Bible Readings for April 22, 2019

Today our passages are Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; and Proverbs 13:20-23. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below. 

 

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Joshua 24:1-33 (Contemporary English Version)

Joshua 24

We Will Worship and Obey the LORD

 ¹Joshua called the tribes of Israel together for a meeting at Shechem. He had the leaders, including the old men, the judges, and the officials, come up and stand near the sacred tent. ^[a] ²Then Joshua told everyone to listen to this message from the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods. This continued until the time of your ancestor Terah and his two sons, Abraham and Nahor. ³But I brought Abraham across the Euphrates River and led him through the land of Canaan. I blessed him by giving him Isaac, the first in a line of many descendants. ⁴Then I gave Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. I had Esau live in the hill country of Mount Seir, but your ancestor Jacob and his children went to live in Egypt.     ^5-6Later I sent Moses and his brother Aaron to help your people, and I made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, but the Egyptians got in their chariots and on their horses and chased your ancestors, catching up with them at the Red Sea. ^[b] ⁷Your people cried to me for help, so I put a dark cloud between them and the Egyptians. Then I opened up the sea and let your people walk across on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, I commanded the sea to swallow them, and they drowned while you watched. You lived in the desert for a long time, ⁸then I brought you into the land east of the Jordan River. The Amorites were living there, and they fought you. But with my help, you defeated them, wiped them out, and took their land. ⁹King Balak decided that his nation Moab would go to war against you, so he asked Balaam ^[c] to come and put a curse on you. ¹⁰But I wouldn't listen to Balaam, and I rescued you by making him bless you instead of curse you. ¹¹You crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The rulers of Jericho fought you, and so did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I helped you defeat them all. ¹²Your enemies ran from you, but not because you had swords and bows and arrows. I made your enemies panic and run away, as I had done with the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River.
    ¹³You didn't have to work for this land--I gave it to you. Now you live in towns you didn't build, and you eat grapes and olives from vineyards and trees you didn't plant.
    ¹⁴Then Joshua told the people:
   Worship the LORD, obey him, and always be faithful. Get rid of the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. ¹⁵But if you don't want to worship the LORD, then choose right now! Will you worship the same idols your ancestors did? Or since you're living on land that once belonged to the Amorites, maybe you'll worship their gods. I won't. My family and I are going to worship and obey the LORD!
    ¹⁶The people answered:
   We could never worship other gods or stop worshiping the LORD. ¹⁷The LORD is our God. We were slaves in Egypt as our ancestors had been, but we saw the LORD work miracles to set our people free and to bring us out of Egypt. Even though other nations were all around us, the LORD protected us wherever we went. ¹⁸And when we fought the Amorites and the other nations that lived in this land, the LORD made them run away. Yes, we will worship and obey the LORD, because the LORD is our God.
    ¹⁹Joshua said:
   The LORD is fearsome; he is the one true God, and I don't think you are able to worship and obey him in the ways he demands. You would have to be completely faithful, and if you sin or rebel, he won't let you get away with it. ²⁰If you turn your backs on the LORD and worship the gods of other nations, the LORD will turn against you. He will make terrible things happen to you and wipe you out, even though he had been good to you before.
    ²¹But the people shouted, " We won't worship any other gods. We will worship and obey only the LORD!"
    ²²Joshua said, " You have heard yourselves say that you will worship and obey the LORD. Isn't that true?"
   " Yes, it's true," they answered.
    ²³Joshua said, " But you still have some idols, like those the other nations worship. Get rid of your idols! You must decide once and for all that you really want to obey the LORD God of Israel."
    ²⁴The people said, " The LORD is our God, and we will worship and obey only him."
    ²⁵Joshua helped Israel make an agreement with the LORD that day at Shechem. Joshua made laws for Israel ²⁶and wrote them down in The Book of the Law ^[d] of God. Then he set up a large stone under the oak tree at the place of worship in Shechem ²⁷and told the people, " Look at this stone. It has heard everything that the LORD has said to us. Our God can call this stone as a witness if we ever reject him." ²⁸Joshua sent everyone back to their homes.     

Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar Are Buried

 ²⁹Not long afterwards, the LORD's servant Joshua died at the age of one hundred ten. ³⁰The Israelites buried him in his own land at Timnath-Serah, north of Mount Gaash in the hill country of Ephraim.     ³¹As long as Joshua lived, Israel worshiped and obeyed the LORD. There were other leaders old enough to remember everything that the LORD had done for Israel. And for as long as these men lived, Israel continued to worship and obey the LORD.
    ³²When the people of Israel left Egypt, they brought the bones of Joseph along with them. They took the bones to the town of Shechem and buried them in the field that Jacob had bought for one hundred pieces of silver ^[e] from Hamor, the founder of Shechem. The town and the field both ^[f] became part of the land belonging to the descendants of Joseph. ³³When Eleazar the priest ^[g] died, he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim on a hill that belonged to his son Phinehas. 

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 24:1 near. . . tent: Or " in front of the sacred chest" ; Hebrew " in the presence of God."
2. Joshua 24:5 Red Sea: See the note at 2.10.
3. Joshua 24:9 King Balak. . . Balaam: The Hebrew text has " King Balak the son of Zippor. . . Balaam the son of Beor."
4. Joshua 24:26 Law: See the note at 8.30-32.
5. Joshua 24:32 pieces of silver: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew word.
6. Joshua 24:32 town. . . both: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
7. Joshua 24:33 Eleazar the priest: Hebrew " Eleazar the son of Aaron."

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Luke 21:1-28 (Contemporary English Version)

Luke 21

A Widow's Offering

(Mark 12.41-44)

 ¹Jesus looked up and saw some rich people tossing their gifts into the offering box. ²He also saw a poor widow putting in two pennies. ³And he said, "I tell you that this poor woman has put in more than all the others. ⁴Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had."     

The Temple Will Be Destroyed

(Matthew 24.1,2; Mark 13.1,2)

 ⁵Some people were talking about the beautiful stones used to build the temple and about the gifts that had been placed in it. Jesus said, ⁶"Do you see these stones? The time is coming when not one of them will be left in place. They will all be knocked down."     

Warning about Trouble

(Matthew 24.3-14; Mark 13.3-13)

 ⁷Some people asked, "Teacher, when will all this happen? How can we know when these things are about to take place?"     ⁸Jesus replied:
   Don't be fooled by those who will come and claim to be me. They will say, "I am Christ!" and "Now is the time!" But don't follow them. ⁹When you hear about wars and riots, don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end.
    ¹⁰Nations will go to war against one another, and kingdoms will attack each other. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and in many places people will starve to death and suffer terrible diseases. All sorts of frightening things will be seen in the sky.
    ¹²Before all this happens, you will be arrested and punished. You will be tried in your meeting places and put in jail. Because of me you will be placed on trial before kings and governors. ¹³But this will be your chance to tell about your faith.
    ¹⁴Don't worry about what you will say to defend yourselves. ¹⁵I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you or to say that you are wrong. ¹⁶You will be betrayed by your own parents, brothers, family, and friends. Some of you will even be killed. ¹⁷Because of me, you will be hated by everyone. ¹⁸But don't worry! ^[a] ¹⁹You will be saved by being faithful to me. 

Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

(Matthew 24.15-21; Mark 13.14-19)

 ²⁰When you see Jerusalem surrounded by soldiers, you will know that it will soon be destroyed. ²¹If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. If you are in the city, leave it. And if you are out in the country, don't go back into the city. ²²This time of punishment is what is written about in the Scriptures. ²³It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children! Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly and be punished. ²⁴Some of them will be killed by swords. Others will be carried off to foreign countries. Jerusalem will be overrun by foreign nations until their time comes to an end.     

When the Son of Man Appears

(Matthew 24.29-31; Mark 13.24-27)

 ²⁵Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won't know what to do. ²⁶People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken. ^[b] ²⁷Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. ²⁸When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free. 

Footnotes:

1. Luke 21:18 But don't worry: The Greek text has " Not a hair of your head will be lost," which means, " There's no need to worry."
2. Luke 21:26 Every power in the sky will be shaken: In ancient times people thought that the stars were spiritual powers.

