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Joshua 1-4
Contemporary English Version
Joshua 1-4
Contemporary English Version
Joshua Becomes the Leader of Israel
1 Moses, the Lord's servant, was dead. So the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had been the assistant of Moses. The Lord said:
2 My servant Moses is dead. Now you must lead Israel across the Jordan River into the land I'm giving to all of you. 3 (A) Wherever you go, I'll give you that land, as I promised Moses. 4 It will reach from the Southern Desert to the Lebanon Mountains in the north, and to the northeast as far as the great Euphrates River. It will include the land of the Hittites,[a] and the land from here at the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea on the west. 5 (B) Joshua, I will always be with you and help you as I helped Moses, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.
6-8 (C) Long ago I promised the ancestors of Israel that I would give this land to their descendants. So be strong and brave! Be careful to do everything my servant Moses taught you. Never stop reading The Book of the Law[b] he gave you. Day and night you must think about what it says. If you obey it completely, you and Israel will be able to take this land.
9 I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.
The Eastern Tribes Promise To Help
10 Joshua ordered the tribal leaders 11 to go through the camp and tell everyone:
In a few days we will cross the Jordan River to take the land that the Lord our God is giving us. So prepare as much food as you'll need for the march into the land.
12 (D) Joshua told the men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh:[c]
13-14 The Lord's servant Moses said that the Lord our God has given you land here on the east side of the Jordan River, where you could live in peace. Your wives and children and your animals can stay here in the land Moses gave you. But all of you that can serve in our army must pick up your weapons and lead the men of the other tribes across the Jordan River. They are your relatives, so you must help them 15 conquer the land that the Lord is giving them. The Lord will give peace to them as he has given peace to you, and then you can come back and settle here in the land that Moses promised you.
16 The men answered:
We'll cross the Jordan River and help our relatives. We'll fight anywhere you send us. 17-18 If the Lord our God will help you as he helped Moses, and if you are strong and brave, we will obey you as we obeyed Moses. We'll even put to death anyone who rebels against you or refuses to obey you.
Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies
2 (E) Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute[d] named Rahab.
2 But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7 So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants[e] that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate.[f] I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 (F) We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea[g] so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12 Please promise me in the Lord's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14 “Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”[h]
15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall,[i] and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20 The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21 “I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22 The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23 the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24 “We're sure the Lord has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
Israel Crosses the Jordan River
3 Early the next morning, Joshua and the Israelites packed up and left Acacia. They went to the Jordan River and camped there that night. 2 Two days later[j] their leaders went through the camp, 3-4 shouting, “When you see some of the priests[k] carrying the sacred chest, you'll know it is time to cross to the other side. You've never been there before, and you won't know the way, unless you follow the chest. But don't get too close! Stay about a kilometer back.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Make yourselves acceptable[l] to worship the Lord, because he is going to do some amazing things for us.”
6 Then Joshua turned to the priests and said, “Take the chest and cross the Jordan River ahead of us.” So the priests picked up the chest by its carrying poles and went on ahead.
7 The Lord told Joshua, “Beginning today I will show the people that you are their leader, and they will know that I am helping you as I helped Moses. 8 Now, tell the priests who are carrying the chest to go a little way into the river and stand there.”
9 Joshua spoke to the people:
Come here and listen to what the Lord our God said he will do! 10 The Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites control the land on the other side of the river. But the living God will be with you and will force them out of the land when you attack. And now, God is going to prove that he's powerful enough to force them out. 11-13 Just watch the sacred chest that belongs to the Lord, the ruler of the whole earth. As soon as the priests carrying the chest step into the Jordan, the water will stop flowing and pile up as if someone had built a dam across the river.
The Lord has also said that each of the twelve tribes should choose one man to represent it.
14 The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front, 15 until they came to the Jordan River. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime.[m] But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water, 16-17 the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.
The People Set Up a Monument
4 After Israel had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua:
2-3 Tell[n] one man from each of the twelve tribes to pick up a large rock from where the priests are standing. Then tell the men to set up those rocks as a monument at the place where you camp tonight.
