The Daily Audio Bible
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Land Yet to Be Conquered
13 Joshua was old, near the end of his life. So the Lord said to him, “You are old, near the end of your life, and there is a lot of land left to be conquered. 2 The land that is left includes all the districts that belong to the Philistines and Geshur. 3 It extends from the Shihor River, east of Egypt, northward as far as the border of Ekron. This is considered to be Canaanite territory, even though there are five Philistine rulers over Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvim people 4 in the south. This territory includes all the land of the Canaanites as well as Mearah which belongs to Sidon as far as Aphek, the Amorite border. 5 It also includes the land of the people of Gebal, all Lebanon eastward from Baal Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to the border of Hamath. 6 I will force out of the way of the people of Israel everyone who lives in the mountains from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim and all the people of Sidon. However, you must distribute the land as an inheritance to Israel by drawing lots, as I commanded you. 7 So divide this land. It will be an inheritance for the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.”
Tribes That Received Land East of the Jordan River
8 The tribes of Reuben and Gad with half of the tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance east of the Jordan River, since the Lord’s servant Moses had already given it to them. 9 The border extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley, and the whole plateau from Medeba to Dibon. 10 It included all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites up to the border of Ammon. Sihon’s capital was Heshbon. 11 It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacath, all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah 12 (the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan). Og ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was the last of the Rephaim. Moses had defeated them and forced them out. 13 But the Israelites did not force out the people of Geshur and Maacath. So they still live in Israel today.
14 Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices offered to the Lord God of Israel are what the Levites inherited, as the Lord had promised them.
15 Moses gave some land as an inheritance to the tribe of Reuben for their families. 16 Their territory extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley and the whole plateau near Medeba. 17 It included Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain in the valley, 20 Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21 It also included all the cities of the plateau, the whole kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and Midian’s leaders—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They were princes of Sihon, who lived in that country. 22 Along with these leaders, the people of Israel also killed Balaam, son of Beor, who used black magic. 23 The border of Reuben’s territory was the Jordan River. This was Reuben’s inheritance for its families. It included cities with their villages.
24 Moses gave some land as an inheritance to the tribe of Gad for its families. 25 Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of Ammon as far as Aroer, which is by Rabbah. 26 It extended from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the border of Lidbir. 27 In the Jordan Valley it included Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The Jordan River served as its western border, extending to the end of the Sea of Galilee. 28 This was Gad’s inheritance for its families. It included cities with their villages.
29 Moses gave some land as an inheritance to half of the tribe of Manasseh. It was only for the families of that half of the tribe. 30 Their territory extended from Mahanaim and included all of Bashan (the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan) and all 60 settlements of Jair that were in Bashan. 31 It also included half of Gilead with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. They were given to half the families of Machir, son of Manasseh, ⌞for their inheritance⌟.
32 This is the land that Moses distributed on Moab’s plains, east of the Jordan River near Jericho. 33 Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The Lord God of Israel is what they inherited, as he had promised them.
The First Stage in Dividing the Land
14 This is the land that the people of Israel inherited in Canaan. The priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the heads of Israel’s tribes distributed it to the people. 2 The land inherited by the nine-and-a-half tribes was determined by drawing lots as the Lord had commanded through Moses. 3 Moses had given the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan River. He did not give any land as an inheritance to Levi’s tribe, 4 because Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, formed two tribes. The Levites were not given a share of the land. Joseph’s descendants gave the Levites cities to live in with pasturelands for their cattle and everything they had. 5 So the people of Israel divided the land as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Special Land for Caleb
6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was 40 years old when the Lord’s servant Moses sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. I reported to him exactly what I thought. 8 But my companions discouraged the people. However, I was completely loyal to the Lord my God. 9 On that day Moses swore this oath: ‘The land your feet walked on will be a permanent inheritance for you and your descendants because you were completely loyal to the Lord my God.’
10 “So look at me. The Lord has kept me alive as he promised. It’s been 45 years since Israel wandered in the desert when the Lord made this promise to Moses. So now look at me today. I’m 85 years old. 11 I’m still as fit to go to war now as I was when Moses sent me out. 12 Now give me this mountain region which the Lord spoke of that day. You heard that the people of Anak are still there and that they have large, fortified cities. If the Lord is with me, I can force them out, as he promised.”
13 So Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 15 In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the people of Anak. So the land had peace.
God Will Help His People
18 Jesus used this illustration with his disciples to show them that they need to pray all the time and never give up. 2 He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice.’
4 “For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, ‘This widow really annoys me. Although I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 I’ll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she’ll keep coming to me until she wears me out.’ ”
6 The Lord added, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge thought. 7 Won’t God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them? 8 I can guarantee that he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector
9 Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. 10 He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’
13 “But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
Jesus Blesses Children(A)
15 Some people brought infants to Jesus to have him hold them. When the disciples saw this, they told the people not to do that.
16 But Jesus called the infants to him and said, “Don’t stop the children from coming to me! Children like these are part of God’s kingdom. 17 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever doesn’t receive God’s kingdom as a little child receives it will never enter it.”
For the choir director; a psalm by Korah’s descendants.
85 You favored your land, O Lord.
You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You removed your people’s guilt.
You pardoned all their sins. Selah
3 You laid aside all your fury.
You turned away from your burning anger.
4 Restore us, O God, our savior.
Put an end to your anger against us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you ever let go of your anger in the generations to come?
6 Won’t you restore our lives again
so that your people may find joy in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord,
by giving us your salvation.
8 I want to hear what God the Lord says,
because he promises peace to his people, to his godly ones.
But they must not go back to their stupidity.
9 Indeed, his salvation is near those who fear him,
and ⌞his⌟ glory will remain in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met.
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
11 Truth sprouts from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will certainly give us what is good,
and our land will produce crops.
13 Righteousness will go ahead of him
and make a path for his steps.
7 One person pretends to be rich but has nothing.
Another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.
8 A person’s riches are the ransom for his life,
but the poor person does not pay attention to threats.
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