Judah’s Leadership against the Canaanites

1 After the death of Joshua,^(A) the Israelites inquired of the Lord,^(B) “Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?”

² The Lord answered, “Judah^(C) is to go.^(D) I have handed the land over to him.”^(E)

³ Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me to my allotted territory, and let’s fight against the Canaanites. I will also go with you to your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him.

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites^(F) over to them. They struck down ten thousand men in Bezek.^{(G) 5} They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek, fought against him, and struck down the Canaanites and Perizzites.

⁶ When Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.^{(H) 7} Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps^[a] under my table. God has repaid me for what I have done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸ The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem, captured it, put it to the sword, and set the city on fire. ⁹ Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.^{[b] 10} Judah also marched against the Canaanites who were living in Hebron^(I) (Hebron was formerly named Kiriath-arba^(J)). They struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.^{(K) 11} From there they marched against the residents of Debir^(L) (Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher).

¹² Caleb^(M) said, “Whoever attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daughter Achsah^(N) to him as a wife.” ¹³ So Othniel^(O) son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as his wife.

¹⁴ When she arrived, she persuaded Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?” ¹⁵ She answered him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev,^(P) give me springs also.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.^(Q)

¹⁶ The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’s father-in-law,^(R) had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms^[c](S) to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad.^(T) They went to live among the people.

¹⁷ Judah went with his brother Simeon, struck the Canaanites who were living in Zephath, and completely destroyed the town. So they named the town Hormah.^{(U) 18} Judah captured Gaza and its territory, Ashkelon and its territory, and Ekron and its territory. ¹⁹ The Lord was with^(V) Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out^(W) the people who were living in the plain because those people had iron chariots.^(X)

²⁰ Judah gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised.^(Y) Then Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak^(Z) who lived there.

Benjamin’s Failure

²¹ At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.^(AA)

Success of the House of Joseph

²² The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with^(AB) them. ²³ They sent spies to Bethel (the town was formerly named Luz^(AC)). ²⁴ The spies saw a man coming out of the town and said to him, “Please show us how to get into town, and we will show you kindness.”^{(AD) 25} When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but released the man and his entire family. ²⁶ Then the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name still today.

Failure of the Other Tribes

²⁷ At that time Manasseh failed to take possession of Beth-shean^(AE) and Taanach^(AF) and their surrounding villages, or the residents of Dor,^(AG) Ibleam,^(AH) and Megiddo^(AI) and their surrounding villages; the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land.^{(AJ) 28} When Israel became stronger, they made the Canaanites serve as forced labor but never drove them out completely.^(AK)

²⁹ At that time Ephraim failed to drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived among them in Gezer.^(AL)

³⁰ Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron or the residents of Nahalol,^(AM) so the Canaanites lived among them and served as forced labor.

³¹ Asher failed to drive out the residents of Acco or of Sidon, or Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. ³² The Asherites lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, because they failed to drive them out.

³³ Naphtali did not drive out the residents of Beth-shemesh or the residents of Beth-anath. They lived among the Canaanites who were living in the land, but the residents of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served as their forced labor.

³⁴ The Amorites^(AN) forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to go down into the valley. ³⁵ The Amorites were determined to stay in Har-heres, Aijalon,^(AO) and Shaalbim. When the house of Joseph got the upper hand, the Amorites were made to serve as forced labor. ³⁶ The territory of the Amorites extended from the Scorpions’ Ascent,^(AP) that is from Sela^(AQ) upward.

Pattern of Sin and Judgment

2 The angel of the Lord^(AR) went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land^(AS) I had promised to your ancestors.^(AT) I also said: I will never break my covenant with you. ² You are not to make a covenant^(AU) with the inhabitants of this land. You are to tear down their altars.^(AV) But you have not obeyed me. What have you done? ³ Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you.^(AW) They will be thorns^[d] in your sides,^(AX) and their gods will be a trap for you.”^{(AY) 4} When the angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ⁵ So they named that place Bochim^[e] and offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

Joshua’s Death

⁶ Previously, when Joshua had sent the people away, the Israelites had gone to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance.^{(AZ) 7} The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the Lord’s great works^(BA) he had done for Israel.

⁸ Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. ⁹ They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim,^(BB) north of Mount Gaash. ¹⁰ That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord^(BC) or the works he had done for Israel.

¹¹ The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.^(BD) They worshiped the Baals^{(BE) 12} and abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples^(BF) and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord,^{(BG) 13} for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.^(BH)

¹⁴ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold^(BI) them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. ¹⁵ Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them^(BJ) and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them.^(BK) So they suffered greatly.

¹⁶ The Lord raised up^(BL) judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, ¹⁷ but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted^(BM) themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way^(BN) of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their ancestors did. ¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with^(BO) him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. ¹⁹ Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly^(BP) than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate^(BQ) ways.