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Psalm 89:38-52 (Contemporary English Version)

³⁸You are now angry, God,
   and you have turned your back
   on your chosen king.
    ³⁹You broke off your agreement
   with your servant, the king,
   and you completely destroyed
   his kingdom.
    ⁴⁰The walls of his city
   have been broken through,
   and every fortress
   now lies in ruin.
    ⁴¹All who pass by
   take what they want,
   and nations everywhere
   joke about the king.
    ⁴²You made his enemies powerful
   and let them celebrate.
    ⁴³But you forced him to retreat
   because you did not fight
   on his side.
    ⁴⁴You took his crown ^[a] and threw his throne
   in the dirt.
    ⁴⁵You made an old man of him
   and put him to shame.
    ⁴⁶How much longer, LORD?
   Will you hide forever?
   How long will your anger
   keep burning like fire?
    ⁴⁷Remember, life is short! ^[b] Why did you empty our lives
   of all meaning?
    ⁴⁸No one can escape the power
   of death and the grave.
    ⁴⁹Our Lord, where is the love
   you have always shown
   and that you promised
   so faithfully to David?
    ⁵⁰Remember your servant, Lord!
   People make jokes about me,
   and I suffer many insults.
    ⁵¹I am your chosen one,
   but your enemies chase
   and make fun of me.
    ⁵²Our LORD, we praise you
   forever. Amen and amen.
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:44 You took. . . crown: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2. Psalm 89:47 Remember. . . short: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Proverbs 13:20-23 (Contemporary English Version)

²⁰Wise friends make you wise,
   but you hurt yourself
   by going around with fools.
    ²¹You are in for trouble
   if you sin,
   but you will be rewarded
   if you live right.
    ²²If you obey God,
   you will have something
   to leave your grandchildren.
   If you don't obey God,
   those who live right
   will get what you leave.
    ²³Even when the land of the poor
   produces good crops,
   they get cheated
   out of what they grow. ^[a] 

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 13:23 grow: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 23.

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Verse of the Day

 

“God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse.” - Romans 1:20

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

German Roman Catholic theologian, Georg Hermes wrote, “Death is like an arrow that is already in flight, and your life lasts only until it reaches you.”

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A Joke for Today

A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him to his study & said to him, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your bible a little & get your hair cut, & we'll talk about it."

After about a month, the boy came back & again asked his father if they could discuss use of the car. They again went to the father's study where his father said, "Son, I've been real proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied your bible diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut!" The young man waited a moment & replied, "You know Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, & even Jesus had long hair ..." To which his father replied, "Yes, & they WALKED every where they went too!"

Bible Readings for April 21, 2019

Today our passages are Joshua 22:21–23:16; Luke 20:27-47; Psalm 89:14-37; and Proverbs 13:17-19. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below. 

 

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Joshua 22:21-23:16 (Contemporary English Version)

²¹The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered:
    ²²The LORD is the greatest God! We ask him to be our witness, because he knows whether or not we were rebellious or unfaithful when we built that altar. If we were unfaithful, then we pray that God won't rescue us today. Let us tell you why we built that altar, ²³and we ask the LORD to punish us if we are lying. We didn't build it so we could turn our backs on the LORD. We didn't even build it so we could offer animal or grain sacrifices to please the LORD or ask his blessing.
    ^24-25We built that altar because we were worried. Someday your descendants might tell our descendants, " The LORD made the Jordan River the boundary between us Israelites and you people of Reuben and Gad. The LORD is Israel's God, but you're not part of Israel, so you can't take part in worshiping the LORD."
   Your descendants might say that and try to make our descendants stop worshiping and obeying the LORD. ²⁶That's why we decided to build the altar. It isn't for offering sacrifices, not even sacrifices to please the LORD. ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]27-29}To build another altar for offering sacrifices would be the same as turning our backs on the LORD and rebelling against him. We could never do that! No, we built the altar to remind us and you and the generations to come that we will worship the LORD. And so we will keep bringing our sacrifices to the LORD's altar, there in front of his sacred tent. Now your descendants will never be able to say to our descendants, " You can't worship the LORD." But if they do say this, our descendants can answer back, " Look at this altar our ancestors built! It's like the LORD's altar, but it isn't for offering sacrifices. It's here to remind us and you that we belong to the LORD, just as much as you do."
    ^30-31Phinehas and the clan leaders were pleased when they heard the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh explain why they had built the altar. Then Phinehas told them, " Today we know that the LORD is helping us. You have not been unfaithful to him, and this means that the LORD will not be angry with us."
    ³²Phinehas and the clan leaders left Gilead and went back to Canaan to tell the Israelites about their meeting with the Reuben and Gad tribes. ³³The Israelites were happy and praised God. There was no more talk about going to war and wiping out the tribes of Reuben and Gad.
    ³⁴The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar " A Reminder to Us All That the LORD Is Our God." ^[b<="">] 

