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The Conquered Kings

12 Now these are the kings of the land whom Bnei-Yisrael defeated and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward: King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even up to the Jabbok River, the border of the children of Ammon; and the Arabah up to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and as far as the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, eastward the way to Beth-jeshimoth, and on the south, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah. Also the territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salcah and all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, as far as the border of King Sihon of Heshbon. Moses the servant of Adonai and Bnei-Yisrael defeated them, then Moses the servant of Adonai gave it as a possession to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh.

Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and Bnei-Yisrael defeated beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak that goes up to Seir (Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions: in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, on the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negev, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites): one king of Jericho, one king of Ai which was near Bethel, 10 one king of Jerusalem, one king of Hebron, 11 one king of Jarmuth, one king of Lachish, 12 one king of Eglon, one king of Gezer, 13 one king of Debir, one king of Geder, 14 one king of Hormah, one king of Arad, 15 one king of Libnah, one king of Adullam, 16 one king of Makkedah, one king of Bethel, 17 one king of Tappuah, one king of Hepher, 18 one king of Aphek, one king of Sharon, 19 one king of Madon, one king of Hazor, 20 one king of Shimron-meron, one king of Achshaph, 21 one king of Taanach, one king of Megiddo, 22 one king of Kedesh, one king of Jokneam in Carmel, 23 one king of Dor in the region of Dor, one king of Goiim in the Gilgal, 24 one king of Tirzah, for a total of 31 kings.

God’s Just Judgment

Roam the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares!
    If you can find a person,
    if there is one who does justice,
        who seeks truth,
    then I will pardon the city.
Though they say, “As Adonai lives!”
    surely they swear falsely.
Adonai, do Your eyes not look for faithfulness?
    You struck them, but they did not grieve.
    You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
    They made their faces harder than stone.
    They refused to return.
Then I said:
    These are only the poor.
    They are foolish.
    For they do not know the way of Adonai,
        the ordinance of their God.
I will go to the distinguished
        and speak to them.
    Surely they know the way of Adonai,
        the ordinance of their God.
    But they too had broken the yoke
        and torn off the bonds.

Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them.
    A desert wolf will ravage them.
    A leopard watches over their cities.
    Everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces,
    For their rebellion is great,
        their backslidings frequent.

“Why therefore should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken Me
    and sworn by those who are not gods.
    Even though I fed them well,
        they committed adultery
        and thronged to the prostitute houses.
They are well-fed, lustful stallions,
        each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
For such, should I not punish them?”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
        “On such a nation as this
        should I not avenge Myself?
10 Go up into her vines and ravage them,
    but do not completely destroy them.
    Strip away her branches
        for they are not Adonai’s.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful to Me.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

12 They have lied about Adonai saying:
        “Not He! No harm will come to us.
        Nor will we see sword or famine.
13 The prophets are but wind
        and the word is not in them.
    Let what they say be done to them!”

14 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot:
    “Because you speak this word, behold,
    I will make My words in your mouth fire
        and this people wood—
        and it will devour them.
15 See, I am bringing a nation against you
        from afar, O house of Israel.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
    “It is an enduring nation,
        an ancient nation,
    a nation whose language you neither know
        nor understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is an open grave.
    They are all mighty warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food.
    They will devour your sons and your daughters.
    They will devour your flocks and your herds.
    They will devour your vines and your fig trees.
    They will demolish your fortified cities
    —the ones in which you trust—
        with the sword.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares Adonai, “I will not completely destroy you. 19 So it will come to pass that when you ask, ‘Why has Adonai Eloheinu done all these things to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
    and proclaim it in Judah, saying:
21 ‘Hear this you foolish people
    who have no understanding,
    who have eyes but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not fear Me?’ says Adonai.
    ‘Do you not tremble in My presence?’
    For I made the sand a boundary of the sea,
            an everlasting decree that cannot be broken.
    Though the waves roll, they cannot prevail.
    Though they roar, they cannot cross it.
23 But this people have a stubborn and rebellious heart.
    They have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say in their heart,
    ‘Let us now fear Adonai Eloheinu,
        who gives rain in its season
        —fall rain and spring rain—
        who reserves for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
25 Your iniquities have turned these away,
    your sins have deprived you of bounty.
26 For among My people are wicked men,
        watching like bait-layers lying in wait.
    They set a trap—they catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds,
    so are their houses full of deceit.
    That is why they grew great and rich.
28 They grew fat and sleek.
    They also overlooked evil deeds.
    They do not uphold a cause
    —the cause of an orphan to prosper—
    nor do they defend the right of the poor.
29 Should I not punish them?” says Adonai.
    “On such a nation
        should I not avenge Myself?
30 An appalling and horrible thing
        has happened in the land.
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
    the kohanim rule by their own authority,
    and My people love it this way!
    But what will you do in the end?”

Salvation for a Jailer’s Household

25 But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a great earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were unlocked, and everyone’s chains came loose.

27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and rushed in; and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 After he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Yeshua[a] and you will be saved—you and your household!”

32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with everyone in his household. 33 He took them that very hour and washed their wounds, and at once he was immersed—he and all his household. 34 The jailer brought them to his house and set food before them, and he was overjoyed that he with his entire household had put their trust in God.

35 When day came, the chief authorities sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.”

36 But the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief authorities have sent orders to release you. So come out now, and go in shalom.”

37 But Paul said to the officers, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial—men who are Roman citizens—and have thrown us into prison. And now they are sending us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out!”

38 The police officers reported these words to the chief authorities. They became afraid when they heard they were Romans, 39 so they came and apologized to them. After they escorted them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas went out of the prison, they visited Lydia’s house. And when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 16:31 Some mss. add the Messiah.

Adonai lives! Blessed Be My Rock

Psalm 18

For the music director: a psalm of David the servant of Adonai. He chanted the words of this song to Adonai on the day Adonai delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
He said, I love You, Adonai my strength!
Adonai is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.
My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge,
    my shield, my horn of salvation, my stronghold.
I called upon Adonai, worthy of praise,
and I was rescued from my enemies.
Cords of death entangled me.
Torrents of Belial overwhelmed me.
Cords of Sheol coiled around me.
Snares of death came before me.
In my distress I called on Adonai,
    and cried to my God for help.
From His Temple He heard my voice,
    my cry before Him came into His ears.
Then the earth rocked and quaked.
The foundations of mountains trembled.
They reeled because He was angry.
Smoke rose from His nostrils
    and consuming fire from His mouth.
Coals blazed from Him.
10 He parted the heavens and came down,
    with thick darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cheruv and flew.
He soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness His cover,
His sukkah all around Him—
dark waters, thick clouds.
13 Out of the brilliance before Him
passed His thick clouds, hail and fiery coals.
14 Adonai also thundered in the heavens,
and Elyon gave forth His voice, hail and fiery coals.
15 He shot His arrows and scattered them,
hurled lightning bolts and routed them.

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A Father’s Lesson: Get Wisdom!

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction.
Pay attention, to gain understanding.
For I give you sound learning—
do not forsake my instruction.
When I was a son to my father,
tender and special to my mother,
he taught me and said to me:
    “Lay hold of my words in your heart,
    keep my commands and you will live!
Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will guard you.
    Love her, and she will watch over you.
Wisdom is supreme—acquire wisdom!
    With all your acquisitions, get understanding.
Prize her, and she will exalt you.
    She will honor you when you embrace her.
She will set a garland of grace on your head.
    She will give you a crown of glory.”

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