4 Joshua chose twelve men; then he called them together 5 and said:
Go to the middle of the riverbed where the sacred chest is, and pick up a large rock. Carry it on your shoulder to our camp. There are twelve of you, so there will be one rock for each tribe. 6-7 Someday your children will ask, “Why are these rocks here?” Then you can tell them how the water stopped flowing when the chest was being carried across the river. These rocks will always remind our people of what happened here today.
8 The men followed the instructions that the Lord had given Joshua. They picked up twelve rocks, one for each tribe, and carried them to the camp, where they put them down.
9 Joshua set up a monument next to the place where the priests were standing. This monument was also made of twelve large rocks, and it is still there in the middle of the river.
The People of Israel Set Up Camp at Gilgal
10-13 The army got ready for battle and crossed the Jordan with everyone else. They marched quickly past the sacred chest[o] and into the desert near Jericho. Forty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh[p] led the way, as Moses had ordered.[q]
The priests stayed right where they were until the people had followed the orders that the Lord had given Moses and Joshua. Then they watched as the priests carried the chest the rest of the way across.
14-18 “Joshua,” the Lord said, “tell the priests to come up from the Jordan and bring the chest with them.” So Joshua went over to the priests and told them what the Lord had said. And as soon as the priests carried the chest past the highest place that the floodwaters of the Jordan had reached, the river flooded its banks again.
That's how the Lord showed the Israelites that Joshua was their leader.[r] For the rest of Joshua's life, they respected him as they had respected Moses.
19 It was the tenth day of the first month[s] of the year when Israel crossed the Jordan River. They set up camp at Gilgal, which was east of the land controlled by Jericho. 20 The men who had carried the twelve rocks from the Jordan brought them to Joshua, and they made them into a monument. 21 Then Joshua told the people:
Years from now your children will ask you why these rocks are here. 22-23 Tell them, “The Lord our God dried up the Jordan River so we could walk across. He did the same thing here for us that he did for our people at the Red Sea,[t] 24 because he wants everyone on earth to know how powerful he is. And he wants us to worship only him.”
Footnotes
- 1.4 the land … Hittites: This refers to the northern part of Syria, which had been the southernmost part of the Hittite Empire.
- 1.6-8 the Law: Or “Teachings.”
- 1.12 East Manasseh: The half of Manasseh that settled east of the Jordan River.
- 2.1 prostitute: Rahab was possibly an innkeeper.
- 2.3-7 flax plants: The stalks of flax plants were harvested, soaked in water, and dried, then their fibers were separated and spun into thread, which was woven into linen cloth.
- 2.3-7 gate: Many towns and cities had walls with heavy gates that were closed at night for protection.
- 2.10 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, “Sea of Reeds,” one of the marshes or fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta. This identification is based on Exodus 13.17—14.9, which lists the towns on the route of the Israelites before crossing the sea. In the Greek translation of the Scriptures made about 200 b.c., the “Sea of Reeds” was named “Red Sea.”
- 2.14 We pray … promise: Or “If you save our lives, we will save yours!”
- 2.15 wall: In ancient times, cities and larger towns had high walls around them to protect them against attack. Sometimes houses were built against the wall so that the city wall formed one wall of the house. This added strength to the city wall.
- 3.2 Two days later: The Hebrew text has “At the end of three days,” two days after they had set up camp.
- 3.3,4 the priests: The Hebrew text has “the priests, the Levites”; priests belonged to the tribe of Levi.
- 3.5 Make yourselves acceptable: People had to do certain things to make themselves acceptable to worship the Lord (see Leviticus 7.20,21; 15.2,33; 22.4-8; Deuteronomy 23.10,11).
- 3.15 springtime: Or “harvest time”; the grain harvest was in late spring.
- 4.1-3 Joshua … Tell: Or “Joshua, you and the other leaders must tell.”
