Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,(A) the Lord said to Joshua(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “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. I will give you every place where you set your foot,(F) as I promised Moses.(G) 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) 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. 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.

“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) 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) 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

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.

The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 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.”

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. 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) (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) 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.

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof(BI) 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.”

Crossing the Jordan

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim(CU) and went to the Jordan,(CV) where they camped before crossing over. After three days(CW) the officers(CX) went throughout the camp,(CY) giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant(CZ) of the Lord your God, and the Levitical(DA) priests(DB) carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[c](DC) between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,(DD) for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things(DE) among you.”

Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you(DF) in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.(DG) Tell the priests(DH) who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God(DI) is among you(DJ) and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites,(DK) Hivites, Perizzites,(DL) Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.(DM) 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth(DN) will go into the Jordan ahead of you.(DO) 12 Now then, choose twelve men(DP) from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth(DQ)—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream(DR) will be cut off(DS) and stand up in a heap.(DT)

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant(DU) went ahead(DV) of them. 15 Now the Jordan(DW) is at flood stage(DX) all during harvest.(DY) Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing.(DZ) It piled up in a heap(EA) a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,(EB) while the water flowing down(EC) to the Sea of the Arabah(ED) (that is, the Dead Sea(EE)) was completely cut off.(EF) So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.(EG) 17 The priests(EH) who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,(EI) while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.(EJ)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 2:10 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Joshua 2:10 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  3. Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters

Jesus Has Risen(A)

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices(B) so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”(C)

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe(D) sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,(E) who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,(F) just as he told you.’”(G)

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.[a]


[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,(H) out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.(I)

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.(J) 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.(K)

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.(L) 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.(M) 17 And these signs(N) will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;(O) they will speak in new tongues;(P) 18 they will pick up snakes(Q) with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on(R) sick people, and they will get well.”

19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven(S) and he sat at the right hand of God.(T) 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs(U) that accompanied it.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 16:8 Some manuscripts have the following ending between verses 8 and 9, and one manuscript has it after verse 8 (omitting verses 9-20): Then they quickly reported all these instructions to those around Peter. After this, Jesus himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.

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