God Commissions Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the ^(A)servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' ^(B)assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ^3 (C)Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ^4 (D)From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ^5 (E)No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just ^(F)as I was with Moses, so ^(G)I will be with you. ^(H)I will not leave you or forsake you. ^6 (I)Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and ^(J)very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law ^(K)that Moses my servant commanded you. ^(L)Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success^[a] wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but ^(M)you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? ^(N)Be strong and courageous. ^(O)Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua Assumes Command

¹⁰ And Joshua commanded the ^(P)officers of the people, ¹¹ “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for ^(Q)within three days ^(R)you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

¹² And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, ¹³ “Remember the word that ^(S)Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, ^15 (T)until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. ^(U)Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

¹⁶ And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷ Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God ^(V)be with you, as he was with Moses! ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. ^(W)Only be strong and courageous.”

Rahab Hides the Spies

2 And Joshua the son of Nun ^(X)sent^[b] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of ^(Y)a prostitute whose name was ^(Z)Rahab and lodged there. ² And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” ³ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan ^(AA)as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

⁸ Before the men^[c] lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, ^(AB)and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ^(AC)melt away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord ^(AD)dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^(AE)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to ^(AF)Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.^{[d] 11} And ^(AG)as soon as we heard it, ^(AH)our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for ^(AI)the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and ^(AJ)give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” ¹⁴ And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land ^(AK)we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

¹⁵ Then she ^(AL)let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said^[e] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ^18 (AM)Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, ^(AN)and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, ^(AO)his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you ^(AP)tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” ²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. ²³ Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and ^(AQ)passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly ^(AR)the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land ^(AS)melt away because of us.”

What Is the Measure of My Days?

To the choirmaster: to ^(A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

The Resurrection

20 ^(A)Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that ^(B)the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, ^(C)the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and ^(D)we do not know where they have laid him.” ^3 (E)So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw ^(F)the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and ^(G)the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'^[a] head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, ^(H)who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹ for as yet ^(I)they did not understand the Scripture, ^(J)that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And ^(K)she saw ^(L)two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, ^(M)“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, ^(N)“They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and ^(O)saw Jesus standing, ^(P)but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, ^(Q)“Woman, why are you weeping? ^(R)Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be ^(S)the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,^{[b] (T)}“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^(U)my brothers and say to them, ^(V)‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to ^(W)my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene ^(X)went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

^19 (Y)On the evening ^(Z)of that day, the first day of the week, ^(AA)the doors being locked where the disciples were ^(AB)for fear of the Jews,^[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ^(AC)“Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, ^(AD)he showed them his hands and his side. Then ^(AE)the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As ^(AF)the Father has sent me, ^(AG)even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he ^(AH)breathed on them and said to them, ^(AI)“Receive the Holy Spirit. ^23 (AJ)If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

²⁴ Now ^(AK)Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,^[d] was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ^(AL)“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. ^(AM)Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ^(AN)“Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, ^(AO)“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, ^(AP)“My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? ^(AQ)Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

^30 (AR)Now Jesus did many other signs ^(AS)in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ^31 (AT)but these are written so that you may ^(AU)believe that Jesus is the Christ, ^(AV)the Son of God, and that by believing ^(AW)you may have life ^(AX)in his name.

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

21 After this Jesus ^(AY)revealed himself ^(AZ)again to the disciples by ^(BA)the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, ^(BB)Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of ^(BC)Cana in Galilee, ^(BD)the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but ^(BE)that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples ^(BF)did not know that it was Jesus. ^5 (BG)Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ^6 (BH)He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷ That disciple ^(BI)whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, ^(BJ)he put on his outer garment, for he was ^(BK)stripped for work, and ^(BL)threw himself into the sea. ⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards^[e] off.

⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, ^(BM)“Come and ^(BN)have breakfast.” Now ^(BO)none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came and ^(BP)took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ^14 (BQ)This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

¹⁵ When they had ^(BR)finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ^(BS)“Simon, ^(BT)son of John, ^(BU)do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed ^(BV)my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, ^(BW)“Tend ^(BX)my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him ^(BY)the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, ^(BZ)you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed ^(CA)my sheep. ^18 (CB)Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, ^(CC)you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show ^(CD)by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ^(CE)“Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

²⁰ Peter turned and saw ^(CF)the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, ^(CG)the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain ^(CH)until ^(CI)I come, what is that to you? ^(CJ)You follow me!” ²³ So the saying spread abroad among ^(CK)the brothers^[f] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple ^(CL)who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and ^(CM)we know ^(CN)that his testimony is true.

²⁵ Now ^(CO)there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that ^(CP)the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.