Joshua 23

Joshua's Farewell Speech

 ¹The LORD let Israel live in peace with its neighbors for a long time, and Joshua lived to a ripe old age. ²One day he called a meeting of the leaders of the tribes of Israel, including the old men, the judges, and the officials. Then he told them:    I am now very old. ³You have seen how the LORD your God fought for you and helped you defeat the nations who lived in this land. ^4-5There are still some nations left, but the LORD has promised you their land. So when you attack them, he will make them run away. I have already divided their land among your tribes, as I did with the land of the nations I defeated between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
    ⁶Be sure that you carefully obey everything written in The Book of the Law ^[c<="">] of Moses and do exactly what it says. ⁷Don't have anything to do with the nations that live around you. Don't worship their gods or pray to their idols or make promises in the names of their gods. ⁸Be as faithful to the LORD as you have always been.
    ⁹When you attacked powerful nations, the LORD made them run away, and no one has ever been able to stand up to you. ¹⁰Any one of you can defeat a thousand enemy soldiers, because the LORD God fights for you, just as he promised. ¹¹Be sure to always love the LORD your God. ^12-13Don't ever turn your backs on him by marrying people from the nations that are left in the land. Don't even make friends with them. I tell you that if you are friendly with those nations, the LORD won't chase them away when you attack. Instead, they'll be like a trap for your feet, a whip on your back, and thorns in your eyes. And finally, none of you will be left in this good land that the LORD has given you.
    ¹⁴I will soon die, as everyone must. But deep in your hearts you know that the LORD has kept every promise he ever made to you. Not one of them has been broken. ^15-16Yes, when the LORD makes a promise, he does what he has promised. But when he makes a threat, he will also do what he has threatened. The LORD is our God. He gave us this wonderful land and made an agreement with us that we would worship only him. But if you worship other gods, it will make the LORD furious. He will start getting rid of you, and soon not one of you will be left in this good land that he has given you.
    

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 22:26 sacrifices to please the LORD: See the note at 8.30-32.
2. Joshua 22:34 named. . . God: Or " gave a name to the altar. They explained, This altar is here to remind us all that the LORD is our God " ; most Hebrew manuscripts. A few Hebrew manuscripts and one ancient translation " named the altar Reminder. They explained, This altar is here to remind us all that the LORD is our God. "
3. Joshua 23:6 Law: See the note at 8.30-32.

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Luke 20:27-47 (Contemporary English Version)

Life in the Future World

(Matthew 22.23-33; Mark 12.18-27)

 ²⁷The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So some of them came to Jesus ²⁸and said:    Teacher, Moses wrote that if a married man dies and has no children, his brother should marry the widow. Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother.
    ²⁹There were once seven brothers. The first one married, but died without having any children. ³⁰The second one married his brother's widow, and he also died without having any children. ³¹The same thing happened to the third one. Finally, all seven brothers married that woman and died without having any children. ³²At last the woman died. ³³When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? All seven brothers had married her.
    ³⁴Jesus answered:
   The people in this world get married. ³⁵But in the future world no one who is worthy to rise from death will either marry ³⁶or die. They will be like the angels and will be God's children, because they have been raised to life.
    ³⁷In the story about the burning bush, Moses clearly shows that people will live again. He said, "The Lord is the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[] 38}So the Lord isn't the God of the dead, but of the living. This means that everyone is alive as far as God is concerned. ³⁹Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses said, "Teacher, you have given a good answer!" ⁴⁰From then on, no one dared to ask Jesus any questions.     

About David's Son

(Matthew 22.41-46; Mark 12.35-37)

 ⁴¹Jesus asked, "Why do people say that the Messiah will be the son of King David? ^[b<="">] 42In the book of Psalms, David himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord,    Sit at my right side ^{[c<="">]
    43}until I make your enemies
   into a footstool for you.'
    ⁴⁴David spoke of the Messiah as his Lord, so how can the Messiah be his son?"     

Jesus and the Teachers of the Law of Moses

(Matthew 23.1-36; Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-54)

 ⁴⁵While everyone was listening to Jesus, he said to his disciples:     ⁴⁶Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes, and they like to be greeted in the market. They want the front seats in the meeting places and the best seats at banquets. ⁴⁷But they cheat widows out of their homes and then pray long prayers just to show off. These teachers will be punished most of all.
    

