Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites^(A)

1 After the death^(B) of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first^(C) to fight against the Canaanites?^(D)”

² The Lord answered, “Judah^(E) shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.^(F)”

³ The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites^(G) went with them.

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites^(H) into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.^{(I) 5} It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek^(J) and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

⁷ Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back^(K) for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem,^(L) and he died there.

⁸ The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem^(M) also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.

⁹ After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country,^(N) the Negev^(O) and the western foothills. ¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron^(P) (formerly called Kiriath Arba^(Q)) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.^{(R) 11} From there they advanced against the people living in Debir^(S) (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

¹² And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” ¹³ Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

¹⁴ One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him^[a] to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?”

¹⁵ She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.^(T)

¹⁶ The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law,^(U) the Kenite,^(V) went up from the City of Palms^[b](W) with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.^(X)

¹⁷ Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites^(Y) their fellow Israelites and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed^[c] the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.^{[d](Z) 18} Judah also took^[e] Gaza,^(AA) Ashkelon^(AB) and Ekron—each city with its territory.

¹⁹ The Lord was with^(AC) the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country,^(AD) but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron.^{(AE) 20} As Moses had promised, Hebron^(AF) was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.^{(AG) 21} The Benjamites, however, did not drive out^(AH) the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem;^(AI) to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

²² Now the tribes of Joseph^(AJ) attacked Bethel,^(AK) and the Lord was with them. ²³ When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz),^{(AL) 24} the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.^(AM)” ²⁵ So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared^(AN) the man and his whole family. ²⁶ He then went to the land of the Hittites,^(AO) where he built a city and called it Luz,^(AP) which is its name to this day.

²⁷ But Manasseh did not^(AQ) drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor^(AR) or Ibleam^(AS) or Megiddo^(AT) and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites^(AU) were determined to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.^{(AV) 29} Nor did Ephraim^(AW) drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer,^(AX) but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.^{(AY) 30} Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. ³¹ Nor did Asher^(AZ) drive out those living in Akko or Sidon^(BA) or Ahlab or Akzib^(BB) or Helbah or Aphek^(BC) or Rehob.^{(BD) 32} The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. ³³ Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh^(BE) or Beth Anath^(BF); but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. ³⁴ The Amorites^(BG) confined the Danites^(BH) to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain.^{(BI) 35} And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres,^(BJ) Aijalon^(BK) and Shaalbim,^(BL) but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. ³⁶ The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass^(BM) to Sela^(BN) and beyond.^(BO)

The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

2 The angel of the Lord^(BP) went up from Gilgal^(BQ) to Bokim^(BR) and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt^(BS) and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.^(BT) I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,^{(BU) 2} and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,^(BV) but you shall break down their altars.^(BW)’ Yet you have disobeyed^(BX) me. Why have you done this? ³ And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;^(BY) they will become traps^(BZ) for you, and their gods will become snares^(CA) to you.’”

⁴ When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,^{(CB) 5} and they called that place Bokim.^[f](CC) There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat^(CD)

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.^(CE)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(CF) 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^[g](CG) 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.^{(CH) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(CI) in the eyes of the Lord^(CJ) and served the Baals.^{(CK) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(CL) of the peoples around them.^(CM) They aroused^(CN) the Lord’s anger^{(CO) 13} because they forsook^(CP) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(CQ) 14} In his anger^(CR) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(CS) of raiders who plundered^(CT) them. He sold them^(CU) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(CV) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(CW) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(CX)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[h](CY) who saved^(CZ) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(DA) themselves to other gods^(DB) and worshiped them.^(DC) They quickly turned^(DD) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(DE) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(DF) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(DG) because of their groaning^(DH) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(DI) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(DJ) than those of their ancestors,^(DK) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(DL) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(DM) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(DN) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(DO) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(DP) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(DQ) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(DR)

Psalm 44^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[b]

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

7 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

² To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers,^(A) listen to me! The God of glory^(B) appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.^{(C) 3} ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’^[a](D)

⁴ “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.^{(E) 5} He gave him no inheritance here,^(F) not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land,^(G) even though at that time Abraham had no child. ⁶ God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.^{(H) 7} But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’^{[b](I) 8} Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision.^(J) And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth.^(K) Later Isaac became the father of Jacob,^(L) and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.^(M)

⁹ “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph,^(N) they sold him as a slave into Egypt.^(O) But God was with him^{(P) 10} and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.^(Q)

¹¹ “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.^{(R) 12} When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.^{(S) 13} On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was,^(T) and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family.^{(U) 14} After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family,^(V) seventy-five in all.^{(W) 15} Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.^{(X) 16} Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.^(Y)

¹⁷ “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.^{(Z) 18} Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’^{[c](AA) 19} He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.^(AB)

²⁰ “At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child.^[d] For three months he was cared for by his family.^{(AC) 21} When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.^{(AD) 22} Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians^(AE) and was powerful in speech and action.

²³ “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. ²⁴ He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. ²⁵ Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’

²⁷ “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?^{(AF) 28} Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’^{[e] 29} When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.^(AG)

³⁰ “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. ³¹ When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:^{(AH) 32} ‘I am the God of your fathers,^(AI) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’^[f] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.^(AJ)

³³ “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.^{(AK) 34} I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’^[g](AL)

³⁵ “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’^(AM) He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ He led them out of Egypt^(AN) and performed wonders and signs^(AO) in Egypt, at the Red Sea^(AP) and for forty years in the wilderness.^(AQ)

³⁷ “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’^{[h](AR) 38} He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel^(AS) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;^(AT) and he received living words^(AU) to pass on to us.^(AV)

³⁹ “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.^{(AW) 40} They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’^{[i](AX) 41} That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.^{(AY) 42} But God turned away from them^(AZ) and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.^(BA) This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:

⁴⁴ “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law^(BC) with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.^{(BD) 45} After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them.^(BE) It remained in the land until the time of David,^{(BF) 46} who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.^{[k](BG) 47} But it was Solomon who built a house for him.^(BH)

⁴⁸ “However, the Most High^(BI) does not live in houses made by human hands.^(BJ) As the prophet says:

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people!^(BM) Your hearts^(BN) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?^(BO) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him^(BP)— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels^(BQ) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious^(BR) and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,^(BS) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.^{(BT) 56} “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open^(BU) and the Son of Man^(BV) standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city^(BW) and began to stone him.^(BX) Meanwhile, the witnesses^(BY) laid their coats^(BZ) at the feet of a young man named Saul.^(CA)

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”^{(CB) 60} Then he fell on his knees^(CC) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”^(CD) When he had said this, he fell asleep.^(CE)