²⁰ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant^(BR) that I made with their ancestors^(BS) and disobeyed me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left^(BT) when he died.^{(BU) 22} I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way^(BV) by walking in it, as their ancestors had.”^{(BW) 23} The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

The Lord Tests Israel

3 These are the nations the Lord left in order to test all those in Israel who had experienced none of the wars in Canaan.^{(BX) 2} This was to teach the future generations of the Israelites how to fight in battle, especially those who had not fought before. ³ These nations included the five rulers^(BY) of the Philistines^(BZ) and all of the Canaanites, the Sidonians,^(CA) and the Hivites^(CB) who lived in the Lebanese mountains from Mount Baal-hermon as far as the entrance to Hamath.^{[f] 4} The Lord left them to test Israel, to determine if they would keep the Lord’s commands he had given their ancestors through Moses.^{(CC) 5} But they settled among the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁶ The Israelites took their daughters as wives for themselves, gave their own daughters to their sons, and worshiped their gods.^(CD)

Othniel, the First Judge

⁷ The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; they forgot the Lord their God^(CE) and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ⁸ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to King Cushan-rishathaim^[g] of Aram-naharaim,^[h](CF) and the Israelites served him eight years.

⁹ The Israelites cried out to the Lord.^(CG) So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother,^(CH) as a deliverer^(CI) to save the Israelites. ¹⁰ The Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he judged Israel. Othniel went out to battle, and the Lord handed over King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram to him, so that Othniel overpowered him. ¹¹ Then the land had peace for^(CJ) forty years, and Othniel son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

¹² The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab^(CK) power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹³ After Eglon convinced the Ammonites and the Amalekites to join forces with him, he attacked and defeated Israel and took possession of the City of Palms.^{[i](CL) 14} The Israelites served King Eglon of Moab eighteen years.

¹⁵ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed^(CM) Benjaminite,^[j] as a deliverer for them. The Israelites sent him with the tribute^(CN) for King Eglon of Moab.

¹⁶ Ehud made himself a double-edged sword eighteen inches long.^[k] He strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes ¹⁷ and brought the tribute to King Eglon of Moab, who was an extremely fat man. ¹⁸ When Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had carried it. ¹⁹ At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, “King Eglon, I have a secret message for you.” The king said, “Silence!” and all his attendants left him. ²⁰ Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his upstairs room where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne. ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly. ²² Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And the waste came out.^{[l] 23} Ehud escaped by way of the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upstairs room behind him.

²⁴ Ehud was gone when Eglon’s servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself^[m] in the cool room. ²⁵ The servants waited until they became embarrassed and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor!

²⁶ Ehud escaped while the servants waited. He passed the Jordan near the carved images and reached Seirah. ²⁷ After he arrived, he sounded the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hill country, and he became their leader. ²⁸ He told them, “Follow me, because the Lord has handed over your enemies, the Moabites, to you.” So they followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.^{(CO) 29} At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all stout and able-bodied men. Not one of them escaped. ³⁰ Moab became subject to Israel that day, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Shamgar

³¹ After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He also delivered Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with a cattle prod.

Psalm 16

Confidence in the Lord

A Miktam of David.^(A)

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

20 One^(A) day as he was teaching^(B) the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news,^(C) the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders,^(D) came ² and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”

³ He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴ was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?”

⁵ They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people^(E) will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”^{(F) 7} So they answered that they did not know its origin.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

⁹ Now^(G) he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,^(H) leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. ¹⁰ At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved^(I) son. Perhaps^[a] they will respect him.’

¹⁴ “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’^{(J) 15} So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and kill^(K) those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”

But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!” ^(L)

¹⁷ But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:^[b](M)

¹⁸ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”^(O)

¹⁹ Then the scribes and the chief priests^(P) looked for a way to get their hands on him^(Q) that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.^(R)

God and Caesar

²⁰ They^(S) watched closely^(T) and sent spies^(U) who pretended to be righteous,^[d] so that they could catch him in what he said,^(V) to hand him^(W) over to the governor’s^(X) rule and authority. ²¹ They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly,^(Y) and you don’t show partiality^[e](Z) but teach truthfully the way of God.^{(AA) 22} Is it lawful^(AB) for us to pay taxes^(AC) to Caesar^(AD) or not?”

²³ But detecting their craftiness, he said to them,^{[f] 24} “Show me a denarius.^[g] Whose image and inscription does it have?”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

²⁵ “Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar^(AE) the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²⁶ They were not able to catch him in what he said in public, and being amazed at his answer, they became silent.^(AF)

The Sadducees and the Resurrection

²⁷ Some^(AG) of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,^(AH) came up and questioned him: ²⁸ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother.^{[h](AI) 29} Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. ³⁰ Also the second^{[i] 31} and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. ³² Finally, the woman died too. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”

³⁴ Jesus told them, “The children of this age^(AJ) marry and are given in marriage.^{(AK) 35} But those who are counted worthy^(AL) to take part in that age^(AM) and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ For they can no longer die,^(AN) because they are like angels and are children of God,^(AO) since they are children of the resurrection. ³⁷ Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.^{[j](AP) 38} He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to^[k] him.”^(AQ)

³⁹ Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

The Question about the Messiah

⁴¹ Then^(AR) he said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is the son of David?^{(AS) 42} For David himself says in the Book of Psalms:^(AT)

⁴⁴ David calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?”^(AV)

Warning against the Scribes

⁴⁵ While^(AW) all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware^(AX) of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.^{(AY) 47} They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”