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Joshua 23-24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 23

Joshua’s Final Plea. 1 Many years later, after the Lord had given the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about them, and when Joshua was old and advanced in years,(A) 2 he summoned all Israel, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them: “I am old and advanced in years.(B) 3 You have seen all that the Lord, your God, has done for you against all these nations; for it has been the Lord, your God, who fought for you. 4 (C)See, I have apportioned among your tribes as their heritage the nations that survive, as well as those I destroyed, between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord, your God, will drive them out and dispossess them at your approach, so that you will take possession of their land as the Lord, your God, promised you. 6 Therefore be strong and be careful to observe all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, never turning from it right or left,(D) 7 or mingling with these nations that survive among you. You must not invoke their gods by name, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them,(E) 8 but you must hold fast to the Lord, your God, as you have done up to this day. 9 At your approach the Lord has dispossessed great and strong nations; not one has withstood you up to this day. 10 One of you puts to flight a thousand, because it is the Lord, your God, himself who fights for you,(F) as he promised you. 11 As for you, take great care to love the Lord, your God. 12 For if you ever turn away from him and join with the remnant of these nations that survive among you, by intermarrying and intermingling with them,(G) 13 know for certain that the Lord, your God, will no longer dispossess these nations at your approach. Instead they will be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns for your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you.(H)

14 “Today, as you see, I am going the way of all the earth.[a] So now acknowledge with your whole heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord, your God, made concerning you has failed. Every one has come true for you; not one has failed. 15 (I)But just as every promise the Lord, your God, made to you has come true for you, so will he bring upon you every threat,[b] even so far as to exterminate you from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the Lord, your God, which he enjoined on you, to go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the anger of the Lord will flare up against you and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

Chapter 24

Covenant Ceremony. 1 (J)Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. When they stood in ranks before God, 2 Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In times past your ancestors, down to Terah,(K) father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River[c] and served other gods. 3 But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan.(L) I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(M) To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir to possess, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

5 “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and struck Egypt with the plagues and wonders that I wrought in her midst.(N) Afterward I led you out. 6 And when I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors to the Red Sea with chariots and charioteers.(O) 7 When they cried out to the Lord,(P) he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it covered them. Your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After you dwelt a long time in the wilderness, 8 (Q)I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them at your approach. 9 (R)Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you, 10 (S)but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his power. 11 Once you crossed the Jordan(T) and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. 12 And I sent the hornets[d] ahead of you which drove them—the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.(U) 13 I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.(V)

14 (W)“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 (X)If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

16 But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. 17 For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our ancestors up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed those great signs before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. 18 At our approach the Lord drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

19 Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God(Y) who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”

21 But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” 22 Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”

25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.(Z) 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,(AA) for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.(AB)

Death of Joshua. 29 (AC)After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten, 30 and they buried him within the borders of his heritage at Timnath-serah(AD) in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.[e] 31 Israel served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work the Lord had done for Israel. 32 (AE)The bones of Joseph,[f] which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph. 33 When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas(AF) in the mountain region of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. 23:14 Going the way of all the earth: drawing near to death, the inevitable end of all; cf. 1 Kgs 2:1–2.
  2. 23:15 Every threat: mentioned especially in the list of curses in Dt 28:15–68.
  3. 24:2 Beyond the River: east of the Euphrates; cf. Gn 11:28–31.
  4. 24:12 The hornets: see note on Ex 23:28.
  5. 24:30 Following this verse the Greek translation of the Bible (the Septuagint) adds: “They laid with him there, in the tomb where they buried him, the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites at Gilgal, when he brought them out of Egypt, as Yhwh commanded them. There they are to this very day.”
  6. 24:32 Joseph’s bones (Gn 50:24–26) and Jacob’s purchase of the burial ground (Gn 33:18–20) relate Joshua with Genesis. A hundred pieces of money: see note on Gn 33:19.
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Joshua 22
Judges 1
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Psalm 114
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 114[a]

The Lord’s Wonders at the Exodus

1 When Israel came forth from Egypt,
    the house of Jacob from an alien people,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,
    Israel, God’s domain.(A)
3 [b]The sea saw and fled;
    the Jordan turned back.(B)
4 The mountains skipped like rams;
    the hills, like lambs.(C)
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
    Jordan, that you turned back?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
    You hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, before the Lord,(D)
    before the God of Jacob,
8 [c]Who turned the rock into pools of water,
    flint into a flowing spring.(E)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 114 A hymn celebrating Israel’s escape from Egypt, journey through the wilderness, and entry into the promised land, and the miracles of nature that bore witness to God’s presence in their midst. In the perspective of the Psalm, the people proceed directly from Egypt into the promised land (Ps 114:1–2). Sea and Jordan, which stood like soldiers barring the people from their land, flee before the mighty God as the earth recoils from the battle (Ps 114:3–4). The poet taunts the natural elements as one taunts defeated enemies (Ps 114:5–6).
  2. 114:3–4 Pairs of cosmic elements such as sea and rivers, mountains and hills, are sometimes mentioned in creation accounts. Personified here as warriors, the pairs tremble in fear before the Divine Warrior. The quaking also recalls the divine appearance in the storm at Sinai (Ex 19:16–19) and elsewhere (Jgs 5:4–5; Ps 18:7–15).
  3. 114:8 The miracles of giving drink to the people in the arid desert, cf. Ex 17:1–7; Is 41:17–18.
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Psalm 113
Psalm 115
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Galatians 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

