⁶ Joshua called the priests and told them, “Take the Covenant Box, and seven of you go in front of it, carrying trumpets.” ⁷ Then he ordered the people to start marching around the city, with an advance guard going on ahead of the Lord's Covenant Box.

^8-9 So, just as Joshua had ordered, an advance guard started out ahead of the priests who were blowing trumpets; behind these came the priests who were carrying the Covenant Box, followed by a rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had ordered the people not to shout, not to say a word until he gave the order. ¹¹ So he had this group of men take the Lord's Covenant Box around the city one time. Then they came back to camp and spent the night there.

^12-13 Joshua got up early the next morning, and for the second time the priests and soldiers marched around the city in the same order as the day before: first, the advance guard; next, the seven priests blowing the seven trumpets; then, the priests carrying the Lord's Covenant Box; and finally, the rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁴ On this second day they again marched around the city one time and then returned to camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day they got up at daybreak and marched seven times around the city in the same way—this was the only day that they marched around it seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests were about to sound the trumpets, Joshua ordered the people to shout, and he said, “The Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city and everything in it must be totally destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only the prostitute Rahab and her household will be spared, because she hid our spies. ¹⁸ But you are not to take anything that is to be destroyed; if you do, you will bring trouble and destruction on the Israelite camp. ¹⁹ Everything made of silver, gold, bronze, or iron is set apart for the Lord. It is to be put in the Lord's treasury.”

^20 (A)So the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it. ²¹ With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

²² Joshua then told the two men who had served as spies, “Go into the prostitute's house, and bring her and her family out, as you promised her.” ²³ So they went and brought Rahab out, along with her father and mother, her brothers, and the rest of her family. They took them all, family and slaves, to safety near the Israelite camp. ²⁴ Then they set fire to the city and burned it to the ground, along with everything in it, except the things made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, which they took and put in the Lord's treasury. ^25 (B)But Joshua spared the lives of the prostitute Rahab and all her relatives, because she had hidden the two spies that he had sent to Jericho. (Her descendants have lived in Israel to this day.)

^26 (C)At this time Joshua issued a solemn warning: “Anyone who tries to rebuild the city of Jericho will be under the Lord's curse.

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread through the whole country.

A Hymn of Praise

A Hymn of Thanksgiving

The Lord Judges the Nations

66 ^(A)The Lord says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house, then, could you build for me, what kind of place for me to live in? ² I myself created the whole universe! I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.

³ “The people do as they please. It's all the same to them whether they kill a bull as a sacrifice or sacrifice a human being; whether they sacrifice a lamb or break a dog's neck; whether they present a grain offering or offer pigs' blood; whether they offer incense or pray to an idol. They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship. ⁴ So I will bring disaster upon them—the very things they are afraid of—because no one answered when I called or listened when I spoke. They chose to disobey me and do evil.”

⁵ Listen to what the Lord says, you that fear him and obey him: “Because you are faithful to me, some of your own people hate you and will have nothing to do with you. They mock you and say, ‘Let the Lord show his greatness and save you, so that we may see you rejoice.’ But they themselves will be disgraced! ⁶ Listen! That loud noise in the city, that sound in the Temple, is the sound of the Lord punishing his enemies!

^7 (B)“My holy city is like a woman who suddenly gives birth to a child without ever going into labor. ⁸ Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a day? Zion will not have to suffer long, before the nation is born. ⁹ Do not think that I will bring my people to the point of birth and not let them be born.” The Lord has spoken.

¹² The Lord says, “I will bring you lasting prosperity; the wealth of the nations will flow to you like a river that never goes dry. You will be like a child that is nursed by its mother, carried in her arms, and treated with love. ¹³ I will comfort you in Jerusalem, as a mother comforts her child. ¹⁴ When you see this happen, you will be glad; it will make you strong and healthy. Then you will know that I, the Lord, help those who obey me, and I show my anger against my enemies.”

¹⁵ The Lord will come with fire. He will ride on the wings of a storm to punish those he is angry with. ¹⁶ By fire and sword he will punish all the people of the world whom he finds guilty—and many will be put to death.

¹⁷ The Lord says, “The end is near for those who purify themselves for pagan worship, who go in procession to sacred gardens,^[a] and who eat pork and mice and other disgusting foods. ¹⁸ I know^[b] their thoughts and their deeds. I am coming^[c] to gather the people of all the nations. When they come together, they will see what my power can do ¹⁹ and will know that I am the one who punishes them.

“But I will spare some of them and send them to the nations and the distant lands that have not heard of my fame or seen my greatness and power: to Spain, Libya,^[d] and Lydia, with its skilled archers, and to Tubal and Greece. Among these nations they will proclaim my greatness. ²⁰ They will bring back all your people from the nations as a gift to me. They will bring them to my sacred hill^[e] in Jerusalem on horses, mules, and camels, and in chariots and wagons, just as Israelites bring grain offerings to the Temple in ritually clean containers. ²¹ I will make some of them priests and Levites.

^22 (C)“Just as the new earth and the new heavens will endure by my power, so your descendants and your name will endure. ²³ On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. ^24 (D)“As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to all people.”

The Death of John the Baptist^(A)

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus. ² “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

^3 (B)For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. ^4 (C)For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet.

⁶ On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased ⁷ that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!”

⁸ At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

⁹ The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted. ¹⁰ So he had John beheaded in prison. ¹¹ The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. ¹² John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand^(D)

¹³ When Jesus heard the news about John, he left there in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. The people heard about it, and so they left their towns and followed him by land. ¹⁴ Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed their sick.

¹⁵ That evening his disciples came to him and said, “It is already very late, and this is a lonely place. Send the people away and let them go to the villages to buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ “They don't have to leave,” answered Jesus. “You yourselves give them something to eat!”

¹⁷ “All we have here are five loaves and two fish,” they replied.

¹⁸ “Then bring them here to me,” Jesus said. ¹⁹ He ordered the people to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ Everyone ate and had enough. Then the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over. ²¹ The number of men who ate was about five thousand, not counting the women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water^(E)

²² Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. ²³ After sending the people away, he went up a hill by himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone; ²⁴ and by this time the boat was far out in the lake, tossed about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it.

²⁵ Between three and six o'clock in the morning Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water. ²⁶ When they saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. “It's a ghost!” they said, and screamed with fear.

²⁷ Jesus spoke to them at once. “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!”

²⁸ Then Peter spoke up. “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”

²⁹ “Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. ³⁰ But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried.

³¹ At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?”

³² They both got into the boat, and the wind died down. ³³ Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. “Truly you are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret^(F)

³⁴ They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, ³⁵ where the people recognized Jesus. So they sent for the sick people in all the surrounding country and brought them to Jesus. ³⁶ They begged him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak; and all who touched it were made well.