The Treaty at Beersheba

²² At that time Abimelek^(A) and Phicol the commander of his forces^(B) said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.^{(C) 23} Now swear^(D) to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.^(E) Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”^(F)

²⁴ Abraham said, “I swear it.”

²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.^{(G) 26} But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

²⁷ So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.^{(H) 28} Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, ²⁹ and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

³⁰ He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness^(I) that I dug this well.^(J)”

³¹ So that place was called Beersheba,^[a](K) because the two men swore an oath^(L) there.

³² After the treaty^(M) had been made at Beersheba,^(N) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces^(O) returned to the land of the Philistines.^{(P) 33} Abraham planted a tamarisk tree^(Q) in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord,^(R) the Eternal God.^{(S) 34} And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines^(T) for a long time.

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

24 Then Joshua assembled^(A) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.^(B) He summoned^(C) the elders,^(D) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,^(E) and they presented themselves before God.

² Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor,^(F) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.^{(G) 3} But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan^(H) and gave him many descendants.^(I) I gave him Isaac,^{(J) 4} and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.^(K) I assigned the hill country of Seir^(L) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.^(M)

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,^(N) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.^{(O) 6} When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,^(P) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen^[a](Q) as far as the Red Sea.^{[b](R) 7} But they cried^(S) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness^(T) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.^(U) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.^(V) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.^(W)

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites^(X) who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.^{(Y) 9} When Balak son of Zippor,^(Z) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor^(AA) to put a curse on you.^{(AB) 10} But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you^(AC) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan^(AD) and came to Jericho.^(AE) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,^(AF) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,^(AG) but I gave them into your hands.^{(AH) 12} I sent the hornet^(AI) ahead of you, which drove them out^(AJ) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.^{(AK) 13} So I gave you a land^(AL) on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’^(AM)

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord^(AN) and serve him with all faithfulness.^(AO) Throw away the gods^(AP) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,^(AQ) and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,^(AR) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,^(AS) we will serve the Lord.”^(AT)

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake^(AU) the Lord to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,^(AV) and performed those great signs^(AW) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out^(AX) before us all the nations,^(AY) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.^(AZ) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.^(BA)”

¹⁹ Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;^(BB) he is a jealous God.^(BC) He will not forgive^(BD) your rebellion^(BE) and your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord^(BF) and serve foreign gods, he will turn^(BG) and bring disaster^(BH) on you and make an end of you,^(BI) after he has been good to you.”

²¹ But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

²² Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses^(BJ) against yourselves that you have chosen^(BK) to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,^(BL)” they replied.

²³ “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods^(BM) that are among you and yield your hearts^(BN) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

²⁴ And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”^(BO)

²⁵ On that day Joshua made a covenant^(BP) for the people, and there at Shechem^(BQ) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.^{(BR) 26} And Joshua recorded^(BS) these things in the Book of the Law of God.^(BT) Then he took a large stone^(BU) and set it up there under the oak^(BV) near the holy place of the Lord.

²⁷ “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone^(BW) will be a witness^(BX) against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue^(BY) to your God.”^(BZ)

²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.^(CA)

Buried in the Promised Land^(CB)

²⁹ After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died^(CC) at the age of a hundred and ten.^{(CD) 30} And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah^[c](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.^(CF)

³¹ Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders^(CG) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

³² And Joseph’s bones,^(CH) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,^(CI) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land^(CJ) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver^[d] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

³³ And Eleazar son of Aaron^(CK) died and was buried at Gibeah,^(CL) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas^(CM) in the hill country^(CN) of Ephraim.

Deliverance of Israel

27 In that day,^(A)

² In that day^(F)—

¹² In that day the Lord will thresh^(AI) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,^(AJ) and you, Israel, will be gathered^(AK) up one by one. ¹³ And in that day^(AL) a great trumpet^(AM) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled^(AN) in Egypt^(AO) will come and worship^(AP) the Lord on the holy mountain^(AQ) in Jerusalem.

Job

19 Then Job replied:

The Father Revealed in the Son^(A)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(B) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^{(C) 26} Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷ “All things have been committed to me^(D) by my Father.^(E) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^(F)

²⁸ “Come to me,^(G) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(H) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(I) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(J) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(K)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism^{(A) 35} but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.^{(B) 36} You know the message^(C) God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news^(D) of peace^(E) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.^{(F) 37} You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed^(G) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing^(H) all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.^(I)

³⁹ “We are witnesses^(J) of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,^{(K) 40} but God raised him from the dead^(L) on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people,^(M) but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate^(N) and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people^(O) and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.^{(P) 43} All the prophets testify about him^(Q) that everyone^(R) who believes^(S) in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”^(T)