Category: Scripture

Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors , who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, He was with that judge and rescued the people from tier enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on His people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and suborn ways.

So the Lord burned with anger, against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated My covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored My commands, I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test Israel-to se whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or all Joshua to conquer them all. (vv 16-23, NLT)

[Joshua said] “So fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever your idols you ancestors worshipped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and. in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then you choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer gods you ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (vv14-15, NLT)

Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, He will turn against you and destroy you, even though He has been so good to you.” (vv. 19-20, NLT)

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day ad Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. Joshua recorded all these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, Joshua took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.

Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.” (vv. 25-28,NLT)

On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.

Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day ! (vv. 12-14, NLT)

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No on was allowed to go in or out. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing their horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the ram’s horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” (vv. 1-5 NLT)

On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time, they went around the town seven times. The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town!” Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as a sin offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.” (vv 15-17, NLT)

When the people heard the sound of the ram’s horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. (v. 20, NLT)

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in hand, Joshua went up to hi and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither one,” he replied. “”I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take of your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told. (vv 12-15, NLT)

When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you camp tonight.'”

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen-one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go to the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder-twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a reminder among the people of Israel forever.”

So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped and constructed the memorial there.

Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. (vv. 1-9, NLT)

So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. It was harvest season, and the Joran was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until who whole nation had crossed the Joran on dry ground. (vv. 15-17, NLT)

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses My servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on the land I have given you-from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains to the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’No one wil be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with youas I was with Moses. I will not fail you or a abandon you.”

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study the Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is My command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (vv. 1-9, NLT)

[Moses said[ “When you enter the land the Lord you God is giving you, be very careful not imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice you son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.” (vv. 9-14, NLT)

[Moses said] “Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving to you. They must judge the people fairly. You must never twist justice or sho partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Let tru justice prevail, so that you may live an occupy the land that the Lord you God is giving to you. “

“YOu mst never set o a wooden Asherah pole beside the alter you build for the Lord you God. And never set up sacred pillars for worship, for the Lord you God hates them.” (vv. 18-23, NLT)