Footnotes:

1. Luke 20:37 " The Lord is the God worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" : Jesus argues that if God is worshiped by these three, they must be alive, because he is the God of the living.
2. Luke 20:41 the son of King David: See the note at 18.38.
3. Luke 20:42 right side: The place of power and honor.

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Psalm 89:14-37 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁴Your kingdom is ruled
   by justice and fairness
   with love and faithfulness
   leading the way.
    ¹⁵Our LORD, you bless those
   who join in the festival
   and walk in the brightness
   of your presence.
    ¹⁶We are happy all day
   because of you,
   and your saving power
   brings honor to us.
    ¹⁷Your own glorious power
   makes us strong,
   and because of your kindness,
   our strength increases.
    ¹⁸Our LORD and our King,
   the Holy One of Israel,
   you are truly our shield.
    ¹⁹In a vision, you once said
   to your faithful followers:
   "I have helped a mighty hero.
   I chose him from my people
   and made him famous.
    ²⁰David, my servant, is the one
   I chose to be king,
    ²¹and I will always be there
   to help and strengthen him.
    ²²"No enemy will outsmart David,
   and he won't be defeated
   by any hateful people.
    ²³I will strike down and crush
   his troublesome enemies.
    ²⁴He will always be able
   to depend on my love,
   and I will make him strong
   with my own power.
    ²⁵I will let him rule the lands
   across the rivers and seas.
    ²⁶He will say to me,
   `You are my Father
   and my God,
   as well as the mighty rock ^{a<="" value="[a]" >[]} where I am safe.'
    ²⁷"I have chosen David
   as my first-born son,
   and he will be the ruler
   of all kings on earth.
    ²⁸My love for him will last,
   and my agreement with him
   will never be broken.
    ²⁹"One of David's descendants
   will always be king,
   and his family will rule
   until the sky disappears.
    ³⁰Suppose some of his children
   should reject my Law
   and refuse my instructions.
    ³¹Or suppose they should disobey
   all of my teachings.
    ³²Then I will correct
   and punish them
   because of their sins.
    ³³But I will always love David
   and faithfully keep all
   of my promises to him.
    ³⁴"I won't break my agreement
   or go back on my word.
    ³⁵I have sworn once and for all
   by my own holy name,
   and I won't lie to David.
    ³⁶His family will always rule.
   I will let his kingdom last
   as long as the sun ³⁷and moon
   appear in the sky."
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:26 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2. 

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Proverbs 13:17-19 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁷Whoever delivers your message
   can make things better
   or worse for you.
    ¹⁸All who refuse correction
   will be poor and disgraced;
   all who accept correction
   will be praised.
    ¹⁹It's a good feeling
   to get what you want,
   but only a stupid fool
   hates to turn from evil.

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Verse of the Day

“and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father gave them to me, and he is greater than all others. No one can snatch them from his hands, and I am one with the Father.” - John 10:28-30 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America, John Muir wrote, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

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A Joke for Today

In a certain suburban neighborhood, there were two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, who were exceedingly mischievous. Whatever went wrong in the neighborhood, it nearly always turned out they had had a hand in it. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them and after hearing about a minister nearby who worked with delinquent boys, the mother suggested to the father that they ask the minister to talk to them.

The mother went to the minister and made her request. He agreed, but said he wanted to see the younger boy first and alone. So the mother sent him to the minister.

The minister sat the boy down across from the huge, impressive desk he sat behind. For about five minutes they just sat and stared at each other. Finally, the minister pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"

The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing.

Again, louder, the minister pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"

Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the minister leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "Where is God?"

The boy panicked and ran all the way home. Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief and quickly said, "We are in big trouble!"

The older boy asked, "What do you mean, big trouble?"

His brother replied, "God is missing and they think we did it!"

Bible Readings for April 20, 2019

Today our passages are Joshua 21:1–22:20; Luke 20:1-26; Psalm 89:1-13; and Proverbs 13:15-16. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below. 