- 4.10-13 the sacred chest: The Hebrew text has “the Lord.” The army was marching past the sacred chest, which was a symbol of God's throne on earth (see 1 Samuel 4.4 and Exodus 25.10-22; 37.1-9).
- 4.10-13 Forty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh: Or “There were forty thousand soldiers altogether, and those from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.”
- 4.10-13 Moses … ordered: See Numbers 32.16-32; Joshua 1.12-16.
- 4.14-18 leader: See 3.7.
- 4.19 first month: Abib (also called Nisan), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April.
- 4.22,23 Red Sea: See the note at 2.10.
Joshua 1-4
New International Version
Joshua 1-4
New International Version
Joshua Installed as Leader
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,(A) the Lord said to Joshua(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “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. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot,(F) as I promised Moses.(G) 4 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) 5 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. 6 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.
7 “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) 8 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) 9 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
2 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.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 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.”
4 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. 5 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) 6 (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) 7 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.
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof(BI) 9 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
3 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. 2 After three days(CW) the officers(CX) went throughout the camp,(CY) 3 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. 4 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.”
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,(DD) for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things(DE) among you.”
6 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.
7 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) 8 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.’”
9 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)
4 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,(EK) the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men(EL) from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones(EM) from the middle of the Jordan,(EN) from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.(EO)”
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men(EP) he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.(EQ) Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign(ER) among you. In the future, when your children(ES) ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’(ET) 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off(EU) before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial(EV) to the people of Israel forever.”
8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones(EW) from the middle of the Jordan,(EX) according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua;(EY) and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones(EZ) that had been[d] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.(FA)
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben,(FB) Gad(FC) and the half-tribe of Manasseh(FD) crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites,(FE) as Moses had directed them.(FF) 13 About forty thousand armed for battle(FG) crossed over(FH) before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14 That day the Lord exalted(FI) Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law(FJ) to come up out of the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place(FK) and ran at flood stage(FL) as before.
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal(FM) on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones(FN) they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’(FO) 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’(FP) 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[e] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.(FQ) 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know(FR) that the hand of the Lord is powerful(FS) and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.(FT)”
Footnotes
- Joshua 2:10 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Joshua 2:10 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Joshua 3:4 That is, about 3,000 feet or about 900 meters
- Joshua 4:9 Or Joshua also set up twelve stones
- Joshua 4:23 Or the Sea of Reeds
Psalm 143
Contemporary English Version
Psalm 143
Contemporary English Version
(A psalm by David.)
A Prayer in Time of Danger
1 Listen, Lord, as I pray!
You are faithful and honest
and will answer my prayer.
2 (A) I am your servant.
Don't try me in your court,
because no one is innocent
by your standards.
3 My enemies are chasing me,
crushing me in the ground.
I am in total darkness,
like someone long dead.
4 I have given up hope,
and I feel numb all over.
5 I remember to think about
the many things you did
in years gone by.
6 Then I lift my hands in prayer,
because my soul is a desert,
thirsty for water from you.
7 Please hurry, Lord,
and answer my prayer.
I feel hopeless.
Don't turn away
and leave me here to die.
8 Each morning let me learn
more about your love
because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
asking for your guidance.
9 Please rescue me
from my enemies, Lord!
I come to you for safety.[a]
10 You are my God. Show me
what you want me to do,
and let your gentle Spirit
lead me in the right path.
11 Be true to your name, Lord,
and keep my life safe.
Use your saving power
to protect me from trouble.
12 I am your servant.
Show how much you love me
by destroying my enemies.
Footnotes
- 143.9 I … safety: Or “You are my hiding place.”
