Death of Joshua

⁶ When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their own inheritances to take possession of the land.^{(A) 7} The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. ⁸ Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten years. ⁹ So they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.^(B)

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

¹¹ Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals,^{(C) 12} and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them and bowed down to them, and they provoked the Lord to anger.^{(D) 13} They abandoned the Lord and served Baal and the Astartes.^{(E) 14} So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.^{(F) 15} Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them, and they were in great distress.

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them.^{(G) 17} Yet they did not listen even to their judges, for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord; they did not follow their example.^{(H) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge, for the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them. ¹⁹ But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than their ancestors, following other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.^{(I) 20} So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this nation has transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors and have not obeyed my voice,^{(J) 21} I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died.”^{(K) 22} In order to test Israel, whether or not they would take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their ancestors did,^{(L) 23} the Lord had left those nations, not driving them out at once, and had not handed them over to Joshua.

Warning to Pay Attention

2 Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ² For if the message declared through angels proved valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty,^{(A) 3} how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was confirmed for us by those who heard him,^{(B) 4} while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.^(C)

Exaltation through Abasement

⁵ Now God^[a] did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.^{(D) 6} But someone has testified somewhere,

Now in subjecting all things to them, God^[f] left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,^{(F) 9} but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower^[g] than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God^[h] he might taste death for everyone.^(G)

¹⁰ It was fitting that God,^[i] for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.^{(H) 11} For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.^[j] For this reason Jesus^[k] is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,^{(I) 12} saying,

¹³ And again,

And again,

¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,^{(L) 15} and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.^{(M) 16} For it is clear that he did not come to help angels but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.^{(N) 18} Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.^(O)

Ehud

¹² The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord.^{(A) 13} In alliance with the Ammonites and the Amalekites, he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms.^{(B) 14} So the Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent tribute by him to King Eglon of Moab.^{(C) 16} Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he fastened it on his right thigh under his clothes. ¹⁷ Then he presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.^{(D) 18} When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent the people who carried the tribute on their way. ¹⁹ But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” So the king said,^[a] “Silence!” and all his attendants went out from his presence. ²⁰ Ehud came to him, while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber, and said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he rose from his seat. ²¹ Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon’s^[b] belly; ²² the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and the dirt^[c] came out. ²³ Then Ehud went out into the vestibule^[d] and closed the doors of the roof chamber on him and locked them.

²⁴ After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “He must be relieving himself^[e] in the cool chamber.”^{(E) 25} So they waited until they were embarrassed. When he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them. There was their lord lying dead on the floor.^(F)

²⁶ Ehud escaped while they delayed and passed beyond the sculptured stones and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head. ²⁸ He said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and allowed no one to cross over.^{(G) 29} At that time they killed about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; no one escaped. ³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.^(H)

Shamgar

³¹ After him came Shamgar son of Anath, who killed six hundred of the Philistines with an oxgoad. He, too, delivered Israel.^(I)

Moses a Servant, Christ a Son

3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,^{(A) 2} who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all^[a] God’s^[b] house.” ³ Yet Jesus^[c] is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.^{(B) 4} (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)^{(C) 5} Now Moses was faithful in all God’s^[d] house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.^{(D) 6} Christ, however, was faithful over God’s^[e] house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm^[f] the boldness and the pride inspired by hope.^(E)

Warning against Unbelief

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

¹² Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said,

¹⁶ Now who were they who heard and rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?^{(H) 17} And with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?^{(I) 18} And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient?^{(J) 19} So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.^(K)