¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(A) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(B) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

Joshua Installed as Leader

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,^(A) the Lord said to Joshua^(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River^(C) into the land^(D) I am about to give to them^(E)—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot,^(F) as I promised Moses.^{(G) 4} Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,^(H) and from the great river, the Euphrates^(I)—all the Hittite^(J) country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.^{(K) 5} No one will be able to stand against you^(L) all the days of your life. As I was with^(M) Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake^(N) you. ⁶ Be strong^(O) and courageous,^(P) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors^(Q) to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey^(R) all the law^(S) my servant Moses^(T) gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,^(U) that you may be successful wherever you go.^{(V) 8} Keep this Book of the Law^(W) always on your lips;^(X) meditate^(Y) on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.^{(Z) 9} Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;^(AA) do not be discouraged,^(AB) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”^(AC)

¹⁰ So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:^{(AD) 11} “Go through the camp^(AE) and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions^(AF) ready. Three days^(AG) from now you will cross the Jordan^(AH) here to go in and take possession^(AI) of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

¹² But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,^(AJ) Joshua said, ¹³ “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest^(AK) by giving you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives,^(AL) your children and your livestock may stay in the land^(AM) that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle,^(AN) must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites.^(AO) You are to help them ¹⁵ until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”^(AP)

¹⁶ Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.^{(AQ) 17} Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you.^(AR) Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey^(AS) it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!^(AT)”

Rahab and the Spies

2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies^(AU) from Shittim.^(AV) “Go, look over^(AW) the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.^(AX)” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab^(AY) and stayed there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:^(AZ) “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men^(BA) and hidden them.^(BB) She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,^(BC) they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”^{(BD) 6} (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax^(BE) she had laid out on the roof.)^{(BF) 7} So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan,^(BG) and as soon as the pursuers^(BH) had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof^{(BI) 9} and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear^(BJ) of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up^(BK) the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt,^(BL) and what you did to Sihon and Og,^(BM) the two kings of the Amorites^(BN) east of the Jordan,^(BO) whom you completely destroyed.^{[b](BP) 11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear^(BQ) and everyone’s courage failed^(BR) because of you,^(BS) for the Lord your God^(BT) is God in heaven above and on the earth^(BU) below.

¹² “Now then, please swear to me^(BV) by the Lord that you will show kindness^(BW) to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign^{(BX) 13} that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them^(BY)—and that you will save us from death.”

¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!”^(BZ) the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully^(CA) when the Lord gives us the land.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope^(CB) through the window,^(CC) for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills^(CD) so the pursuers^(CE) will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days^(CF) until they return, and then go on your way.”^(CG)

¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath^(CH) you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord^(CI) in the window^(CJ) through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family^(CK) into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads;^(CL) we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head^(CM) if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.^(CN)”

²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord^(CO) in the window.^(CP)

²² When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days,^(CQ) until the pursuers^(CR) had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. ²³ Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands;^(CS) all the people are melting in fear^(CT) because of us.”

A Message About the Philistines

47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines^(A) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:^(B)

² This is what the Lord says:

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

12 It was about this time that King Herod^(A) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John,^(B) put to death with the sword.^{(C) 3} When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,^(D) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^{(E) 4} After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.^(F)

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.^(G)

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,^(H) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel^(I) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.^(J)

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(K) 10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,^(L) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(M) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(N) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,^(O) where many people had gathered and were praying.^{(P) 13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.^{(Q) 14} When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed^(R) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”^(S)

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand^(T) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James^(U) and the other brothers and sisters^(V) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.^(W)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea^(X) and stayed there. ²⁰ He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;^(Y) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.^(Z)

²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel^(AA) of the Lord struck him down,^(AB) and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God^(AC) continued to spread and flourish.^(AD)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

²⁵ When Barnabas^(AE) and Saul had finished their mission,^(AF) they returned from^[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.^(AG)