Psalm 143
New International Version
Psalm 143
New International Version
Psalm 143
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer,(A)
listen to my cry for mercy;(B)
in your faithfulness(C) and righteousness(D)
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous(E) before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness(F)
like those long dead.(G)
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.(H)
5 I remember(I) the days of long ago;
I meditate(J) on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands(K) to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.[a]
7 Answer me quickly,(L) Lord;
my spirit fails.(M)
Do not hide your face(N) from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,(O)
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way(P) I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.(Q)
9 Rescue me(R) from my enemies,(S) Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me(T) to do your will,
for you are my God;(U)
may your good Spirit
lead(V) me on level ground.(W)
Footnotes
- Psalm 143:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Luke 14
Contemporary English Version
Luke 14
Contemporary English Version
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
14 One Sabbath, Jesus was having dinner in the home of an important Pharisee, and everyone was carefully watching Jesus. 2 All of a sudden a man with swollen legs stood up in front of him. 3 Jesus turned and asked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they did not say a word.
Jesus took hold of the man. Then he healed him and sent him away. 5 (A) Afterwards, Jesus asked the people, “If your son or ox falls into a well, wouldn't you pull him out at once, even on the Sabbath?” 6 There was nothing they could say.
How To Be a Guest
7 Jesus saw how the guests had tried to take the best seats. So he told them:
8 (B) When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the best place. Someone more important may have been invited. 9 Then the one who invited you will come and say, “Give your place to this other guest!” You will be embarrassed and will have to sit in the worst place.
10 When you are invited to be a guest, go and sit in the worst place. Then the one who invited you may come and say, “My friend, take a better seat!” You will then be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 (C) If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
12 Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him:
When you give a dinner or a banquet, don't invite your friends and family and relatives and rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return, and you will be paid back. 13 When you give a feast, invite the poor, the paralyzed, the lame, and the blind. 14 They cannot pay you back. But God will bless you and reward you when his people rise from death.
The Great Banquet
(Matthew 22.1-10)
15 After Jesus had finished speaking, one of the guests said, “The greatest blessing of all is to be at the banquet in God's kingdom!”
16 Jesus told him:
A man once gave a great banquet and invited a lot of guests. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent a servant to tell the guests, “Everything is ready! Please come.”
18 One guest after another started making excuses. The first one said, “I bought some land, and I've got to look it over. Please excuse me.”
19 Another guest said, “I bought five teams of oxen, and I need to try them out. Please excuse me.”
20 Still another guest said, “I've just now married, and I can't be there.”
21 The servant told his master what happened, and the master became so angry he said, “Go as fast as you can to every street and alley in town! Bring in everyone who is poor or paralyzed or blind or lame.”
22 When the servant returned, he said, “Master, I've done what you told me, and there is still plenty of room for more people.”
23 His master then told him, “Go out along the back roads and make people come in, so my house will be full. 24 Not one of the guests I first invited will get even a bite of my food!”
Being a Disciple
(Matthew 10.37,38)
25 Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said:
26 (D) You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot follow me unless you love me more than you love your own life.
27 (E) You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and follow me.
28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won't you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? 29 Otherwise, you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you. 30 They will say, “You started building, but could not finish the job.”
31 What will a king do if he has only 10,000 soldiers to defend himself against a king who is about to attack him with 20,000 soldiers? Before he goes out to battle, won't he first sit down and decide if he can win? 32 If he thinks he won't be able to defend himself, he will send messengers and ask for peace while the other king is still a long way off. 33 So then, you cannot be my disciple unless you give away everything you own.
Salt and Light
(Matthew 5.13; Mark 9.50)
34 Salt is good, but if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made to taste salty again? 35 It is no longer good for the soil or even for the manure pile. People simply throw it out. If you have ears, pay attention!
Luke 14
New International Version
Luke 14
New International Version
Jesus at a Pharisee’s House(A)
14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,(B) he was being carefully watched.(C) 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,(D) “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”(E) 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”(F) 6 And they had nothing to say.
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,(G) he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(H)
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,(I) 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”(J)
The Parable of the Great Banquet(K)
15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast(L) in the kingdom of God.”(M)
16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’(N)
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”(O)
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.(P) 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.(Q)
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.(R)
34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?(S) 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.(T)
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(U)
Footnotes
- Luke 14:5 Some manuscripts donkey
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.