 

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Joshua 21-22:20 (Contemporary English Version)

Joshua 21

Levi's Towns

 ^1-2While the Israelites were still camped at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, the family leaders of the Levi tribe went to speak to the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders of the other Israelite tribes. The leaders of Levi said, " The LORD told Moses that you have to give us towns and provide pastures for our animals." ^[a] ³Since the LORD had said this, the leaders of the other Israelite tribes agreed to give some of the towns and pastures from their tribal lands to Levi. ⁴The leaders asked the LORD to show them ^[b] in what order the clans of Levi would be given towns, and which towns each clan would receive. The Kohath clans were first. The descendants of Aaron, Israel's first priest, ^[c] were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. ⁵The other members of the Kohath clans received ten towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh. ⁶The clans that were descendants of Gershon were given thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh. ⁷The clans that were descendants of Merari ^[d] received twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. ⁸The LORD had told Moses that he would show the Israelites which towns and pastures to give to the clans of Levi, and he did.     

Towns from Judah, Simeon, Benjamin

 ^9-19 The descendants of Aaron from the Kohath clans of Levi were priests, and they were chosen to receive towns first. They were given thirteen towns and the pastureland around them. Nine of these towns were from the tribes of Judah and Simeon and four from Benjamin.    Hebron, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ashan, ^[e] Juttah, and Beth-Shemesh were from Judah and Simeon. Hebron, located in the hill country of Judah, was earlier called Arba's Town. ^[f]It had been named after Arba, the ancestor of the Anakim. ^[g] Hebron's pasturelands went along with the town, but its farmlands and the villages around it had been given to Caleb. ^[h] Hebron was also one of the Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone. Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon were from Benjamin.     

Towns from Ephraim, Dan, West Manasseh

 ^20-26 The rest of the Kohath clans of the Levi tribe received ten towns and the pastureland around them. Four of these towns were from the tribe of Ephraim, four from Dan, and two from West Manasseh.    Shechem, Gezer, Kibzaim, and Beth-Horon were from Ephraim. Shechem was located in the hill country, and it was also one of the Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.
   Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-Rimmon were from Dan.
   Taanach and Jibleam ^[i] were from West Manasseh. 

Towns from East Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali

 ^27-33 The clans of Levi that were descendants of Gershon received thirteen towns and the pastureland around them. Two of these towns were from the tribe of East Manasseh, four from Issachar, four from Asher, and three from Naphtali.   Golan in Bashan and Beeshterah were from East Manasseh.
   Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En-Gannim were from Issachar.
   Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob were from Asher.
   Kedesh in Galilee, Hammothdor, and Kartan were from Naphtali. Golan in Bashan and Kedesh in Galilee were also Safe Towns for people who had accidentally killed someone.     

Towns from Zebulun, Reuben, Gad

 ^34-40 The rest of the Levi clans were descendants of Merari, and they received twelve towns with the pastureland around them. Four towns were from the tribe of Zebulun, four from Reuben, and four from Gad.    Jokneam, Kartah, Rimmonah, ^[j] and Nahalal were from Zebulun. Bezer, Jazah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath were from Reuben. Bezer was located in the desert flatlands east of the Jordan River across from Jericho. ^[k] Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer were from Gad.
   Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead were Safe Towns ^[l] for people who had accidentally killed someone. ^41-42The people of the Levi tribe had a total of forty-eight towns within Israel, and they had pastures around each one of their towns.     

Israel Settles in the Land

 ⁴³The LORD gave the Israelites the land he had promised their ancestors, and they captured it and settled in it. ⁴⁴There still were enemies around Israel, but the LORD kept his promise to let his people live in peace. And whenever the Israelites did have to go to war, no enemy could defeat them. The LORD always helped Israel win. ⁴⁵The LORD promised to do many good things for Israel, and he kept his promise every time.   

  

