Category: Joshua

The Towns Given to the Levites

1 Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel.

2 They came to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “TheLordcommanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasturelands for our livestock.”

3 So by the command of theLordthe people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land.

4 The descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, were allotted thirteen towns that were originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

5 The other families of the Kohathite clan were allotted ten towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

6 The clan of Gershon was allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

7 The clan of Merari was allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

8 So the Israelites obeyed theLord’s command to Moses and assigned these towns and pasturelands to the Levites by casting sacred lots.

9 The Israelites gave the following towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon

10 to the descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, since the sacred lot fell to them first:

11 Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasturelands. (Arba was an ancestor of Anak.)

12 But the open fields beyond the town and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.

13 The following towns with their pasturelands were given to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Libnah,

14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,

15 Holon, Debir,

16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine towns from these two tribes.

17 From the tribe of Benjamin the priests were given the following towns with their pasturelands: Gibeon, Geba,

18 Anathoth, and Almon—four towns.

19 So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

20 The rest of the Kohathite clan from the tribe of Levi was allotted the following towns and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim:

21 Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Gezer,

22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four towns.

23 The following towns and pasturelands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh, Gibbethon,

24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four towns.

25 The half-tribe of Manasseh allotted the following towns with their pasturelands to the priests: Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two towns.

26 So in all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clan.

27 The descendants of Gershon, another clan within the tribe of Levi, received the following towns with their pasturelands from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone) and Be-eshterah—two towns.

28 From the tribe of Issachar they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kishion, Daberath,

29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four towns.

30 From the tribe of Asher they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon,

31 Helkath, and Rehob—four towns.

32 From the tribe of Naphtali they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three towns.

33 So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.

34 The rest of the Levites—the Merari clan—were given the following towns with their pasturelands from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah,

35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four towns.

36 From the tribe of Reuben they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Bezer, Jahaz,

37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four towns.

38 From the tribe of Gad they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Mahanaim,

39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four towns.

40 So in all, twelve towns were allotted to the clan of Merari.

41 The total number of towns and pasturelands within Israelite territory given to the Levites came to forty-eight.

42 Every one of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it.

43 So theLordgave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

44 And theLordgave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for theLordhelped them conquer all their enemies.

45 Not a single one of all the good promises theLordhad given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JOS/21-ba86f641ee192534bec56c5c53190292.mp3?version_id=116—

The Eastern Tribes Return Home

1 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

2 He told them, “You have done as Moses, the servant of theLord, commanded you, and you have obeyed every order I have given you.

3 During all this time you have not deserted the other tribes. You have been careful to obey the commands of theLordyour God right up to the present day.

4 And now theLordyour God has given the other tribes rest, as he promised them. So go back home to the land that Moses, the servant of theLord, gave you as your possession on the east side of the Jordan River.

5 But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love theLordyour God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home.

7 Moses had given the land of Bashan, east of the Jordan River, to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The other half of the tribe was given land west of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent them away and blessed them,

8 he said to them, “Go back to your homes with the great wealth you have taken from your enemies—the vast herds of livestock, the silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and the large supply of clothing. Share the plunder with your relatives.”

9 So the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the rest of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan. They started the journey back to their own land of Gilead, the territory that belonged to them according to theLord’s command through Moses.

The Eastern Tribes Build an Altar

10 But while they were still in Canaan, and when they came to a place called Gelilothnear the Jordan River, the men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh stopped to build a large and imposing altar.

11 The rest of Israel heard that the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had built an altar at Geliloth at the edge of the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan River.

12 So the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against them.

13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to talk with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

14 In this delegation were ten leaders of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each the head of his family within the clans of Israel.

15 When they arrived in the land of Gilead, they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

16 “The whole community of theLorddemands to know why you are betraying the God of Israel. How could you turn away from theLordand build an altar for yourselves in rebellion against him?

17 Was our sin at Peor not enough? To this day we are not fully cleansed of it, even after the plague that struck the entire community of theLord.

18 And yet today you are turning away from following theLord. If you rebel against theLordtoday, he will be angry with all of us tomorrow.

19 “If you need the altar because the land you possess is defiled, then join us in theLord’s land, where the Tabernacle of theLordis situated, and share our land with us. But do not rebel against theLordor against us by building an altar other than the one true altar of theLordour God.