V. Exhortation to Christian Living

Chapter 5

The Importance of Faith.[a] 1 For freedom[b] Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.(A)

2 It is I, Paul, who am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.(B) 3 Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised(C) that he is bound to observe the entire law.[c] 4 You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 (D)For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. 6 (E)For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.[d]

Be Not Misled.[e] 7 You were running well;[f] who hindered you from following [the] truth? 8 (F)That enticement does not come from the one who called you.[g] 9 A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.(G) 10 I am confident of you in the Lord that you will not take a different view, and that the one who is troubling you will bear the condemnation, whoever he may be.(H) 11 As for me, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision,[h] why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.(I) 12 Would that those who are upsetting you might also castrate themselves![i]

Freedom for Service.[j] 13 For you were called for freedom, brothers.(J) But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve[k] one another through love. 14 For the whole law(K) is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”[l] 15 But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.

16 (L)I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.[m] 17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.(M) 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.(N) 19 [n]Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,(O) 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,(P) 21 occasions of envy,[o] drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,(Q) 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.(R) 24 Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.(S) 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.(T) 26 Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.(U)

Footnotes

  1. 5:1–6 Paul begins the exhortations, continuing through Gal 6:10, with an appeal to the Galatians to side with freedom instead of slavery (Gal 5:1). He reiterates his message of justification or righteousness by faith instead of law and circumcision (Gal 5:2–5); cf. Gal 2:16; 3:3. Faith, not circumcision, is what counts (Gal 5:6).
  2. 5:1 Freedom: Paul stresses as the conclusion from the allegory in Gal 4:21–31 this result of Christ’s work for us. It is a principle previously mentioned (Gal 2:4), the responsible use of which Gal 5:13 will emphasize.
  3. 5:3 Cf. Gal 3:10–12. Just as those who seek to live by the law must carry out all its contents, so those who have faith and live by promise must stand firm in their freedom (Gal 5:1, 13).
  4. 5:6 Cf. Rom 2:25–26; 1 Cor 7:19; Gal 6:15. The Greek for faith working through love or “faith expressing itself through love” can also be rendered as “faith energized by (God’s) love.”
  5. 5:7–12 Paul addresses the Galatians directly: with questions (Gal 5:7, 11), a proverb (Gal 5:9), a statement (Gal 5:8), and biting sarcasm (Gal 5:12), seeking to persuade the Galatians to break with those trying to add law and circumcision to Christ as a basis for salvation.
  6. 5:7 Running well: as in an athletic contest; cf. Gal 2:2; 1 Cor 9:24–26; Phil 2:16; 3:14.
  7. 5:8 The one who called you: see note on Gal 1:6.
  8. 5:11 Preaching circumcision: this could refer to Paul’s pre-Christian period (possibly as a missionary for Judaism); more probably it arose as a charge from opponents, based perhaps on the story in Acts 16:1–3 that Paul had circumcised Timothy “on account of the Jews.” Unlike the Gentile Titus in Gal 2:3, Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother. The stumbling block of the cross: cf. 1 Cor 1:23.
  9. 5:12 A sarcastic half-wish that their knife would go beyond mere circumcision; cf. Phil 3:2 and the note there.
  10. 5:13–26 In light of another reminder of the freedom of the gospel (Gal 5:13; cf. Gal 5:1), Paul elaborates on what believers are called to do and be: they fulfill the law by love of neighbor (Gal 5:14–15), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16–26), as is illustrated by concrete fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
  11. 5:13 Serve…through love: cf. Gal 5:6.
  12. 5:14 Lv 19:18, emphasized by Jesus (Mt 22:39; Lk 10:27); cf. Rom 13:8–10.
  13. 5:16–25 Spirit…flesh: cf. Gal 3:3 and the note on Rom 8:1–13.
  14. 5:19–23 Such lists of vices and virtues (cf. Rom 1:29–31; 1 Cor 6:9–10) were common in the ancient world. Paul contrasts works of the flesh (Gal 5:19) with fruit (not “works”) of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Not law, but the Spirit, leads to such traits.
  15. 5:21 Occasions of envy: after the Greek word phthonoi, “envies,” some manuscripts add a similar sounding one, phonoi, “murders.”
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Galatians 4
Galatians 6
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.