Joshua 22

The Two and a Half Tribes Return Home

 ¹Joshua had the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh come for a meeting, and he told them:     ^2-3You have obeyed every command of the LORD your God and of his servant Moses. And you have done everything I've told you to do. It's taken a long time, but you have stayed and helped your relatives. ⁴The LORD promised to give peace to your relatives, and that's what he has done. Now it's time for you to go back to your own homes in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River.
    ⁵Moses taught you to love the LORD your God, to be faithful to him, and to worship and obey him with your whole heart and with all your strength. So be very careful to do everything Moses commanded.
    ^6-9You've become rich from what you've taken from your enemies. You have big herds of cattle, lots of silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and plenty of clothes. Take everything home with you and share with the people of your tribe.
   I pray that God will be kind to you. You are now free to go home.
   The tribes of Reuben and Gad started back to Gilead, their own land. Moses had given the land of Bashan to the East Manasseh tribe, so they started back along with Reuben and Gad. God had told Moses that these two and a half tribes should conquer Gilead and Bashan, and they had done so.
   Joshua had given land west of the Jordan River to the other half of the Manasseh tribe, so they stayed at Shiloh in the land of Canaan with the rest of the Israelites.
    ^10-11The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reached the western side of the Jordan River valley ^[m] and built a huge altar there beside the river. When the rest of the Israelites heard what these tribes had done, ^[n] ¹²the Israelite men met at Shiloh to get ready to attack the two and a half tribes. ¹³But first they sent a priest, Phinehas the son of Eleazar, to talk with the two and a half tribes. ¹⁴Each of the tribes at Shiloh sent the leader of one of its families along with Phinehas. ¹⁵Phinehas and these leaders went to Gilead and met with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They said:
    ¹⁶All of the LORD's people have gathered together and have sent us to find out why you are unfaithful to our God. You have turned your backs on the LORD by building that altar. Why are you rebelling against him? ¹⁷Wasn't our people's sin at Peor ^[o] terrible enough for you? The LORD punished us by sending a horrible sickness that killed many of us, and we still suffer because of that sin. ^[p] ¹⁸Now you are turning your backs on the LORD again. If you don't stop rebelling against the LORD right now, he will be angry at the whole nation. ¹⁹If you don't think your land is a fit place to serve God, then move across the Jordan and live with us in the LORD's own land, where his sacred tent is located. But don't rebel against the LORD our God or against us by building another altar besides the LORD's own altar. ^[q] ²⁰Don't you remember what happened when Achan was unfaithful ^[r] and took some of the things that belonged to God? This made God angry with the entire nation. Achan died because he sinned, but he also caused the death of many others. 

Footnotes:

1. Joshua 21:1 The LORD told Moses. . . animals: See Numbers 35.1-8.
2. Joshua 21:4 asked the LORD to show them: Hebrew " cast lots to find out." See the note at 14.1-5.
3. Joshua 21:4 The descendants. . . priest: Hebrew text; three ancient translations " The priests, the descendants of Aaron." The male descendants of Aaron would also be priests.
4. Joshua 21:7 Kohath. . . Gershon. . . Merari: Sons of Levi, the ancestor of the tribe of Levi.
5. Joshua 21:9 Ashan: One ancient translation and the parallel in 1 Chronicles 6.59; Hebrew " Ain."
6. Joshua 21:9 Arba's Town: See the note at 14.15.
7. Joshua 21:9 Anakim: See the note at 11.21.
8. Joshua 21:9 Caleb: See 14.6-14.
9. Joshua 21:20 Jibleam: One ancient translation and the parallel in 1 Chronicles 6.70; Hebrew " "Gath-Rimmon.""
10. Joshua 21:34 Rimmonah: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
11. Joshua 21:34 Bezer. . . Jericho: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
12. Joshua 21:34 Bezer and Ramoth in Gilead were Safe Towns: One ancient translation; Hebrew " Ramoth in Gilead was a Safe Town."
13. Joshua 22:10 western. . . valley: Or " the town of Geliloth, which is in the land of Canaan near the Jordan River."
14. Joshua 22:10 built a huge altar. . . tribes had done: According to Deuteronomy 12.5-14, the LORD wanted the Israelites to have only one altar for offering sacrifices. To build another altar would be to disobey the LORD.
15. Joshua 22:17 our people's sin at Peor: See Numbers 25.
16. Joshua 22:17 we still. . . sin: Or " There are still people in Israel who want to worship other gods."
17. Joshua 22:19 or against. . . altar: Or " by building another altar besides the LORD's own altar. That would even make us into rebels along with you."
18. Joshua 22:20 Achan was unfaithful: See 7.1,26.

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Luke 20:1-26 (Contemporary English Version)

Luke 20

A Question about Jesus' Authority

(Matthew 21.23-27; Mark 11.27-33)

 ¹One day, Jesus was teaching in the temple and telling the good news. So the chief priests, the teachers, and the nation's leaders ²asked him, "What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?"     ³Jesus replied, "I want to ask you a question. ⁴Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?"
    ⁵They talked this over and said to each other, "We can't say that God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John. ⁶And we can't say that it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize. The crowd will stone us to death, because they think John was a prophet."
    ⁷So they told Jesus, "We don't know who gave John the right to baptize."
    ⁸Jesus replied, "Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do."     

