Disobedience and Defeat^(A)

⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.^(B)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(C) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^[a](D) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.^{(E) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(F) in the eyes of the Lord^(G) and served the Baals.^{(H) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(I) of the peoples around them.^(J) They aroused^(K) the Lord’s anger^{(L) 13} because they forsook^(M) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(N) 14} In his anger^(O) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(P) of raiders who plundered^(Q) them. He sold them^(R) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(S) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(T) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(U)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[b](V) who saved^(W) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(X) themselves to other gods^(Y) and worshiped them.^(Z) They quickly turned^(AA) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^(AB)

The Workers Are Few

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.^{(A) 36} When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,^(B) because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.^{(C) 37} Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest^(D) is plentiful but the workers are few.^{(E) 38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”