off at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up toward heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner."
    ¹⁴Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home, it was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored."
   

Jesus Blesses Little Children

(Matthew 19.13-15; Mark 10.13-16)

 ¹⁵Some people brought their little children for Jesus to bless. But when his disciples saw them doing this, they told the people to stop bothering him. ¹⁶So Jesus called the children over to him and said, "Let the children come to me! Don't try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom. ^[e] ¹⁷You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!"

Footnotes:

1. Luke 18:10 into the temple to pray: Jewish people usually prayed there early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
2. Luke 18:10 tax collector: See the note at 3.12.
3. Luke 18:11 stood over by himself and prayed: Some manuscripts have " stood up and prayed to himself."
4. Luke 18:12 without eating: See the note at 2.37.
5. Luke 18:16 People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom: Or " God's kingdom belongs to people who are like these children."

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Psalm 85:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 85

(A psalm by the people of Korah for the music leader.)

A Prayer for Peace

 ¹Our LORD, you have blessed    your land
   and made all go well
   for Jacob's descendants.
    ²You have forgiven the sin
   and taken away the guilt
   of your people.
    ³Your fierce anger is no longer
   aimed at us.
    ⁴Our LORD and our God,
   you save us!
   Please bring us back home
   and don't be angry.
    ⁵Will you always be angry
   with us and our families?
    ⁶Won't you give us fresh life
   and let your people be glad
   because of you?
    ⁷Show us your love
   and save us!
    ⁸I will listen to you, LORD God,
   because you promise peace
   to those
   who are faithful
   and no longer foolish.
    ⁹You are ready to rescue
   everyone who worships you,
   so that you will live with us
   in all of your glory.
    ¹⁰Love and loyalty
   will come together;
   goodness and peace
   will unite.
    ¹¹Loyalty will sprout
   from the ground;
   justice will look down
   from the sky above.
    ¹²Our LORD, you will bless us;
   our land will produce
   wonderful crops.
    ¹³Justice will march in front,
   making a path
   for you to follow.

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Proverbs 13:7-8 (Contemporary English Version)

⁷Some who have nothing
   may pretend to be rich,
   and some who have everything
   may pretend to be poor.
    ⁸The rich may have
   to pay a ransom,
   but the poor don't have
   that problem.

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Verse of the Day

“[Love]Let love be your only debt! If you love others, you have done all that the Law demands.” - Romans 13:8

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

English film and stage actress, singer, author, theatre director and dancer, Julie Andrews wrote, “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”