The Inheritance for Dan

⁴⁰ The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans. ⁴¹ And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, ^42 (A)Shaalabbin, ^(B)Aijalon, Ithlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, ⁴⁶ and Me-jarkon and Rakkon with the territory over against ^(C)Joppa. ⁴⁷ When ^(D)the territory of the people of Dan was lost to them, the people of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and striking it with the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor. ⁴⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Dan, according to their clans—these cities with their villages.

The Inheritance for Joshua

⁴⁹ When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. ⁵⁰ By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, ^(E)Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.

^51 (F)These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot ^(G)at Shiloh before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.

The Cities of Refuge

20 Then the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ^(H)‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴ He shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand ^(I)at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain his case to the elders of that city. Then they shall take him into the city and give him a place, and he shall remain with them. ⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not give up the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unknowingly, and did not hate him in the past. ⁶ And he shall remain in that city ^(J)until he has stood before the congregation for judgment, until the death of him who is high priest at the time. Then the manslayer may return to his own town and his own home, to the town from which he fled.’”

⁷ So they set apart ^(K)Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and ^(L)Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and ^(M)Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) ^(N)in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed ^(O)Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and ^(P)Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and ^(Q)Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and ^(R)for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation.

10 Brothers,^[a] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that ^(A)they have a zeal for God, ^(B)but not according to knowledge. ³ For, being ignorant of ^(C)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ For ^(D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[b]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵ For ^(E)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(F)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶ But ^(G)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(H)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the ^(I)abyss?’” (that is, ^(J)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(K)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if ^(L)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(M)believe in your heart ^(N)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(O)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ^12 (P)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(Q)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(R)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³ For ^(S)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(T)of whom they have never heard?^[c] And how are they to hear ^(U)without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(V)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But ^(W)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(X)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So ^(Y)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

²¹ But of Israel he says, ^(AF)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(AG)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(AH)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[d] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2 (AI)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(AJ)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ^3 (AK)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God's reply to him? ^(AL)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is ^(AM)a remnant, chosen by grace. ^6 (AN)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? ^(AO)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(AP)were hardened, ⁸ as it is written,

⁹ And David says,

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹ So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(AT)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹² Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[e] mean!

¹³ Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(AU)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴ in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(AV)thus save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection means ^(AW)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ^16 (AX)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ But if ^(AY)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(AZ)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[f] of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(BA)stand fast through faith. So ^(BB)do not become proud, but ^(BC)fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²² Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(BD)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(BE)you too will be cut off. ²³ And ^(BF)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

^25 (BG)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^{[g] (BH)}a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(BI)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

²⁸ As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(BN)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and ^(BO)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰ For just as ^(BP)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[h] receive mercy. ³² For God ^(BQ)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(BR)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(BS)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁶ For ^(BW)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(BX)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(BY)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[i] by the mercies of God, ^(BZ)to present your bodies ^(CA)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^{[j] 2 (CB)}Do not be conformed to this world,^[k] but be transformed by ^(CC)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ^(CD)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[l]

Gifts of Grace

³ For ^(CE)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^(CF)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, ^(CG)each according to ^(CH)the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For ^(CI)as in one body we have many members,^[m] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, ^(CJ)though many, ^(CK)are one body in Christ, and individually ^(CL)members one of another. ^6 (CM)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if ^(CN)prophecy, ^(CO)in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if ^(CP)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; ^(CQ)the one who leads,^[n] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with ^(CR)cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

^9 (CS)Let love be genuine. ^(CT)Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ^10 (CU)Love one another with brotherly affection. ^(CV)Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(CW)be fervent in spirit,^{[o] (CX)}serve the Lord. ^12 (CY)Rejoice in hope, ^(CZ)be patient in tribulation, ^(DA)be constant in prayer. ^13 (DB)Contribute to the needs of the saints and ^(DC)seek to show hospitality.

^14 (DD)Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ^15 (DE)Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ^16 (DF)Live in harmony with one another. ^(DG)Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.^{[p] (DH)}Never be wise in your own sight. ^17 (DI)Repay no one evil for evil, but ^(DJ)give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, ^(DK)live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, ^(DL)never avenge yourselves, but leave it^[q] to the wrath of God, for it is written, ^(DM)“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, ^(DN)“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.