20 Didn’t divine anger fall on the entire community of Israel when Achan, a member of the clan of Zerah, sinned by stealing the things set apart for theLord? He was not the only one who died because of his sin.”

21 Then the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the heads of the clans of Israel:

22 “TheLord, the Mighty One, is God! TheLord, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth, and may Israel know it, too! We have not built the altar in treacherous rebellion against theLord. If we have done so, do not spare our lives this day.

23 If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from theLordor to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings, may theLordhimself punish us.

24 “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship theLord, the God of Israel?

25 TheLordhas placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to theLord.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping theLord.

26 “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,

27 but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship theLordat his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to theLord.’

28 “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of theLord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with theLord.’

29 Far be it from us to rebel against theLordor turn away from him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of theLordour God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of Israel—heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied.

31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know theLordis among us because you have not committed this treachery against theLordas we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of theLord.”

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened.

33 And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “Witness,”for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that theLordis our God, too.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JOS/22-887187938a27f75cced52fe812a8f0de.mp3?version_id=116—

Joshua’s Final Words to Israel

1 The years passed, and theLordhad given the people of Israel rest from all their enemies. Joshua, who was now very old,

2 called together all the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. He said to them, “I am now a very old man.

3 You have seen everything theLordyour God has done for you during my lifetime. TheLordyour God has fought for you against your enemies.

4 I have allotted to you as your homeland all the land of the nations yet unconquered, as well as the land of those we have already conquered—from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Seain the west.

5 This land will be yours, for theLordyour God will himself drive out all the people living there now. You will take possession of their land, just as theLordyour God promised you.

6 “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left.

7 Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them.

8 Rather, cling tightly to theLordyour God as you have done until now.

9 “For theLordhas driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been able to defeat you.

10 Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for theLordyour God fights for you, just as he has promised.

11 So be very careful to love theLordyour God.

12 “But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them,

13 then know for certain that theLordyour God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land theLordyour God has given you.

14 “Soon I will die, going the way of everything on earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of theLordyour God has come true. Not a single one has failed!

15 But as surely as theLordyour God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.

16 If you break the covenant of theLordyour God by worshiping and serving other gods, his anger will burn against you, and you will quickly vanish from the good land he has given you.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JOS/23-3deb2ad18e6817691e410b35607a48ed.mp3?version_id=116—

The Lord’s Covenant Renewed

1 Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God.

2 Joshua said to the people, “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River,and they worshiped other gods.

3 But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac.

4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

5 “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought terrible plagues on Egypt; and afterward I brought you out as a free people.

6 But when your ancestors arrived at the Red Sea,the Egyptians chased after you with chariots and charioteers.

7 When your ancestors cried out to theLord, I put darkness between you and the Egyptians. I brought the sea crashing down on the Egyptians, drowning them. With your very own eyes you saw what I did. Then you lived in the wilderness for many years.

8 “Finally, I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I destroyed them before you. I gave you victory over them, and you took possession of their land.

9 Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, started a war against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

10 but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.

11 “When you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I gave you victory over them.

12 And I sent terrorahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory.

13 I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build—the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.

14 “So fear theLordand serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve theLordalone.

15 But if you refuse to serve theLord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your 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 theLord.”

16 The people replied, “We would never abandon theLordand serve other gods.

17 For theLordour God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us.

18 It was theLordwho drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve theLord, for he alone is our God.”

19 Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve theLord, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

20 If you abandon theLordand serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”

21 But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve theLord!”

22 “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve theLord.”

“Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”

23 “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to theLord, the God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve theLordour God. We will obey him alone.”

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of theLord.

26 Joshua recorded these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of theLord.

27 Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything theLordsaid to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”

28 Then Joshua sent all the people away to their own homelands.

Leaders Buried in the Promised Land

29 After this, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of theLord, died at the age of 110.

30 They buried him in the land he had been allocated, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

31 The people of Israel served theLordthroughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that theLordhad done for Israel.

32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the plot of land Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for 100 pieces of silver.This land was located in the territory allotted to the descendants of Joseph.

33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died. He was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, in the town of Gibeah, which had been given to his son Phinehas.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JOS/24-c9f333e2af849a866e5e3f0b53edbda9.mp3?version_id=116—