Renters of a Vineyard

(Matthew 21.33-46; Mark 12.1-12)

 ⁹Jesus told the people this story:    A man once planted a vineyard and rented it out. Then he left the country for a long time. ¹⁰When it was time to harvest the crop, he sent a servant to ask the renters for his share of the grapes. But they beat up the servant and sent him away without anything. ¹¹So the owner sent another servant. The renters also beat him up. They insulted him terribly and sent him away without a thing. ¹²The owner sent a third servant. He was also beaten terribly and thrown out of the vineyard.
    ¹³The owner then said to himself, "What am I going to do? I know what. I'll send my son, the one I love so much. They will surely respect him!"
    ¹⁴When the renters saw the owner's son, they said to one another, "Someday he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves." ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
   Jesus asked, "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? ¹⁶I'll tell you what. He will come and kill those renters and let someone else have his vineyard."
   When the people heard this, they said, "This must never happen!"
    ¹⁷But Jesus looked straight at them and said, "Then what do the Scriptures mean when they say, `The stone that the builders tossed aside is now the most important stone of all'? ¹⁸Anyone who stumbles over this stone will get hurt, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces."
    ¹⁹The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses knew that Jesus was talking about them when he was telling this story. They wanted to arrest him right then, but they were afraid of the people.     

Paying Taxes

(Matthew 22.15-22; Mark 12.13-17)

 ²⁰Jesus' enemies kept watching him closely, because they wanted to hand him over to the Roman governor. So they sent some men who pretended to be good. But they were really spies trying to catch Jesus saying something wrong. ²¹The spies said to him, "Teacher, we know that you teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. ²²Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?"     ²³Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him. So he told them, ²⁴"Show me a coin." Then he asked, "Whose picture and name are on it?"
   "The Emperor's," they answered.
    ²⁵Then he told them, "Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God." ²⁶Jesus' enemies could not catch him saying anything wrong there in front of the people. They were amazed at his answer and kept quiet.

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Psalm 89:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 89

(A special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.)

The LORD's Agreement with David

 ¹Our LORD, I will sing    of your love forever.
   Everyone yet to be born
   will hear me praise
   your faithfulness.
    ²I will tell them,
   "God's love
   can always be trusted,
   and his faithfulness lasts
   as long as the heavens."
    ³You said, "David, my servant,
   is my chosen one,
   and this is the agreement
   I made with him:
    ⁴David, one of your descendants
   will always be king."
    ⁵Our LORD, let the heavens
   now praise your miracles,
   and let all of your angels
   praise your faithfulness.
    ⁶None who live in the heavens
   can compare with you.
    ⁷You are the most fearsome
   of all who live in heaven;
   all the others fear
   and greatly honor you.
    ⁸You are LORD God All-Powerful!
   No one is as loving
   and faithful as you are.
    ⁹You rule the roaring sea
   and calm its waves.
    ¹⁰You crushed the monster Rahab, ^[a] and with your powerful arm
   you scattered your enemies.
    ¹¹The heavens and the earth
   belong to you.
   And so does the world
   with all its people
   because you created them
    ¹²and everything else. ^[b] Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon
   gladly praise you.
    ¹³You are strong and mighty!
    

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 89:10 Rahab: Many people in the ancient world thought that the world was controlled by this sea monster that the Lord destroyed at the time of creation (see Isaiah 51.9).
2. Psalm 89:12 and everything else: The Hebrew text has " Zaphon and Yamin," which may either be the names of mountains or refer to the directions " north and south," with the meaning " everything from north to south."

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Proverbs 13:15-16 (Contemporary English Version)

¹⁵Sound judgment is praised,
   but people without good sense
   are on the way to disaster. ^[a] ¹⁶If you have good sense,
   you will act sensibly,
   but fools act like fools.
    

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 13:15 people. . . disaster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Verse of the Day

“Where is its victory? Where is its sting?" Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!” - 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

American actress and fashion model, Edie Sedgwick wrote, “You care enough, that you want your life to be fulfilled in a living way, not in a painting way, not in a writing way... you really do want it to be involving in living, corresponding with other living objects, moving, changing, that kind of thing.”

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A Joke for Today

School Notes - These are real notes written from parents in a Mississippi School District. (Spellings have been left intact.)

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33

Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days.Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because I don't know what size she wear.

Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.

Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.